The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Bowling Green
Defensive Effort Pushes Men's Basketball Past Bowling Green, 57-47
March 01 | Men's Basketball
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AKRON, Ohio – A solid defensive performance and a big second half was the difference as the Akron Zips defeated the Bowling Green Falcons 57-47 on Saturday in a Mid-American Conference East Division matchup at James A. Rhodes Arena.
The Zips held the Falcons to 47 points to mark the ninth time in the last 10 games an Akron opponent failed to score more than 66 points. The win, coupled with an Ohio loss to Kent State earlier in the day, moved Akron into the No. 4 seed in next month's MAC Tournament with two regular-season games to play.
Demetrius "Tree" Treadwell led all players with 17 points, nine rebounds and a career-high five assists en route to scoring his 1,000th career point. He is now the 41st play in Akron history to do so.
Quincy Diggs also posted double-figure points on the night with 13, connecting on 3-of-4 shots from behind the arc, to go with six rebounds.
Akron (18-11, 10-6 MAC) forced 20 BGSU turnovers, converting them into 22 points.
Richaun Holmes led Bowling Green (12-17, 6-10 MAC) with 14 points and nine boards.
The Zips opened the game with seven uninterrupted points, forcing Bowling Green to take an early timeout. After returning to the floor, the Falcons would catch up and bring the score to 7-6 with 14:37 on the clock.
BGSU would go on to take their first lead of the game at 10-9 with a jump shot at the 10:30 mark. Following that make, the Falcons would not be able to find the net by way of a field goal for the next eight minutes.
In that time, the Zips would connect on three 3-pointers, two coming from Nyles Evans, to lead 18-14 with 2:36 to play in the first period. Akron held a 20-18 advantage at the intermission.
To start the second half, the teams would trade buckets and Akron's lead would grow to 31-23 after a Pat Forsythe layup with 16:01 to go.
The Zips would then be unable to post a field goal again until a dunk from Nick Harney at the 11:50 mark, allowing Bowling Green to tie the game at 32-all with 12:22 left to play after a pair of buckets in the paint.
The score would tie again moments later at 34-all but the Zips would respond with a 15-4 run over the next seven minutes to prevent the Falcons from taking the lead. UA held a 49-36 advantage with 4:38 remaining.
Akron's lead would grow to 14 points by the 2:59 mark as Bowling Green was forced to foul for the remainder of the game.
The Zips will continue their homestand on Tuesday, March 4, when they play host to Buffalo at Rhodes Arena. The 7 p.m. ET tip between the Zips and the Bulls is set to air on Time Warner Cable Sports Channel and ESPN3.
Zips Notebook: The Akron win clinched at least a home game in the opening round of the MAC Tournament ... the Zips have won 11-straight and 19 of the last 20 games against Bowling Green ... Carmelo Betancourt recorded a career-high five steals to become the first Zip since Feb. 11, 2012, to post that many thefts ... the Zips have held three MAC opponents under 50 points this season.
