The University of Akron Athletics
Bears Down Zips, 89-75
December 04 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 4, 2005
Box Score
BERKELEY, Calif. - Leon Powe scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead California over Akron, 89-75, in a non-conference game Saturday at Haas Pavilion.
Powe, who missed the first four games of the season with a stress fracture in his right foot, dominated play on both ends of the court as the Bears improved their record to 5-1 with their fifth straight win. Akron (2-1) saw its modest two-game win streak end.
Romeo Travis, Akron's leading scorer, began the night guarding Powe, picked up three quick personal fouls and was benched for the final 15:12 of a scoreless first half for him. Akron coach Keith Dambrot was called for a technical foul arguing about the third foul.
The Zips struggled without Travis losing the first-half rebound battle 17-7.
Travis scored his first basket 15 seconds into the second half, but picked up his fourth personal on an attempted dunk by Powe and was taken out with 17:18 to play.
Cal took down eight offensive rebounds alone in the first half and led the Zips 45-36 at the break.
Theo Robertson gave Cal a 62-49 lead with 12:50 to play on the front end of a fast break.
Dambrot was forced to put Travis back on the floor, and he responded with two quick baskets that helped cut the advantage to 64-48 with 10:20 remaining.
Travis fouled out 5:00 from the end with six points - 15 under his season average.
Rob Preston led Akron with a career-high 18 points in 20 minutes
off the bench. He also managed to block one of Powe's shots.
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Nick Dials scored a career-high tying 15 points for the Zips, all coming in the first half. Dials, who had ACL surgery in June, was 6-of-8 from the floor, including a 3-of-4 clip from behind the arc. He did not tally an attempt after the intermission.
Dru Joyce was the only other Zips player to notch double figures, having 12 points and six assists.
Akron made two more field goals (29-of-57/50.9 percent) and hit four more 3-pointers (11-of-27/40.7 percent), but the Bears had 33 attempts from the line (making 28) while the Zips had just eight tries (making six).
DeVon Hardin (18), Ayinde Ubaka (15) and Richard Midgley (15) also hit double figures for Cal, which shot 55.1 percent (27-of-49) for the game.
