The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
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Ga. Southern
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Akron Finishes Three-Game Home Stand Unblemished with a 75-67 Win Over Georgia Southern
November 22 | Men's Basketball
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AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron men's basketball team defeated Georgia Southern, 75-67, to extend its home win streak to 20 consecutive games at James A. Rhodes Arena behind the strength of perimeter shooting and defensive toughness down the stretch on Tuesday night. .
Akron and Georgia Southern found themselves in a physical battle in the first ten minutes of the contest. The Zips played a stout man-to-man defense while the Eagles played a smothering 1-3-1 zone.
At the second media timeout (11:24), the Zip trailed the Eagles 13-12. Akron seized control of the perimeter with two shots from distance courtesy of senior forward Kwan Cheatham, Jr. (Cinncinnati, Ohio) and junior guard Antino Jackson (Houston, Tx.), while Georgia Southern scored eight of their 13 points inside the paint.
After losing the lead at the at the 11:42 mark, Akron would not trail the rest of the first half. The Zips regained the lead after sophomore guard Josh Williams (Akron, Ohio) and Jackson nailed back-to-back triples that started a 19-13 run for the Zips, consisting of five three pointers, six points from senior center Isaiah Johnson (Cinncinnati, Ohio) and five straight points by Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio).
Despite some early offensive struggles, the Zips found their rhythm midway through the half, shooting 48.1 percent (13-of-27) from the floor and 38.9 percent (7-of-18) from long range. Georgia Southern shot 40.7 percent (11-of-27) from the floor and a mere 27.3 percent (3-for-11) from beyond the 3-point arc.
After the break, the Zips came out firing from downtown. Akron buried their first three buckets from long distance as junior guard Noah Robotham (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Jackson each cashed in from long range to extend the Akron lead to 48-38.
However, the Eagles fought back, scoring eight straight points in the matter of a minute to bring Georgia Southern back within striking distance and forcing the Zips to call a timeout. Akron came out of the huddle looking to score and regained its 12-point advantage after six straight points of their own from Johnson and Ivey.
Akron went cold from the field after their hot start to the second half and missed 10-straight three point attempts, allowing Georgia Southern to sneak back into the game, 62-59, with an 11-2 run spanning over four minutes.
The Zips pushed the lead back to eight points when Johnson found Jackson open in the corner to bury a 3-ball. UA led by just six points with 1:46 to play in the contest, but the Zips were able to capitalize on four free throws to put the game out of reach from the Eagles for the 75-67 victory.
Akron's top three scoring leaders all set season highs in points as Johnson led with 20 points and Jackson followed with 19 points, while Ivey set a new career-high with 15 points. In addition, the Zips dished-out 20 assists led by a season-best six helpers from Jackson and three each from Johnson, Ivey, and Cheatham.
For the game, Akron held a slight advantage on the glass, outrebounding Georgia Southern 35-31 with Cheatham leading the way with seven rebounds. The Zips shot 46.4 percent (26-of-56) from the floor, including a 30.6 percent (11-of-36) effort from deep.
The Akron Zips will travel to Savannah, Ga. to finish the final two games of the Savannah Invitational on Friday, Nov. 25 and Saturday, Nov 26. First, Akron will play Air Force at the Savannah Civic Center followed by a win/loss scenario against either East Carolina or Mercer.
