The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Men's Basketball Defeats Arkansas-Pine Bluff 76-46
December 18 | Men's Basketball
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AKRON, Ohio – Brian Walsh netted 12 of his 14 points from behind the 3-point line to lead three Zips in double figures as the University of Akron men's basketball team cruised past Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 76-46, Tuesday night at James A. Rhodes Arena.
Zeke Marshall finished with 13 points, six rebounds and five blocked shots while Reggie McAdams had 11 points off the bench.
The 46 points allowed by Akron (5-4) were the fewest since the Zips held Eastern Michigan to 47 points on Feb. 4, 2012.
For the game, Akron shot 43.1 percent from the floor (25-of-58) and 32.4 percent from 3-point range (11-of-34). The Zips committed 25 turnovers to Arkansas-Pine Bluff's 18, but held a 50-24 advantage on the boards.
Tevin Hammond led Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-9) with 14 points.
Both teams traded baskets to open the second half before a Walsh triple gave Akron a 15-point advantage at 44-29 with 17:02 left in the game. The lead grew to 33 points (62-29) thanks to a 23-0 run. The Akron defense held the Golden Lions without a point for more than 10 minutes.
Hammond ended the 11-plus minute drought with a 3-pointer with 6:28 remaining in the game and Akron leading 62-32. The Golden Lions would not be able to overcome the lead as Akron cruised to the 30-point victory.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff missed five of its first eight shots, but held an early 6-0 lead just three minutes into the game. Akron opened the contest a little sluggish, missing its first seven shots from the field before a Demetrius "Tree" Treadwell layup off the offensive glass broke the drought at the 16:06 mark.
The Treadwell bucket sparked a 12-2 run to give the Zips a 12-8 lead by the under-12 media timeout. From there, the Zips kept a lead no less than four points, using a late flurry to push their advantage to 13 points (34-21) by halftime.
The Zips closed the half shooting 39.4 percent from the floor (13-of-33) and just 16.7 percent from long range. The Golden Lions didn't fair any better, connecting on just 26.7 percent shooting (8-of-30) and 33.3 percent from behind the arc (1-of-3).
Marshall led all players with nine points, four boards and three blocked shots. Walsh and Nick Harney added six points each while Treadwell had four points and five boards (four offensive).
Akron continues its homestand with an afternoon matchup with Cleveland State on Sunday, Dec. 23. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. ET.
Zips Notebook: Alex Abreu passed former Zip Nick Dials (326, 2006-08) for sixth place on the career assists list with his fourth dime of the game ... Abreu now has 329 assists for his career ... with his five blocked shots, Zeke Marshall now has five or more swats in six games this season ... tonight's game served as the Seventh Annual Teddy Bear Toss, in which Akron fans threw teddy bears and stuffed animals onto the court to benefit underprivileged children in Akron.
