Cleveland, OH—-In a high-stakes battle for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the top-seeded Akron Zips (27-6) squared off against the second-seeded Miami (Ohio) RedHawks (24-8) in the MAC Championship game. The highly anticipated showdown lived up to expectations, delivering a back-and-forth contest that ended in dramatic fashion.
Both teams came out firing, exchanging baskets in the opening minutes. Miami (Ohio), led by junior guard Peter Suder’s hot shooting, seized control midway through the first half. Suder poured in 16 first-half points, fueling the RedHawks to an 18-point advantage.
Their sharpshooting from beyond the arc—hitting 55% of their three-point attempts—kept Akron on its heels. However, the Zips rallied late in the half, trimming the deficit to 12 at the break, with Miami leading 46-34.
The second half saw Akron slowly chip away at the RedHawks’ lead, relying on stifling defense and efficient three-point shooting (7-for-14 from deep). With nine minutes remaining, the Zips had cut Miami’s lead to just six points. As the game clock wound down, both teams traded blows, and with under two minutes to play, the score was knotted at 74-74.
In the closing moments, a costly turnover by Miami (Ohio) set the stage for Akron’s Nate Johnson, who capitalized with a clutch breakaway layup to seal the victory for the Zips. The 76-74 win secured Akron’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Despite the loss, Miami’s Pete Suder delivered a standout performance, finishing with a game-high 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including 6-of-8 from beyond the arc.
For Akron, Nate Johnson led the charge with 22 points, shooting an efficient 8-of-13 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line. He also contributed five assists. Fellow junior guard Tavari Johnson added 15 points, knocking down 6-of-11 shots, including 3-of-4 from deep.
For his stellar performance throughout the tournament, Nate Johnson was named the MAC Tournament’s Most Valuable Player, cementing his role in Akron’s championship run.
