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Enrique Freeman leads Akron men's basketball to MAC Tournament quarterfinal win over Miami
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- Enrique Freeman leads Akron men's basketball to MAC Tournament quarterfinal win over Miami
CLEVELAND — The Mid-American Conference men's basketball coaches made the right call Wednesday selecting Enrique Freeman as the Player of the Year .
Freeman delivered another memorable performance Thursday when he led second-seeded University of Akron to a 75-63 win over seventh-seeded Miami in a MAC Tournament quarterfinal at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
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Freeman had game-high totals of 30 points and 12 rebounds to lead Akron (22-10) to a semifinal date with third-seeded Ohio University (20-12) at 7:30 p.m. Friday. OU beat sixth-seeded Western Michigan 82-55 in Thursday's nightcap.
Akron Zips forward Enrique Freeman (25) dunks the ball during the second half of a Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinal against the Miami Redhawks on March 14, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.
" Enrique , he's a monster," Miami coach Travis Steele said. "He had 30 and 12. [Senior] Ali Ali's a really talented guy as well."
Freeman was specatular, displaying his athleticism, footwork and positioning on the court. He made 13 of 16 shots from the field and 4 of 4 free throws in just over 33 minutes, and added three assists, a block and a steal.
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" Enrique Freeman , player of the year in the MAC," Miami 6-foot-8, 305-pound senior Anderson Mirambeaux said. "He is a hell of a player. He came out today, he got 30 and 12. ... He is always active around the glass. He always goes to rebound. He don't take plays off. I think that makes him a great player."
Freeman (6-foot-7, 206 pounds) recorded his 29th double-double this season and also became Akron's all-time leader with 1,361 rebounds.
Akron Zips forward Enrique Freeman (25) drives to the basket against a Miami Redhawks defender during a Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinal on March 14, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.
"How about that?" Akron coach John Groce said with a smile and then clapped his hands. "That's a lot of rebounds."
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Said Freeman : "I just feel grateful. ... To be honest with you, I'm not even focused on that. I'm really focused on the next game. I'm taking it as it comes and just enjoying it."
Mirambeaux led Miami with 17 points and four rebounds.
Miami (15-17) led 20-11 and 24-15 in the first half. Mirambeaux made five of his first six shots, including two 3-pointers. He scored 14 points in the first half and senior Darweshi Hunter scored nine of his 16 points.
Miami (OH) Redhawks center Anderson Mirambeaux (45) celebrates after knocking down a three against the Akron Zips during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Akron rallied to lead 37-35 at halftime after Freeman converted a two-hand slam dunk to give him 14 points. Ali had seven points in the first half and sophomore Tavari Johnson added six.
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"I was just excited to play," Freeman said. "I think everybody on our team kind of had a chip on their shoulder coming into this game and coming into the tournament, and I love playing in Cleveland. I love playing at Rocket Mortgage."
The Zips came out fast in the second half with a 16-4 run that started with a dunk by senior Sammy Hunter. Freeman contributed two dunks, a jumper, a layup and a free throw as Akron's lead reached 53-39 with 15:44 left.
Akron Zips forward Enrique Freeman (25) shoots over Miami (OH) Redhawks center Anderson Mirambeaux (45) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.
"Enrique is a stud," Steele said. "He could play anywhere in America. I was fortunate to coach in the Big East and the Big 10 and he could play anywhere in America. Anywhere. ... I'm not saying he's the best player I've ever coached against. I know this — he's got the highest motor I've ever played against in college basketball, and I've coached for a long time and played and coached against some really good players, and that thing's infectious.
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"His leadership, you just look at his character that Enrique has and how hard he plays, the teammate that he is. Everybody else going to fall in line. How can you not? When that guy's playing that hard and he's the best player in the league, how do you not fall in line?"
Akron missed all 11 of its 3-point shots in the first half. Senior Greg Tribble Jr. (eight points and two steals) made two 3s in the second half and junior Shammah Scott (nine points and six rebounds) added one 3.
Akron Zips guard Greg Tribble (2) stares down Miami (OH) Redhawks guard Darweshi Hunter (4) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Akron extended its lead to 68-53 when Freeman made two free throws with 4:26 to go.
"We talk about surviving and advancing, putting our five letters on that next line on the bracket, A-K-R-O-N, and so we were able to accomplish that," Groce said.
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"... I thought the thing that stood out to me tonight was the fact that we got popped early. They hit us pretty hard early, but when you have guys like we have up here that have been around for a while, there is no panic whatsoever. No one flinched. I thought our mental toughness was exceptional to take that body blow early in the game and to keep playing, really spearheaded by the leadership of these three guys [Freeman, Ali and Tribble]."
Akron Zips guard Ali Ali drives against Miami guard Darweshi Hunter during the second half of a Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinal, Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Cleveland.
Ali finished with 14 points, five rebounds, five assists and a steal.
Akron shot 31 of 66 from the field (3 of 23 on 3-pointers). Miami shot 25 of 59 from the field (6 of 24 3 pointers). The Zips had a 44-28 edge in rebounds.
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"We didn't shoot well from the 3 and I thought as a team we did a good job to recognize that," Freeman said. "Hey, we're not shooting well. Let's get it into the paint. Let's get to Ali. Let's get it to me."
Thursday's game also featured half-brothers Groce and Steele squaring off. Each expressed love toward the other after the game.
Akron Zips guard Ali Ali (24) shoots over Miami (OH) Redhawks guard Eian Elmer (0) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.
"It starts with my brother and Enrique Freeman," Steele said. "They've won this championship before, so you know they're going to be ready. They've been in the NCAA tournament [in 2022]. All those guys came back for this moment."
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Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Enrique Freeman leads Akron to win over Miami in MAC Tournament
