The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Tiffin
Men's Basketball Cruises Past Tiffin 111-72 in Exhibition Contest
October 31 | Men's Basketball
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AKRON, Ohio – Pat Forsythe scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead five Zips in double figures as The University of Akron men's basketball team used a strong second half to defeat Tiffin 111-72 in an exhibition game Wednesday at James A. Rhodes Arena.
In addition to Forsythe, Demetrius "Tree" Treadwell had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Nick Harney added 15. Reggie McAdams had 14, including four 3-pointers, and Chauncey Gilliam scored 11.
As a team, UA shot 39-of-79 (49.4 percent) from the floor and held the Dragons to 28-of-74 (37.8 percent) shooting on the night. The Zips also held a dominating 61-31 rebounding advantage, including a 26-12 margin on the offensive glass.
Joe Graessle led Tiffin with a game-high 25 points on 9-of-21 shooting.
Akron scored on their first five possessions as the game began with a furious pace. Treadwell scored five quick points, capping the scoring burst with fast break dunk off a Tiffin turnover to make the score 12-8 in favor of Akron and force a Dragon timeout at the 17:51 mark.
The Dragons answered with six-straight points to take the lead at 14-12, but the Zips went on an 8-0 run of their own to build the lead back to six points at 20-14 at the first media timeout.
Back-to-back threes by Brian Walsh and Deji Ibitayo, and a fast break layup by Blake Justice grew the Akron lead to double digits for the first time at 31-20 with 9:37 left.
Tiffin kept the margin to around 10 points for much of the half, thanks to the shooting of Graessle, who led all scorers with 16 first-half points.
The Zips largest lead of the first half was 13 at 44-31 with 4:38 remaining as Forsythe scored on a put back, was fouled and made the free throw for a traditional three-point play.
Akron led 55-46 at halftime as the Zips moved the ball well in the first 20 minutes, dishing out 15 assists on 22 made field goals. UA shot 59.5 percent from the field in the first half (22-of-37).
UA scored the first nine points of the second half as a corner 3-pointer by McAdams made the score 64-46 with 16:23 remaining. Akron's defense began to take over the game and its lead ballooned to over 20 at 69-48 when Harney scored on a lay-up at 14:54.
The Zips continued the big 25-4 run to start the second half as Akron's advantage was 30 (80-50) with 12:06 left when Jake Kretzer made two free throws.
Akron went over the century mark at the 4:20 mark when Harney made two free throws to make the score 100-66.
The Zips continue exhibition play on Saturday as they play host Malone at 5 p.m. ET in the second game of an Akron basketball doubleheader at James A. Rhodes Arena. The UA women play Malone at 2 p.m.
