Utomi’s Career Night Lifts Zips Past UT Martin, 76-59

Saturday, November 18

Akron, Ohio

7 p.m.

University of Akron

2-0

UT Martin

1-3

Team	1	2	F
UT MARTIN	28	31	59
AKRON	34	42	76

Utomi’s Career Night Lifts Zips Past UT Martin, 76-59

November 18 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

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AKRON, Ohio --- Sophomore wing Daniel Utomi (Houston, Texas) dropped a career-high 32 points en route to the Zips second win of the season over UT Martin, 76-59, on Saturday night at James A. Rhodes Arena.

Utomi buried a career-high eight 3-pointers as he connected with 68.8 percent of his shots (11-of-16) from the floor and 72.7 percent from deep (8-of-11). He added a 2-of-3 effort from the free throw line along with five rebounds and three assists.

Behind Utomi's stellar performance, the Zips moved to 2-0 on the young season, while UT Martin fell to 1-3 overall.

Also scoring in double digits for the Zips was graduate transfer Malcolm Duvivier (Toronto, Ontario). Duvivier scored 17 points while dishing out four assists and pulling down a rebound. The Oregon State transfer shot 60.0 percent from the field (6-of-10), including a 71.4 percent effort from downtown (5-of-7).

Utomi and Duvivier combined for 13 of the Zips' 15 triples and only missed the mark five times total, shooting at a combined 72.2 percent from deep 13-of-18). Junior Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) added nine points, five rebounds, and a team-high five assists.

The Zips opened the game with a 10-3 run sparked by one of

Duvivier's five triples on the evening. He continued to find the bottom of the net early as he buried two more triples, starting the game 3-of-3 from deep by the 15:43 mark, the first media break.

Shots continued to fall from behind the arc as Utomi and Parrish added long-distance buckets for a 20-7 advantage with 10:58 remaining in the first half. The 13-point spread was Akron's largest lead of the half.

The Skyhawks eventually made a run of their own, cutting the deficit to six points, 30-24, by the 1:41 mark, but the Zips held on to the six-point advantage for the remainder of the first session. Akron led 34-28 at the midpoint.

In the second half, the Skyhawks continued to chip-away at the Zips lead, cutting the Zips lead to two points, 39-37, at 16:51. An old-fashioned 3-point play from Utomi put Akron back in front by five points, and Utomi continued to attack the basket, scoring eight consecutive points for Akron.

Utomi ended his two-minute scoring outburst with a 3-pointer from the wing, and Duvivier picked up where Utomi left off. Duvivier posted the next eight points on a pair from downtown and a midrange jumper, before Utomi unleased another 3-pointer.

Freshman Eric Parrish (Cypress, Texas) added a layup and free throw to keep the run alive, followed by lay-ins by Ivey and Utomi. The Zips outscored the Skyhawks 26-12 during the five-minute span to take a 16-point advantage, at 65-49 with 7:57 remaining in the game.

Akron held onto a double-digit advantage, and with 1:38 left to play, Utomi buried his final 3-pointer of the night to establish the Zips' largest lead of the night (17 points) and complete the scoring at 76-59.

The Akron Zips will travel to Dayton for their first road trip of the season, battling the Flyers at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. ET.