DaytonDailyNews.com

AKRON — There were some strange statistics to come out of Akron's 69-54 victory over Miami Saturday.

Eric Pollitz, who never had scored in double figures, led the RedHawks with a career-high 12 points. Miami shot 53.8 percent from the field and out-rebounded Akron 25-24 and still lost by 15 points.

And the game wasn't nearly that close. The RedHawks scored 10 of the last 12 points after trailing 67-44.

The most unusual stat belonged to Tim Pollitz, who was held to six points. In 37 minutes, he attempted just five shots, making three.

"We do a miserable job of understanding who our best player is," Miami coach Charlie Coles said. "A miserable job."

There were times when some of the RedHawks, Coles said, didn't even look for Pollitz.

Brief Bramos burst

Miami junior Michael Bramos snapped out of his shooting slump, briefly, in the second half when he scored nine points in a span of three and a half minutes.

Bramos had gone 1-for-11 from the field in Miami's loss at Cincinnati and was 0-for-3 in the first half against Akron. Two of those misses were airballs.

Bramos' nine-point outburst helped Miami slice what had been a 25-point deficit to 15 points, 52-37, when Kenny Hayes hit a driving shot with 10:13 remaining.

Then Tyler Dierkers came up with a steal and had a chance to slice the margin to 13 or even 12, but he was unable to convert a layup, and six seconds later Akron's Nate Linhart answered with a 3-point basket. It was a five-point swing that dashed Miami's faint comeback hopes.

Bramos finished with just those nine points.

Are RedHawks rusty?

Akron coach Keith Dambrot noted that Miami has played just two games in the last two weeks.

"They looked rusty to me," Dambrot said.

Coles was asked if the fact that Miami had played only one game since Dec. 22 coming into Saturday's game had an impact on the outcome.

"No, I think that had nothing to do with it," Coles said, "and I'm being as honest as I can. I just think they were that much better."

Coming up

Miami will have a week to think about its loss. The RedHawks' next game is next Saturday afternoon at Ohio.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or pconrad@coxohio.com.