The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
North Carolina A&T
Men's Basketball Defeats North Carolina A&T 79-52
December 21 | Men's Basketball
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AKRON, Ohio – Zeke Marshall led all players with 20 points to help the Akron men's basketball team to its fourth-straight victory on Wednesday, a 79-52 decision versus North Carolina A&T at Rhodes Arena.
Marshall, who made 5-of-9 shots from the field and 10-of-13 attempts from the foul line, also pitched in with eight rebounds and five blocked shots to guide the Zips to their 14th-straight win at home.
Brian Walsh posted a career-high 15 points and career-best seven boards, while Nikola Cvetinovic had 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Quincy Diggs scored 10 points to round out the Zips' double-figure scorers. It was Cvetinovic's eighth career double-double and second in three games.
The Zips slowly began to build their lead in the second half, pushing the advantage to 61-45 with 10:13 left in the game. Despite the full court pressure, Akron (7-5) would maintain a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
Both teams shot poorly to open the game, with the Zips connecting on just 2-of-11 attempts (18.2 percent) and the Aggies hitting on just 2-of-6 from the field (33.3 percent) over the first 5:14. However, the game was tied 4-4 as both teams went to the bench for the first media timeout (14:46).
The Aggies used a 13-5 run over the next 3:23 to push their lead to 17-9 with 11:24 left in the half. The Zips responded with a 15-2 run over the next 3:39 to take a 24-19 lead (7:25).
After North Carolina A&T (4-9) regained a 29-24 lead (5:45) thanks to a 10-0 run, Akron again answered with a run of its own (9-0) to take a 33-29 lead with 2:43 left in the half. From there, the Zips would take a 40-32 lead into the locker room.
After opening the half shooting 3-18 from the field (16.7 percent), the Zips closed the half 8-of-12 over the final 9:30 (75.0 percent). Akron finished the period shooting 36.7 percent from the field (11-of-30) and 33.3 percent from long range (5-of-15).
The Zips will take time off for the holiday before returning to the court on Thursday, Dec. 29, when they play host to 2011 Final Four participant VCU. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET.
Zips Notebook: Freshman guard Adedeji Ibitayo made his first collegiate start tonight (12 games) ... with his second block of the game at the 6:42 mark of the first half, Zeke Marshall moved into eighth place on the Mid-American Conference's career blocked shots list (186) ... he passed Central Michigan's Chris Kaman (182) ... Demetrius Treadwell's previous career high for rebounds (8) came at Valparaiso (Nov. 18) ... Brian Walsh's previous career high for points (14) came against Hiram (Nov. 12) while his career high for rebounds (6) came against Youngstown State (Dec. 19).
