The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
13-3, 2-1MAC
Central Michigan
9-7, 2-1MAC
Zips Win Streak Ends at Central Michigan
January 12 | Men's Basketball
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The University of Akron men's basketball team dropped its first game since Nov. 24 at Central Michigan on Tuesday night. The Zips trailed by two points with 4:40 remaining in the game; however, the Chippewas pulled away for a 92-81 Mid-American Conference win at McGuirk Arena.
With the win, CMU improved to 9-7 overall and 2-1 in the MAC while the Zips fell to 13-3 overall and 2-1 in the league.
The Zips shot 46.4 percent from the field (32-of-69) and 40 percent from downtown (12-of-30) compared to the Chippewas 47 percent effort from the floor (31-of-66) and 25 percent from beyond the 3-point arc (5-of-20). The difference in the game was at the free throw line. The Zips were 5-of-11 (.455) from the charity stripe while the Chippewas were 25-of-28 (.893).
Senior wing Reggie McAdams (Elida, Ohio) led the Zips' scoring efforts with a season-high 21 points. He connected with half of his 3-point buckets, making 5-of-10 while grabbing a second-best six rebounds. Sophomore guard Noah Robotham followed with 19 points and a team-high five assists while junior center Isaiah Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio) and senior center Pat Forsythe (Brunswick, Ohio) added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
CMU's Braylon Rayson led all scorers with 24 points, including a 10-of-10 performance at the free throw line. Chris Fowler added 20 points to the Chips total, while Rayshawn Simmons and Luke Meyer chipped in 18 and 14.
The lead changed hands 11 times and the score was knotted on five occasions. Robotham started the game off right, scoring the first bucket from downtown. Next, junior forward Kwan Cheatham, Jr. (Cincinnati, Ohio) found Johnson for the Zips second bucket and a 5-2 advantage.
From there, CMU went on a 10-2 run sparked by a lay-in from Simmons and capped by a pair of free throws from Fowler. McAdams ended the Chips run with a jumper from the top of the key, but Fowler responded with a jumper from foul line for a 14-7 CMU lead at the first media timeout.
After the media break, Forsythe connected in the paint, and senior wing Jake Kretzer (Bainbridge, Ohio) found McAdams for a triple to bring the game within two, 14-12.
Next, Fowler and Forsythe traded layups, and McAdams connected from downtown for a Zips' 17-16 advantage, but five quick points from CMU, and a Kretzer 3-ball brought the game within one again as CMU led 21-20. On the other end of the floor, Simmons found the lane and dropped the ball through the cylinder while getting fouled. He completed the 3-point play mixed with a 3-pointer increased the Chippewas' lead to seven points.
After a Robotham 3-pointer and a pair of CMU layups, the Zips went on a 7-0 run as McAdams knocked down his third triple of the game to cut deficit to five points, 31-26, with 4:58 left to play. Forsythe followed with a pair of free throws and an offensive rebound and put-back, before CMU scored again.
CMU converted another old-fashioned 3-point play, but sophomore Antino Jackson (Houston, Texas) answered with a shot from deep and a lay-in to give the Zips a 35-34 advantage. Johnson added five points with two layins and a free throw for a 40-38 lead with 55-seconds remaining in half. CMU ended the half with a backdoor alley-oop dunk, knotting the game at 40 points each at halftime.
Akron shot 45.5 percent from the floor (15-of-33) and 43.8 percent from deep (7-of-16) while the Chippewas shot 44.1 percent from the field (15-of-34) and 27.3 from long distance (3-of-11). Both teams were perfect from the charity stripe as Akron made three and CMU tallied seven bonus shots. The Chippewas held a slight advantage on the glass, 19-18, and turnovers, 3-2.
In the second half, the Chippewas got on the board first with a dunk from Meyer, and the Zips answered with a dunk by Cheatham. The two teams continued to trade buckets. Fowler added three points to the home team's score, but Robotham kept the Zips close with a triple, 54-53 with 11:15 remaining. Kozinski and McAdams exchanged 3-pointers, and Fowler and sophomore guard Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) traded drives through the lane for layups.
Next, A 5-0 run by CMU gave the Chippewas a 64-58 lead with 7:51 remaining, and two additional bonus buckets from Rayson made it 66-58.
Zips' freshman guard Josh Williams ( Akron, Ohio) hit a 3-ball from corner to end CMU's 7-0 run, and after a pair of free throws by CMU's Fowler, McAdams hit a three from the top of the key. A strong post move by Johnson cut the deficit to two points, 68-66, with 4:40 remaining in the game, but CMU answered with a bucket. The home team increased its lead to 10 points by the 2:33 mark and held on for the win.
The Akron basketball team will continue Mid-American Conference play on Fri., Jan 15, traveling to Toledo, Ohio to play West Division rival Toledo Rockets. The game is set to tip at 7 p.m. ET. and will be televised on CBS Sports Network. Fans can also follow the action via live stats on GoZips.com or by Zips' radio broadcast on Akron-IMG Sports Network available at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips.
