Men’s basketball falls in final seconds in MAC championship against Akron

CLEVELAND – The Miami University RedHawks men’s basketball team’s run at Rocket Mortgage Arena hit a wall with tonight’s 76-74 loss against the University of Akron Zips.

Despite a dominant first half that saw the RedHawks outscore Akron 46-34, Miami faltered in the second half, allowing the Zips to accomplish the comeback in the final minute. Junior guard Nate Johnson put the final nail in the coffin with a layup, and Miami sophomore guard Evan Ipsaro couldn’t hit the half-court shot in the final seconds.

“Overall, our execution wasn’t quite as good as it has been,” head coach Travis Steele said. “We’ve been in a lot of close games this year … I thought we controlled most of the game, probably 99% of it, but Akron’s got a great team.”

The RedHawks dominated the first half, outscoring Akron by 12 points. The Zips shot 12-27 (44.4%) from the field in the first 20 minutes compared to Miami’s 18-33 (54.5%), including 10 triples on 18 attempts.

Akron started out strong with a dunk from senior forward James Okonkwo. However, following a scoreless performance against Kent State, sophomore guard Mekhi Cooper sank a deep shot to bring Miami up 3-2.

Junior guard Peter Suder and redshirt sophomore wing Kam Craft shot consecutive triples to give the RedHawks a five-point advantage. Despite another Okonkwo dunk, Miami held a 29-15 lead going into the 10-minute mark thanks to four 3-pointers for the RedHawks.

Suder sank two of those triples, and the Bellarmine transfer scored 11-straight points over a two-minute stretch to bring Miami up by 18 points.

The Zips brought the game back within 10 points with a 7-0 run, including a 3-pointer from first-year guard Sharron Young. Miami remained scoreless for nearly three minutes, but junior forward Antwone Woolfolk and Craft combined for five points to send the game into half with the RedHawks up 46-34.

Woolfolk and redshirt junior guard Nate Johnson traded layups at the top of the second half. From there, Akron went on a 9-5 run to cut the deficit back to single-digits.

That moment proved temporary when Cooper shot his second 3-pointer of the night on a buzzer beater. However, a deep shot from Bowen Hardman and a Nate Johnson jumper found the Zips trailing 61-52 with 12 minutes to go.

Hardman nailed another 3-pointer, but Craft responded equally to keep Miami’s eight-point gap. Ipsaro reached the double-figures with a fouled layup and a free throw, but the Zips brought the game within six points with a deep shot from junior guard Tavari Johnson.

First-year guard Luke Skaljac scored his first points with a shot from behind the arc, but Tavari Johnson traded with another 3-pointer for Akron. The Zips outscored Miami 14-5 over five minutes, and senior guard Shammah Scott brought the game within one-score with Akron’s eighth 3-pointer of the night.

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Akron’s ninth 3-pointer arrived from the hands of Nate Johnson, bringing the score to the closest it’s been all night, 72-70.

Neither team scored for multiple drives, keeping the score constant going into the final two minutes. Nate Johnson tied the game for the first time of the second half, and a foul on Woolfolk sent Scott to the free throw line to give Akron the lead 74-72.

With under one minute to go, Ipsaro sank two free throws to tie the game again. A missed 3-pointer by senior guard Isaiah Gray found Miami with the ball, 35.6 seconds on the clock and the score held even at 74-74.

Thirty-two seconds later, disaster struck.

Ipsaro held the ball at half court until the clock showed 15 seconds. He exploded to the net, but his jumper hit the rim, and junior forward Amani Lyles caught the rebound.

Lyles found an open Nate Johnson on the other side of the court, who put the ball through the net with under three seconds to go. With no timeouts, Ipsaro attempted a halfcourt shot. It fell short, allowing Akron to complete its comeback 76-74.

Despite the loss, Steele ensured that Miami won’t deteriorate next season. He said that the RedHawks will be back in Cleveland in 2026.

“We’re gonna be back in this game next year and use these moments as a learning experience,” Steele said. “We’re not a one hit wonder. We had a good year, didn’t finish the way that we wanted … but I can tell you, we’re going to be here for a long time, and we’ll be back in this moment.”

@thekethan04

babukc2@miamioh.edu