The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
1-1
American
0-3
Akron Wins 18th Straight at Rhodes Arena, Defeating American 72-62
November 17 | Men's Basketball
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AKRON, Ohio- The University of Akron men's basketball team opened their home campaign with a 72-62 victory over the American Eagles, extending the home winning streak to 18 consecutive games. The Zips (1-1) have now won 14 of their last 16 home openers and own a 95-21 (.818) home-opening record at James A. Rhodes Arena. Â
Three Zips posted double-double performances as senior forward Kwan Cheatham, Jr. (Cincinnati, Ohio) led with a team-best 16 points and 12 rebounds, shooting a perfect eight-of-eight from the charity stripe. Â Junior guard Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) followed with a 12 point, 11 rebound performance and senior center Isaiah Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio) scored 14 points and gathered 10 rebounds. In addition, Junior guard Noah Robotham (Las Vegas, Nev.) added a double digit scoring effort with 16 points.
Delante Jones and James Washington led the Eagles (0-3) with 18 points each, while Mark Gasperni added seven points and seven rebounds. Sa'eed Nelson rounded out the American scoring with seven points and pulled down five rebounds.
For the game, the Zips were 20-of-55 (36.4 percent) from the field and connected on 5-of-21 (23.8 percent) from beyond the arc. Akron shot an impressive 27-of-34 (79.4 percent) from the free throw line. American connected on 23-of-55 (41.8 percent) of their shots from the field and hit 7-of-20 (35.0 percent) of their shots from downtown. The Eagles converted 9-of-17 (52.9 percent) of their shots from the charity stripe.
Robotham and Cheatham buried consecutive triples to open the contest and give the Zips an early 6-0 lead. The Eagles were forced to call a timeout as sophomore Josh Williams (Akron, Ohio) and Cheatham connected on three-pointers to push the Zips lead to 14-2. Williams hit his second three of give the Zips a 21-11 lead with 11 minutes remaining in the first half.
Cheatham collected offensive rebounds on three consecutive possessions and scored four straight for the Zips to extend the lead to 29-21 with just under five minutes to play in the half. The Zips entered the halftime with a 33-25 lead.
Both teams struggled after the break, with the Zips maintaining a 38-30 lead with just under 16 minutes in the game. American cut the Zips lead to three after connecting on a corner three with 12:30 left in the contest.
Ivey threw down a monstrous slam to bring the Rhodes Arena crowd to its feet, giving Akron a 42-37 lead. Freshman center Michael Hughes (Liberty, Mo.) added two free throws to push the Zips lead to 50-43 with just over six minutes to play. Johnson converted an and-one to give the Zips a 10-point lead after being fouled on a layup.
Cheatham and Ivey pulled down offensive rebounds on consecutive possessions to allow the Zips to milk the clock, and Johnson converted two from the charity stripe to put the Zips ahead 57-45 with two minutes remaining in the game.
Both teams traded baskets in the following minutes, and two free throws from Robotham put the Zips back up by double digits with 1:28 on the clock. Robotham connected on two more free throws with 15.3 remaining to seal the victory for the Zips.
The Zips return to action on Sunday, November 20th, as they host Radford. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Akron is looking to extend its 18-game winning streak at James A. Rhodes Arena.Â
