The University of Akron Athletics
Men's Basketball Rallies For 68-52 Win Over Toledo
January 31 | Men's Basketball
– The University of Akron men's basketball team rallied for
a come-from-behind 68-52 defeat of Toledo on Wednesday night at
Rhodes Arena before a crowd of 3,882 fans. UA has now won
21-straight games at home – the fifth-longest streak of its
kind in the nation.
Steve
McNees' 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting – including 4-of-5
from 3-point range – led the Zips (15-5, 5-2 Mid-American
Conference) as they snapped a two-game losing streak, the program's
longest since losing back-to-back games in the 2005-06 season. The
6-foot-2 redshirt-freshman guard also tied a career high with four
assists.
Trailing by five points at halftime, Akron would recover to lead by
as many as 17 after the break. UA would vastly improve its shooting
in the second half to finish the game 26-of-54 (48.1 percent) after
struggling from the field in the first period, successful on just
40.7 percent (11-of-27) of their attempts in the opening
period.
Nate
Linhart and Darryl Roberts joined McNees as the only other
Zips in double figures, scoring 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Roberts recorded a career-high points total in his first collegiate
start, while Linhart's nine rebounds was one shy of his season high
in that category. Linhart also logged 40 minutes. With his five
points versus the Rockets, Jeremiah
Wood is now three points away from achieving the 1,000-point
plateau for his career.
Toledo (6-13, 3-4) was led by Anthony Byrd's season-high 12 points,
while Jerrah Young chipped in 11. The Rockets took advantage of a
6-of-11 (54.5 percent) shooting performance from long range to
secure the lead at halftime, but would connect on just 2-of-7 from
behind the arc in the second half.
Consecutive 3-pointers by Cedrick Middleton and McNees capped a 21-5
run that gave UA its first lead of the game, 37-35, with 15:59 left
in the contest. Another long-distance field goal by McNees would
extend the lead to double-digits, 59-49, at the 7:31 mark. Nick
Dials (nine points, five assists) began the second half with a
quick 3-pointer of his own to set the pace for the remainder of the
game.
UT jumped out to an early 5-0 lead before a 3-pointer by Roberts
put the Zips on the scoreboard. A Rocket lay-up by Young would hand
the visitors their largest lead of the first half, 30-16, with 5:43
remaining before intermission. Early turnovers and poor shooting by
Akron resulted in the large deficit.
The Zips have won 24-straight league games at home and 42 of the
last 43 overall at Rhodes Arena. In four seasons with head coach Keith
Dambrot at the helm, Akron has compiled a record of 51-2 at
home. UA also ended a two-game losing streak in the all-time series
with Toledo.
Akron will return to action on Saturday when it plays host to
Eastern Michigan. Tip-off for that game is slated for 7 p.m. EST at
Rhodes Arena.
