The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Coastal Carolina
Men's Basketball Drops Season Opener 74-70 in Overtime to Coastal Carolina
November 09 | Men's Basketball
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CONWAY, S.C. – Forty minutes was not enough in game one of the 2012-13 season as the Akron Zips fell to Coastal Carolina 74-70 in overtime on Friday at the HTC Center.
Zeke Marshall posted a double-double to open the year, leading Akron with 15 points and a game-high 10 boards to go along with three blocked shots. Freshman Jake Kretzer, who made his first collegiate start, also finished with 15 points, six boards, four assists and four steals.
The Zips (0-1) forced overtime by holding CCU scoreless over the final 3:11 of the second half. Both teams grabbed the lead in the first minute-and-a-half of overtime before CCU was able to open up a four-point advantage (68-64). However, a pair of free throws by Marshall cut the deficit to 68-66 with 2:18 left.
Reggie McAdams had a chance to tie the game at 68-68 with 1:33 remaining but missed both attempts. Raffa would hit a 3-pointer in the corner to give CCU a 71-66 lead with 1:07 remaining. Both sides traded free throws before Alex Abreu's free throws made it a three-point game (73-70) with just over 25 seconds on the clock.
The Zips' defense caused the Chanticleers to fumble the ball several times, but Akron would not be able to gain control. Coastal Carolina would hit one free throw to seal the 74-70 win.
Akron finished the game shooting 37.5 percent from the floor (21-of-56) and made 11-of-32 3-point attempts (34.4 percent). Coastal Carolina (1-0) shot 44.8 percent from the field (26-of-58) and 42.9 percent from long range (6-of-14). CCU held a slim 39-37 advantage on the boards while both teams combined for 38 turnovers (18 by Akron) and 43 fouls (21 by Akron).
Abreu and McAdams also scored in double figures, pitching in with 14 and 12 points respectively. Twelve of Abreu's 14 points came in the second half.
Anthony Raffa led all scorers with 27 points.
Raffa hit a 3-pointer with 3:10 remaining to give CCU its largest advantage of the night at 61-56. That would be the last bucket of the half for the Chanticleers as the Zips would score the final five points to force overtime.
Neither team would be able to gain much of an advantage, with the score tied 48-all heading into the under-8 media timeout. The lead changed hands several times during the stretch, with three points being the largest margin.
CCU scored the first five points to open the second 20 minutes to give the Chanticleers a 36-34 lead. A Brian Walsh 3-pointer to just over two minutes into the second half ended an 11-0 drought for the Zips, putting UA back on top 37-36.
The pace was slow to start the first game of the season, with Coastal Carolina clinging to a slim 10-9 lead through the first eight minutes of the game. Both teams combined for 10 fouls and six turnovers during the stretch, with neither team shooting better than 33.3 percent.
Akron was able to open up a little space on the Chanticleers thanks to McAdams' second 3-pointer of the first half. The Zips led 19-16 with 7:27 remaining.
The Zips' lead would grow to 34-35 with 1:46 remaining, but CCU would score the final six points of the half to cut the advantage to 34-31.
McAdams led the Zips with nine points as Marshall finished with eight points. The Zips shot 33.3 percent in the first 20 minutes (6-of-18). Marshall added five boards.
UA forced CCU into nine turnovers as the Chanticleers shot 50.0 percent in the half (11-of-22). The Zips had seven turnovers and seven assists, while holding a 20-15 rebounding advantage (11-5 offensive).
Zips Notebook: Jake Kretzer and Carmelo Betancourt became just the third and fourth freshmen to start their first game under head coach Keith Dambrot ... the other two freshmen were Ronnie Steward and Bubba Walther ... the Zips are now 5-4 in season openers under head coach Keith Dambrot ... Zeke Marshall now has 66 career games with at least two blocked shots.
