Men's Basketball Claims 87-74 Victory At Duquesne

February 27 | Men's Basketball

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PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Akron tied a school-record with 10 blocked shots, Nick Dials scored a career-high 23 points and Romeo Travis registered his second-straight double-double (26 points and 11 rebounds) to lead the Zips to a 87-74 victory at Duquesne on Monday in a non-conference men's basketball game at the A.J. Palumbo Center.

Dials was 9-of-14 from the field to score his 23 points, while Travis was 11-of-17 from the floor with 11 rebounds and six blocked shots. Cedrick Middleton added 14 points and Quade Milum, who was 7-of-8 from the free throw line, scored 11.

Akron improves to 22-6 on the season, one win shy of tying the school-record for season victories since the Zips became an NCAA Division I member (1980-81 season). UA went 23-10 in 2005-06.

The game was one of runs with the Zips pulling away late for the victory. Akron took an 11-point lead and stretched it to 15, holding that margin after a Milum jumper with 14:06 left. The Dukes, much as they did in the first half, went on a run and trimmed their deficit to one (66-65) on a Scott Grote 3-pointer at the 8:47 mark.

Travis answered with a layup and, after a Duquesne (10-17) missed trey, Jeremiah Wood found John Rybak for a fast-break layup and five-point UA lead. The Zips then forced a turnover, leading to a traditional Travis 3-point play and UA held an eight-point lead with 6:39 left.

Duquesne kept it close over the next four minutes, trailing by five after two Kieron Achara free throws. Dials got Akron back on track with a 3-pointer. Then, with 1:32 left, Dials followed his own miss with a tip-in rebound, putting the Zips up 11 and essentially sealing the win.

The Zips jumped on the Dukes early, leading by 18 (21-3) seven minutes into the first half, and maintained a comfortable lead midway though the period. However, down 17, Duquesne went on an 11-0 run to trail by six (27-21) with seven minutes left before the break. Dials momentarily regained the momentum for Akron, hitting a 3-pointer. The Dukes answered with a 3-pointer of their own and the teams virtually traded baskets over the next five minutes. Duquesne would get as close as four, 36-32 with 1:39 left before halftime, but Travis and Middleton hit four free throws to put the Zips back on top by eight. Travis then registered Akron's sixth blocked shot of the half, leading to a Dials 3-pointer and giving UA a 43-32 cushion at intermission.

Akron shot 52.5 percent (31-of-59) from the floor, including a 40.0 percent (6-of-15) clip from behind the 3-point line. Duquesne went 39.4 percent (28-of-71) from the field and 40.9 percent (9-of-22) from long range.

The Zips gave up a 42-37 advantage in rebounds, including a 22-11 edge on the offensive glass. UA had 17 assists and 18 turnovers, the first time in four games it has had more miscues than dishes.

The Zips return to league action on Thursday, traveling to Buffalo to face the Bulls at 7 p.m. EST, and will conclude the regular-season on Sunday at rival Kent State. Tipoff for the KSU contest is set for 7:30 p.m. as the game will be televised by FSN Ohio.

ZIPS NOTES: Akron tied a school record (since 1978-79) with 10 blocked shots. The other two times came versus Northern Illinois (Jan. 23, 1989) and at Ohio (Jan. 8, 2003) ... Zips junior forward Nate Linhart was absent from the lineup after breaking the thumb on his left (shooting) hand in the second half of last Saturday's Bowling Green contest. His status for the remainder of the season is unknown.