The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
18-3 (8-0)
Buffalo
9-12 (3-5)
Seniors Cheatham, Johnson Lead Zips to a 91-90 Win Over Buffalo
January 28 | Men's Basketball
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AKRON, Ohio- The senior tandem of Kwan Cheatham, Jr. (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Isaiah Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio) combined to score 58 points en route to a 91-90 victory over the Buffalo Bulls on Saturday night at James A. Rhodes Arena. With the win, Akron extended its winning streak to 11 games an pushed its home-court winning streak to 28-straight games at Rhodes Arena.
Cheatham led the way for the Zips (18-3, 8-0 MAC) with a career-high 31 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Cheatham also set a new career-high for three-pointers made in a contest, knocking down seven long distance buckets while shooting 7-of-13 from deep and 10-of-17 overall. Johnson registered his fourth double-double of the season with 27 points and 10 rebounds, including the game-winning free throw with 2.3 seconds left on the clock. Antino Jackson (Houston, Texas) and Josh Williams (Akron, Ohio) chipped in 12 points apiece.
Blake Hamilton led the way for the Bulls (9-12, 3-5 MAC) with a game-high 33 points. Willie Connor added 19 and Nick Perkins totaled 14 points and eight rebounds.
For the contest, the Zips shot 47.4 percent (27-of-57) from the floor and connected on 35.5 percent (11-of-31) of their shots from downtown. From the charity stripe, Akron converted 65 percent (26-of-40) of their attempts. The Bulls connected on 53.2 percent (33-of-62) of their shots from the field and knocked down 45.5 percent (10-of-22) of their three-point attempts. Buffalo shot 60.9 percent (14-of-23) of their shots from the free throw line.
The Akron-Buffalo game came down to the wire as Johnson split a pair of free throws with 2.3 seconds remaining to lift the Zips to a 91-90 advantage. The back-and-forth battle featured seven lead changes and nine tied scores. Akron lead for 24:31, while Buffalo's leads lasted only 9:32 and the game was tied for 5:57.
The Bulls jumped out to an early 12-7 lead, but Cheatham connected on a three from the corner to cut the Buffalo lead to two. In addition, two free throws from Johnson tied the game at 12 with just under 15 minutes remaining in the first half.
The two teams traded three-point baskets on four straight possessions, and Buffalo held a 25-20 advantage with just over ten minutes in the first half. The Zips used a quick 7-0 run, highlighted by an and-one from Johnson to take a 27-25 lead.
Cheatham connected again from the corner to put the Zips up by five and buried another triple from deep in the JAR on the ensuing possession to put Akron ahead by nine with just over six minutes to play in the first half.
The Bulls scored four quick points to cut the Akron lead to just four points with 2:40 on the clock. The Zips answered Buffalo's run with a four-point swing of their own to retake an eight-point lead with two minutes to play in the first half.
Buffalo scored six straight points in the paint and held the Zips without a field goal for the final two minutes of the half, but Akron took a 43-40 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Bulls came out of the locker room firing and used an 8-4 run to take a 48-47 lead, but the Zips came storming back and took a three-point lead following a Cheatham layup. Akron continued to feed Johnson in the paint and took a five-point lead, 53-48, with 16 minutes remaining in the contest.
The Zips and Bulls continued to trade blows in the paint and the two teams were knotted at 58 at the under-12 media timeout.
Williams connected on a three-pointer to give Akron a 64-62 lead, but the Bulls came back with a three-point play of their own to retake the lead, 65-64, with 10 minutes left in the game. Williams answered the call with another triple, this time putting the Zips ahead 67-65.
Cheatham brought the Rhodes Arena crowd to its feet with consecutive triples to push the Zips lead to 73-67, and forced the Bulls to call a timeout to stop the Akron momentum.
Cheatham struck again from deep on the next possessions to keep the home crowd on its feet as the Zips took a nine-point lead with just under seven minutes to play, 76-67.
However, Buffalo would not go quietly as they used a quick five-point run to cut the Zips lead to three. A layup on the ensuing possession cut the Akron lead to one, but four straight points from Jackson brought the Zips lead back up to five, 83-78.
Jackson continued his scoring ways, burying a triple from the top of the key to give the Zips a 87-83 lead with just over a minute to play.
Buffalo and Akron traded free-throws, then the Bulls converted a layup to cut the lead to one. Johnson converted two clutch free throws to put the Zips back ahead by three points, 90-87, with just over 30 seconds remaining.
On the ensuing possession, Buffalo tied the game at 90 with a three pointer at the top of the key by Hamilton, and the Zips called a timeout with possession of the ball and 15.6 seconds left in the game.
The Zips went to Johnson on the final play of the game. Big Dog went to the middle of the paint with his back to the basket, made a move and was fouled once again. Johnson missed the first shot but drained what proved to be the game-winning free throw with 2.3 seconds remaining in regulation. The Bulls heaved up a last-second effort that fell short, giving the Zips a 91-90 victory.
The Akron basketball team will continue Mid-American Conference play, traveling to Northern Illinois on Tuesday, Jan. 31. Tipoff is scheduled at 7:00 p.m. ET and fans can follow the action on WatchESPN/ESPN3, 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.
