The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
0-1
Youngstown State
1-0
Akron Falls 90-82 in Season Opener at Youngstown State
November 12 | Men's Basketball
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Youngstown, Ohio – The Akron Zips men's basketball team opened the 2016-17 season with a 90-82 setback to Youngstown State during the second game of the Northeast Ohio Coaches vs. Cancer Basketball Doubleheader at the Beeghly Center on Saturday evening.
YSU (1-0) snapped a six-game losing skid against the Zips, outscoring Akron 54-41 in the second half to improve to 23-22 at home against UA. Akron holds the all-time series advantage 57-32, and it was only the fifth time the Zips (0-1) dropped a season opener under 13th year head coach Keith Dambrot. In addition it was Dambrot's first career loss to the Penguins.
Akron had five players score in double figures as senior center Isaiah Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio) led the scoring efforts with 17 points . Johnson shot 6-of-10 from the floor and added a career-high and team-best five assists while pulling down seven rebounds.
Junior guard Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) provided a spark off the bench for the Zips, nearly recording a double-double with 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Ivey connected with 5-of-7 shots from the field, including a 1-of-1 effort from downtown and a perfect 3-of-3 from the free throw line. Senior forward Kwan Cheatham, Jr. (Cincinnati, Ohio) followed with 13 points, and freshman guard Tavian Dunn-Martin (Huntington, W.Va.) notched 12 points in his collegiate debut. Rounding out the double-digit scoring was junior guard Noah Robotham (Las Vegas, Nev.) with 10 points.
The season opener was a tale of two halves as Akron took a 41-36 advantage into the locker room at halftime, but fell behind early in the second half an couldn't recover. Cheatham led the Zips' first half scoring attack, recording all 13 points in the opening frame. The senior scored 10 of Akron's first 14 points, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers and two mid-range jumpers. Prior to Cheatham's scoring outburst, Johnson recorded the season's first point, splitting a two-shot foul, and sophomore guard Josh Williams (Akron,Ohio) followed with the game's first field goal, a triple from the wing.
Ivey carried the Zips to the next media timeout, scoring all seven of the Zips' points in a three-minute span. Ivey attacked the rim scoring two field goals while using one of them for an old-fashioned three-point play. He added two addition free throws, and the Zips led 21-17 at the 12-under media break.
Over the next seven minutes, Akron extended the lead to as many as 11 points, 36-25, with 4:39 left in opening half. The two teams traded buckets, but in the final 1:47, YSU rattled-off six unanswered points to cut the Akron lead to five points at halftime.
The Penguins carried the momentum into the second half, starting with a 14-6 run to take a 50-47 lead at the 15:46 mark. The Penguins increased the advantage to 10 points, 62-52, behind Cameron Morse and Matt Donlan's attack from deep.
The Zips continued to battle as junior guard Antino Jackson (Houston, Texas) buried a three-ball and drove the lane for a layup, cutting the deficit to four points, 78-74. On the ensuing possession, Jackson stole the ball and Johnson found Robotham for a triple on the wing. After cutting the Penguins lead to one point, 78-77, YSU went on a 6-0 run and the Zips didn't recover.
Morse led the YSU offense with 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting, including a 3-of-7 performance from beyond the 3-point arc. Donlan followed with 20 points, burying 6-of-11 triples.
Akron held a slight 38-37 advantage on the glass, while YSU posted a 50.8 shooting percentage which was slightly higher than the Zips 44.6 percent effort. YSU finished the game shooting 11-of-27 (.407) from deep while Akron connected with 10-of-31 (.323) of its 3-pointers.
Akron will open home play at James A. Rhodes Arena on Thursday, November 17, at 7 p.m. ET against American. The Zips are riding a 17-game winning streak at the JAR, and owns a 94-21 (.871) home opening record at Rhodes Arena. Akron has won 13 of the last 15 home opening games.
