The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
20-4, 9-2MAC
Bowling Green
13-11, 4-7MAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akron | 41 | 42 | 83 |
| Bowling Green | 32 | 36 | 68 |
Akron Records 20th Win while Flying Past Falcons, 83-68
February 09 | Men's Basketball
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Akron Zips earned its 20th win of the season, defeating Bowling Green 83-68 at the Stroh Center on Tuesday night. The Zips are riding a seven-game winning streak en route to a 20-4 overall record and 9-2 in Mid-American Conference play.
Akron has won 20 games for the 11th straight season, joining Kansas as the first two teams, in a class of nine, to reach 20 wins this season – BYU, Duke, Gonzaga, Louisville, North Carolina, Ohio State, and San Diego State. All nine teams have won at least 20 games for the previous 10 consecutive seasons.
For the second straight game, the Zips were red hot from beyond the 3-point arc, shooting 50-percent while knocking down 16-of-32 long distance shots. Sophomore guard Antino Jackson (Houston, Texas), senior wing Reggie McAdams (Elida, Ohio), senior wing Jake Kretzer (Bainbridge, Ohio), sophomore guard Noah Robotham (Las Vegas, Nev.), and sophomore guard Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) were responsible for knocking down those 16 triples, which are the most a BGSU squad (13-11, 4-7 MAC) has ever allowed at the Stroh Center.
Jackson led the Zips with 20 points and six triples while McAdams tallied 15 points and five 3-pointers. Robotham (9 pts.) and Kretzer (6 pts.) each connected from downtown twice, while Ivey (6 pts.) made one from deep.
Bowling Green flew to an 11-point advantage by the 12-minute mark, 20-9. However, moment's later, junior center Isaiah Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio) scored the first two of his 15-point evening to spark a 12-0 run. Robotham and Jackson added six points from deep while Pat Forsythe (Brunswick, Ohio) chipped in four of his 10 points.
After a BGSU bucket, the Zips used an 11-2 run fueled by three triples from Jackson and a Johnson lay-in for a 32-24 advantage with 4:18 left in the half. The Falcons found the bottom of the net again, and Jackson answered with his fifth 3-pointer of the contest. The Zips took a nine-point 41-32 advantages into halftime.
After the break, Bowling Green used the first five minutes for a comeback, tying the game at 47-47. McAdams broke the stalemate and added a second long range bomb for a 54-47 Zips' advantage.
Akron increased the lead to nine with an old-fashioned 3-point play by Johnson, but the Falcons battled back, cutting the deficit to two points, 59-57, with 8:23 left to play.
Forsythe nailed a turn-around jumper in the paint to give the Zips a four point advantage, while McAdams and Ivey followed with triples to push the lead back to 10 points with 5:35 to play.
Kretzer added a pair from long distance while Robotham and junior forward Kwan Cheatham, Jr. (Cincinnati, Ohio) added five points for a 13-point spread with 2:26 remaining in the game. McAdams added the Zips' last 3-pointer with 32-seconds on the clock, as Akron connected from downtown 10 times out of 14 field goals.
Akron shot 49.1 percent from the field (28-of-57) while winning the battle of the boards 34-28. BGSU finished the game shooting 48.1 percent from the floor (26-of-54) and 33.3 percent from downtown (5-of-15)
The Falcons were led in scoring by Spencer Parker and Rasheed Worrel with 23 and 15 points, respectively.
The Akron basketball team will continue Mid-American Conference play, traveling to Northern Illinois for the second meeting of the season on Saturday, Feb. 13 at the NIU Convocation Center. The game is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. ET, and will be televised on ESPN3. Fans can also follow the action on GoZips.com via live stats or by Zips' radio broadcast on Akron-IMG Sports Network available at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips.
