The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
15-4 (4-2MAC)
Miami (Ohio)
6-13 (0-6MAC)
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIAMI | 18 | 28 | 46 |
| Akron | 34 | 41 | 75 |
Zips Bruise RedHawks in front of 'Purple Out' Crowd
January 23 | Men's Basketball
AKRON, Ohio –The University of Akron Zips used a stout defensive effort, forcing 14 turnovers, while shooting effectively from deep, hitting 14 threes to defeat the Miami RedHawks on Saturday night, 75-46 at James A. Rhodes Arena.
With the win, the Zips improved to 15-4 (4-2 MAC) while the RedHawks drop to 6-13 (0-6 MAC).
Freshman guard Josh Williams (Akron, Ohio) led the Zips in scoring with 15 points, hitting a career high five three-pointers. Jake Kretzer (Bainbridge, Ohio) and Isaiah Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio) also scored in double figures, with 14 and 12 points respectively. Johnson led the team in rebounds with six and sophomore guard Noah Robotham (Las Vegas, Nevada) dished out four assists.
Geovonie McKnight was the only RedHawk to score double figures, putting in 18 points for Miami. Eric Washington and Chris Bryant led the team with six rebounds apiece.
For the game, Akron shot 48.1 percent (26-of-54), and were a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe. The Zips shot an outstanding 53.8 percent (14-of-26) from beyond the arc. The RedHawks shot 41.2 percent (2-of-51) from the floor while shooting 10 percent (1-of-10) from outside.
The Zips used the strength of a 5-0 run and four costly turnovers committed by the RedHawks to start the game. Sophomore guard Antino Jackson (Houston, Texas) hit a three-pointer to open to scoring for Akron, and senior center Pat Forsythe (Brunswick, Ohio) hit a spinning layup to spark the Zips run.
Akron used a 11-2 run spanning over three and a half minutes with freshman guard Josh Williams (Akron, Ohio) knocking down three consecutive three-pointers to jump out to an early 16-6 lead.
After not scoring for nearly seven minutes, Johnson broke the scoring drought for the Zips, powering through the paint and laying one in to give the Zips a 20-12 lead.
The Zips entered the locker room at halftime with a 34-18 advantage with the help of 22 bench points and the defense forcing 11 RedHawks turnovers.
Coming out of the halftime break, Akron went on a 12-2 run after the RedHawks opened the half with four points from Geovonie McKnight. Senior wing Jake Kretzer and sophomore guard Aaron Jackson (Gahanna, Ohio) buried back-to-back triples to force a Miami timeout after the Zips took a 46-24 lead.
The Zips continued to shoot the ball well, knocking down four three-pointers while going on a 21-7 run over the final seven minutes to extend their lead and put the game out of reach.
The Akron basketball team will continue Mid-American Conference play against the West Division leaders, Northern Illinois for the Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Week on Tue., Jan 26 at James A. Rhodes Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Fans are encouraged to wear black for the Zips' "Blackout" while the first 500 students in attendance will receive black t-shirts. Fans can follow the action live 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.
