No. 2 Akron 75, No. 7 Miami (OH) 63

CLEVELAND, Ohio-- A second-half outburst by No. 2 Akron helped the Zips move past No. 7 Miami (OH), 75-63, in the third of four MAC Tournament Quarterfinal Matchups inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Thursday evening. Akron will now face the winner of No. 3 Ohio and No. 6 Western Michigan at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday night following No. 8 Kent State and No. 5 Bowling Green's matchup. 

Leading by just a pair after the opening half, Akron outscored Miami 38-28 in the final 20 minutes of action. The Zips controlled the paint, outscoring the RedHawks by a margin of 52-30. Additionally, Akron held Miami to just 34.4% shooting in the second half to push its lead. 

2024 Unanimous MAC Player of the Year Enrique Freeman exploded for 30 points, making 13-of-16 shot attempts, to go along with 12 rebounds. With his 12th and final rebound with 1:45 remaining in the game, Freeman became the all-time rebound leader in Akron history. 

Freeman now has 29 double-doubles this season, ranking 1st in the NCAA, and is the only player in the MAC to average a double-double. He is 1-of-15 players in Div. I to average a double-double and has recorded 20+ points and 10+ rebounds 14 times. 

In 34 minutes of play, Ali Ali added 14 points, five rebounds and five assists. 

Miami was led by Anderson Mirambeaux and Darweshi Hunter as the duo each made seven shots and two threes apiece. 

In the first half, the RedHawks shot 14-of-27 (51.9%). 

Notable Player Performances:


AKRON:
Team: 47 FG%
#25 Enrique Freeman: 13-16 FG 30 pts, 12 Reb
#24 Ali Ali: 14 Pts, 5 Ast, 5 Reb
#1 Shammah Scott: 4-7 FG, 6 Reb, 9 Pts


MIAMI (OH):
Team: 42 FG% 
#45 Anderson Mirambeaux: 17 Pts, 2-6 3P
#4 Darweshi Hunter: 7-12 FG, 16 Pts
#0 Eian Elmer: 2-3 FG, 2 Stl, 4 Reb