MU edges 1st place Akron in OT

Trish Engelma

Issue date: 2/23/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Jeff Creech

Miami's Nathan Peavy goes up for two of his 14 points against Akron's Jeremiah Wood Wednesday night at Millett Hall.

It took an extra five minutes in overtime, but the Miami RedHawks (14-12, 9-4 MAC) squeaked by Mid-American Conference East leader Akron (20-6, 10-3 MAC) Wednesday night at Millett Hall, 64-62. The win puts Miami one game behind Akron and Kent State, who are tied atop the standings.

Forwards Nathan Peavy and Tim Pollitz once again led the RedHawks in points, with Peavy scoring 14 and Pollitz adding 17. However, it was the clutch free throw shooting of Doug Penno, with under a minute in overtime, which sealed Miami's eighth straight home victory.

"It was a hard fought game," said Miami Head Coach Charlie Coles. "We played really well. I don't think Akron was able to match our potential."

Coming out rather sluggish, the 'Hawks trailed the Akron Zips by a single point throughout the first six minutes of the game as they were unable to find their shooting groove. However, the RedHawks sought to turn things around as Peavy posted four quick points to Miami's score, accompanied with scoring by Monty St. Clair and Pollitz, giving Miami the lead, 14-11, midway through the first half.

Miami's defense continued to pressure the Zips, forcing careless turnovers and getting several shot clock violations.

"I wanted to be active near the post," Peavy said. "I just tried to affect anyone that was attempting to drive in the paint."

Thanks to the continuously hot 3-point shooting of Penno, Miami went on a 12-0 run to open up its

biggest lead.

Although Akron's Jeremiah Wood scored the Zips next 6 points, Miami's aggression continued as Pollitz helped bring Miami to a 26-17 lead, scoring four points with just two minutes to play in the first half,

Picking up the pace, the 'Hawks were determined to solidify their scoring frenzy, sending the Zips into the locker room trailing 32-22.

The RedHawks held the Zips to just 36.8 percent shooting while they accumulated both a field goal and three point percentage of 50 percent in the first half.

"We lost our aggression in the first half," said Akron Head Coach Keith Dambrot. "But I think we made up for it in the second half."

Both teams came out of the locker room ready to play; however, it was the Zips intensity that helped them climb back from a big halftime deficit.

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