The University of Akron Athletics
Zips Travel to Toledo for MAC Play on CBS Sports Network
January 14 | Men's Basketball
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Akron Zips (13-3, 2-1 MAC) vs Toledo Rockets (10-6, 1-2 MAC)
Game 17 • Friday, Jan. 15
Savage Arena (7,014)
Toledo, Ohio • 7:00 p.m. ET
Television: CBS Sports Network - Dave Ryan (PxP) and Steve Wolf (Analyst)
Webcast: GoZips.com - Live Stats and ESPN3 web stream
Radio: Akron-IMG Sports Network - Steve French (PxP) and Joe Dunn (Analyst)
WARF 1350 AM (flagship), iHeart Radio, TuneIn.com/Akron Zips
Head Coaches
Tod Kowalczyk (Minnesota-Duluth '89)
Overall Record: 231-196 (14th season)
Record at UT: 95-84 (6th season)
MAC Record: 44-43 (6th season)
Keith Dambrot (Akron '82)
Overall Record: 373-194 (18th season)
Record at Akron: 265-124 (12th season)
MAC Record: 140-81 (14th season)
All-Time Series
Toledo Leads:32-26 | Dambrot vs UT: 11-8 (9-6 UA)
Last Meeting: Toledo 68, Akron 66 | Feb. 18, 2015 at James A. Rhodes Arena
Akron basketball Notes:
• One of five teams to win at least 21 games in each of the last 10 seasons. Akron, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas and Ohio State.
• Eleven teams have won at least 19 games in each season since 2004-05.
Akron, Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Louisville, Michigan State, North Carolina, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, VCU and Wisconsin.
• Akron owns 3-2 record against Power Five Conference opponents over the last two seasons, and has five-straight seasons with at least one win over a Power Five Conference opponent (at Mississippi State in 2011-12; vs. Penn State in 2012-13; vs. Oregon State in 2013-14; Southern California and South Carolina in 2014-15; vs. Arkansas in 2015-16)
• Akron's 13-3 overall record marks the best start for the Zips in the Keith Dambrot's time at the helm, and the Zips' best start in the Division I era. The Akron Zips currently own a 100 NCAA RPI and rank 77th best in the country on the Ken Pomeroy RPI (as of Jan.14).
• The Zips extended its winning streak to 10 games before falling to Central Michigan, 92-81 (Jan. 12). The Zips posted wins over Western Michigan, 62-53, and Buffalo to start MAC play 2-0, and currently sit on top of the East Division with a 2-1 league record. Akron recorded its second-best winning streak (10 games) under Dambrot behind a 19-game run in 2012-13.
• Akron is 17-7 in MAC openers, 9-1 at home since joining the league in 1992. The Zips are 9-3, including winners of the last seven straight MAC openers under head coach Keith Dambrot.
What's Ahead
The University of Akron men's basketball team continues Mid-American Conference play, traveling to Toledo, Ohio to play West Division rival Toledo on Fri., Jan. 15 at Savage Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. CBS Sports Network (CBSSN) will televise the game with Dave Ryan calling the play-by-play and Steve Wolf providing analysis.
The Zips' radio broadcast will air on the Akron-IMG Sports Network [SportsRadio 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship) with Steve French calling the action and Joe Dunn providing analysis. The pregame show starts at 6:30 p.m. ET. A free audio stream is available at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips. Fans can also catch the action on American Sports Network, ESPN3, and GoZips.com via live stats.
The Akron-Toledo Series
Friday's game marks the 59th meeting in series history between Akron and Toledo, and the 16th meeting for a Dambrot coached UA squad. Toledo holds an all-time 32-26 series advantage while Dambrot is 9-6. The Zips have won seven of the last 10 meetings, however Toledo has won the last three games in the series. The Rockets swept last season's games 84-67 at Toledo on Jan. 9 and 68-66 at James A. Rhodes Arena on Feb. 18. In addition, Toledo won the lone meeting of 2013-14, 75-61 at Savage Arena. The last time the Zips posted a win over the Rockets was on the road at Savage Arena during the 2012-13 season, Akron won 71-56. UA is 10-21 overall at Toledo.
Scouting the Rockets
The Rockets enter the contest 10-6 overall and 1-2 in MAC play. UT dropped the MAC opener at Ball State, 87-69, and rebounded with a win at Miami, 84-76, before falling in the MAC home opener to Northern Illinois, 71-66. The Rockets are 5-2 at home this season, 3-3 on the road, and 2-1 in neutral site contests.
Toledo has three players averaging double figures in scoring, led by a pair of 19+ scorers. Nathan Boothe averages a team-high 19.3 points per game while completing 53.6 percent of his shots. He is 126-of-234 from the floor and 16-of-37 from deep (.432). He also leads the team on the glass, averaging 8.8 rebounds a game with 141 total boards. Jonathan Williams follows with 19.1 ppg on 47.3 percent shooting from the floor (112-of-237), including a team-best 37 made 3-pointers (.389). Rounding out the double-digit performers is Stuckey Mosley with 10.9 ppg. He is a 41.7 percent shooter from the floor (58-of-139) and 38.8 percent from downtown (19-of-49). Other scoring threats are Jaelan Sanford and Nate Navigato with 8.9 and 8.3 ppg, respectively. Navigato has the second most made 3-point baskets at 31 while Sanford is third from beyond the arc with 27 made from deep. Navigato connects at a 39.7 percent rate (31-of-78) while Sanford shoots 36.5 percent from long distance (27-of-74).
Defensively, Toledo has allowed opponents to score 72.5 points a night on 43.1 percent shooting from the field and 37.7 percent from downtown with 8.4 made 3-pt FG per game. UT caused 189 turnovers (11.8 tpg) while collecting 76 steals (4.8 stl/g) and 28 blocked shots (1.8 blk/g). On the glass, the Rockets are a +2.9, outrebounding its opponents 593-546.
Last Time Out Against the Rockets
The Akron Zips took a late lead, but a Julius Brown jumper with 1.7 second remaining game visiting Toledo a 68-66 win at James A. Rhodes Arena. With 7.2 seconds Toledo inbounded the ball to Brown who dribbled to his left, stepped back and knocked down the fade-away jumper to give the Rockets a 68-66 lead with 1.7 seconds to play. UA's Jake Kretzer threw an inbounds pass to Kwan Cheatham, Jr., who spun and threw up a prayer that landed short to give the Rockets the victory.
From the field, Akron shot 39.3 percent (24-of-61) from the floor for the game and just 27.6 percent (8-of-29) from beyond the arc. Toledo shot 45.5 percent (25-of-55) from the field, but connected on just 21.4 percent (3-of-14) from long range.
In the first start of his career, Antino Jackson opened up the game hitting his first two shots from beyond the arc. Toledo hit their first four shots to give the Rockets an early 8-6 lead three minutes into the game. Although Akron trailed, the Zips continued to battle throughout the half to stay in the game.
The Rockets would extend their lead to nine (30-21) with a short 6-0 run, and with 3:15 to go the first half, the Akron defense stepped up and the offense found some rhythm. The Zips went on a 7-0 run to cut the nine-point deficit to two (33-31). The two-point difference would remain at the half, with Toledo leading, 38-36.
The tough battle continued in the second half. Toledo led by four points, and Akron tied the game at 40 with 17:52 to play. Akron took their first lead of the game since the 18:05 mark in the first half with the help of Antino Jackson. He stole the ball at the foul line and took it all the way for a hard two points. The next possession, he pushed the pace and found McAdams in the corner for a 3-pointer. The Zips and Rockets would exchange the lead back-and-forth six times in a nine-minute span. Neither teams lead would extend past three points.
With the game tied at 61-all heading into the final minute, Toledo got an open look from beyond the arc but the shot fell short. Akron got the ball to Pat Forsythe down low, but he could not connect on the contested lay-up. The miss would set up Brown's game winner.
The Zips in the MAC
Akron is 85-40 in the regular season against the West Division (.680), including winners of 28 of the last 35 regular-season contests, since divisional play began during the 1997-98 season, and 58-19 under head coach Keith Dambrot (.753). The Zips have posted a 32-15 mark (.681) in the last 47 games against the MAC East dating back to the start of the 2012 league schedule. Akron is 4-1 against the MAC East at the conference tournament during that stretch.
Akron is 36-7 at home in league play since the start of the 2011 MAC schedule (.837). UA has seen a ton of success in league play since the start of the 2004-05 season, and is 130-57 overall (.695), including a 79-14 mark in MAC play at home (.849). The Zips' 130 wins are the most in the league during that stretch. The Zips have won 50 of their last 71 MAC games (.704).
Streaking Zips
The Akron Zips went on a 10-game winning streak before falling to Central Michigan, 92-81(Jan. 12). The run began at James A. Rhodes Arena on Nov. 27 with a win over Charleston Southern. The Zips continued its winning ways, defeating Coppin State (H,12/2), Marshall (A, 12/4), Bethune-Cookman (H, 12/12), UC Santa Barbara (N, 12/21), Iona (N, 12/23), SC State (H,12/30), Lipscomb (H,1/2), Buffalo (A, 1/5), and Western Michigan (H, 1/8). Akron's 13-3 overall record is the best start for a Dambrot coached squad and best in Akron's Division I era. The Zips have won seven straight MAC openers with 17-7 overall record and 9-3 under Dambrot.
Speaking Defensively
Akron is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA for 3-point field goal defense and No. 21 for field-goal percentage defense while claiming the top spot in the MAC for 3-point FG defense and second in FG defense. Akron defends the perimeter, limiting the opposition to shoot just 24.2 percent from 3-point range (81-of-335). The Zips have held all but two opponents to no more than seven 3-pointers per game -- Lipscomb made 11 triples and the No. 11 ranked Villanova Wildcats connected with nine. Akron has allowed seven 3pt FG two times, six (1), five (4), four (4), two (2) and one (1). Akron also challenges shots from other areas of the court, forcing opponents to shoot 38.3 percent from the field (385-of-1005). The Zips' overall scoring defense is rated 56th best in the NCAA and 3rd in the MAC, allowing the visitors to average 65.6 points per game.
Sharp Shooting
Akron has made at least seven 3-pointers in every game this season, and ten games with 11+ triples. The Zips have connected from downtown 15 times per game on three occasions and 13 times on three nights while connecting with 12 and 11 twice. The Zips also had three games with nine 3's, two with seven and one game with eight.
For the season, the Zips are shooting 42.3 percent from the field on414-of-979, including a 37.9 percent, 179-of-472 effort from deep. The Zips 11.2 triples made per game ranks first in the MAC and 3rd overall in the NCAA while the 179 made 3-pointers are 1st in the MAC and 6th in the NCAA. The Zips are second in the MAC for scoring margin at +11.0 and 47th in the NCAA.
The Zips put on a massive shooting performance against Arkansas. The Zips managed to shoot 50.9 percent from the field, cashing in on 29-of-57 shots. In addition, Akron posted a 46.4 percent 3-point effort on 13-of-28 shooting.
Akron opened the South Point Holiday Classic with the hot hand as well. In the first half, the Zips shot 51.7 percent (15-of -29) from the floor and a blistering 52.6 percent (10-of-19) from downtown. Akron knocked down 10 triples in the first 20 minutes. Akron finished the game shooting 48.2 percent, 27-of-56 from the field, including a 46.9 percent, 15-of-32 performance from downtown. Akron also connected with 15-of-21 shots from the free throw line for a 71.4 percent showing.
Playing with the Lead
The Zips know how to finish after establishing a lead late in the game. Akron is 12-0 when leading at halftime. In addition, the Zips are 10-1 this season when leading in the second half at the 10-minute mark and 11-0 when holding a lead with five minutes remaining.
On the Glass
The Zips are currently ranked first in the MAC and 29th in the NCAA for defensive rebounds per game with 28.69 boards per game, and fourth in the MAC for offensive rebounds per game, 12.38, and 87th in the NCAA. Akron has pulled down a total of 459 defensive rebounds and 198 offensive boards for a 657 total effort. The 41.1 total rebounds per game ranks second in MAC play and 35th in the NCAA.
Off the Bench
The Akron bench has been the catalyst for success under 12th-year head coach Keith Dambrot and this year is no different. The Zips' bench is scoring 23.9 points per game (383 total points). The UA reserves are shooting 42.5 percent from the floor (127-of-299), 35.5 percent from long range (55-of-155), and 62.2 from the free throw line (74-of-119). The UA bench has contributed 18.8 rebounds per game (301), including 12.5 defensive (200) and 6.3 offensive (101). The squad is receiving 4.0 assists (64), 1.69 steals (27), and 1.56 blocked shots (26).
Five Zips Averaging Double Figures
Five Zips are averaging double figures in scoring, led by a trio of 11+ scorers. Sophomore guard Antino Jackson holds a slight advantage at 11.6 points per game while junior center Isaiah Johnson and sophomore guard Noah Robotham follow with 11.4 and 11.3, respectively. Jackson has made several big plays with clutch shooting from the outside. He has made 31 long range shots for a 34.1 all-around shooting percentage (62-of-182 FG and 31-of-91 3pt FG). He owns a team-best 69 assists (4.3 apg). Johnson registered back-to-back 20-point performances. He scored a career-high 24 points and followed with a 20 point effort while leading the Zips in shooting percentage, at nearly 60 percent (.573, 67-of-117), and on the glass, (128 rebs, 8.0 reb/g). Robotham's 11.3 ppg is generated by a 45.3 percent effort from the floor (34-of-75), including a 23-of-46 team-high 50.0 percent mark from beyond the 3-point arc. Rounding out the double-digit scorers are seniors Pat Forsythe and Reggie McAdams with 10.4 and 10.3 ppg. Forsythe missed three games with a foot injury and makes 50.5 percent of his shots from the field (54-of-107) with a second-best 6.2 rebounds per night (81 rebs). Meanwhile, McAdams 43 percent shooting effort from all points of the floor supports a team-best 41 triples. Junior forward Kwan Cheatham adds 7.3 points a game to the starting unit.
The starting five have combined for 842 of the 1225 total points scored for 52.6 points per game. They are shooting a combined 42.2 percent from the field (287-of-680), including a 69.2 percent effort from the free throw line (144-of-208) and 39.1 percent from deep (124-of-317).
Starting the Season Off Right
The 2015-16 Akron Zips started the season with a 3-0 winning streak and completed a 10 game winning streak. The three consecutive wins to open the season marks the best start in the Division I era of Akron men's basketball history, defeating Arkansas, Hiram, and Cleveland State. After two setbacks, the Zips continued its winning ways, posting a 13-2 overall record. The 13-2 start is the best start to a season in Akron basketball's Division I era. In addition, the Zips win over the Razorbacks marks the fifth consecutive season the Zips posted a win over a Power Five Conference opponent. The Zips are 70-45 (.609) all-time in season openers. Taking it a step further, Akron is 56-12 (.824) when starting the season at home. UA has opened the season at home six times under 12th year head coach Keith Dambrot, standing 5-1. In addition, the Zips own a 94-21 home opening record at Rhodes Arena and have been winners in the last 13-of-15 home opening games.
Up Next For the Zips
The Akron basketball team will continue Mid-American Conference play on Tue., Jan 19 at James A. Rhodes Arena, playing host to play West Division rival Eastern Michigan. The game is set to tip at 7 p.m. ET. Fans can follow the action via live stats and/or free web stream on GoZips.com or by Zips' radio broadcast on Akron-IMG Sports Network available at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips.
