The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Men's Basketball Cruises to 87-64 Win Over Arkansas-Pine Bluff
December 15 | Men's Basketball
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AKRON, Ohio – Zeke Marshall led Akron with 21 points, seven blocked shots and six rebounds as the Zips defeated visiting Arkansas-Pine Bluff 87-64 on Thursday night in a non-conference matchup at Rhodes Arena.
Marshall, who went 7-for-10 from the field and 7-for-10 from the foul line, set the arena record for blocked shots by an Akron (4-5) player. Additionally, the Zips set a new arena standard for blocked shots by any team with 12.
Marshall was one of three UA players to finish with double-figure points, with Chauncey Gilliam totaling 17, on a 7-of-9 showing from the floor, and Brian Walsh having 10. Josh Egner rejected a career-high three shots, and Quincy Diggs and Demetrius Treadwell had one block apiece.
The Zips kept the pressure on the Golden Lions to open the second half, pushing their lead to 22 (47-25) with 16:31 to go in the game. Marshall broke the arena's blocked shots record for an Akron player with his seventh swat of the game just 35 seconds into the period.
Akron pushed its lead over 30 points on several occasions over the final 10:48 as the Zips would close out the game with a comfortable lead.
Both teams turned the ball over on several early possessions before the Zips used a 9-0 run to open up a 20-7 lead at the 9:54 mark. Walsh, making his second-consecutive start, had five points early on while Marshall pitched in with four points and four blocked shots over the first 10:06 of the game.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-7) cut the Akron lead to nine (22-13) with 5:13 left in the half, but the Zips would score 12 of the last 19 points to take a 34-20 lead into the break.
Marshall led all scorers with 10 points and pitched in with six blocked shots and two assists in the opening frame. Walsh has seven points while Treadwell had six points in the first stanza.
The Zips shot 59.1 percent from the field in the half (13-of-22) and connected on both 3-point attempts. UAPB was held to 25.8 percent shooting in the opening frame (8-of-31) and shot 18.2 percent from long range (2-of-11).
Akron continues its five-game homestand on Saturday, Dec. 17, when it plays host to Florida A&M at 4 p.m. ET at Rhodes Arena.
Zips Notebook: Tonight's starting five was the fourth different starting lineup this season ... Zeke Marshall shared the arena's previous blocked shots record with Bruce Weinkein and Ken Cullifer with six ... The previous facility record for blocked shots by any team was 10, set versus Florida International on Feb. 15, 1988 as well as by VCU on Feb. 23, 2008.
