The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
15-3 (5-0)
Ohio
11-5 (3-2)
Zips Tie Rhodes Arena Record with 83-68 Win Over Bobcats
January 17 | Men's Basketball
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Akron, Ohio - The University of Akron men's basketball team registered its 26th consecutive home victory, which ties the James A. Rhodes Arena record, with an 83-68 defeat of the Ohio Bobcats on Tuesday night. Â
Kwan Cheatham, Jr. (Cincinnati, Ohio) led the way for the Zips (15-3, 5-0 MAC), scoring 17 points and pulling down 13 rebounds, marking his second double-double in three games. Isaiah Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio) added 15 points and nine rebounds, while Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) and Antino Jackson (Houston, Texas) rounded out the double-digit scorers 15 and 11 points, respectively.
Jaaron Simmons paced the Bobcats (11-5, 3-2 MAC) in scoring with 19 points and five assists and Jordan Dartis chipped in 14 points.
On the contest, the Zips connected on 31-of-56 (55.4 percent) of their shots from the field and 9-of-19 (47.4 percent) from beyond the three-point line. Akron converted 12-of-14 (85.7 percent) of their shots from the charity stripe. The Bobcats made 28-of-63 (44.4 percent) of their shots from the field and 5-of-16 (31.3 percent) from beyond the arc. Ohio hit 7-of-13 (53.8 percent) of their shots from the free throw line.
Cheatham opened the scoring for the Zips, connecting on a triple form the corner and Jackson followed suit with another corner three to put the Zips up 6-2 early in the first half. Cheatham brought the James A. Rhodes Arena crowd to its feet when he buried another three from the top of key and forced the Bobcats to take a timeout.
The Bobcats used a 7-0 run to take a 23-22 lead with just over eight minutes remaining in the first half, but a Ivey dunk on the ensuing possession put the Zips back in the lead.
Ohio pulled away to a 29-24 lead, but a Cheatham layup and Jackson three tied the game back up with 5:55 on the clock. A free throw from Johnson put the Zips back up by one with five minutes left to play in the opening half.
Cheatham struck again with another corner triple and two free throws from Johnson capped an 11-0 run for the Zips that spanned six minutes.
Daniel Utomi (Houston, Texas) connected on a triple from the top of the key with 27 seconds left on the clock and the Zips took a 38-35 lead into the halftime break.
Akron came out of the locker room and scored eight straight points to take a 46-37 lead and two free throws from Johnson pushed the Zips lead to 11 with 15 minutes left to play. The Zips used a quick 6-0 run capped off by a huge breakaway dunk from Ivey that pushed the Akron lead to 17 and forced Ohio to take a timeout to stop the momentum.
Emmanuel Olojakpoke (Houston, Texas) came off the bench and threw down two monstrous alley-oops, bringing the home crowd to its feet on consecutive possessions and chipped in on the defensive end, collecting two blocks.
At the eight-minute media timeout, the Zips maintained a 69-50 advantage, and the two teams traded baskets over the following minutes, but the Bobcats used a 6-0 run to cut the Akron lead to 12. Two free throws from freshman Tavian Dunn-Martin (Huntington, W. Va.) ended the three-minute scoring drought for the Zips.
A Johnson layup and a barrage of free throws from Noah Robotham (Las Vegas, Nevada) and Ivey sealed the game for the Zips as they defeated the Bobcats by a final score of 83-68.
The Akron basketball team will continue Mid-American Conference play at James A. Rhodes Arena against Eastern Michigan on Friday, Jan. 20, at 6:30 p.m. CBS Sports Network (CBSSN) will televise the game. Fans can follow the action on CBSSN, 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.
