The University of Akron Athletics
Akron Basketball Departs for First Road Trip
November 24 | Men's Basketball
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Game Notes PDF | Live Stats | FOX Sports Ohio | Akron-IMG Sports Network | Season Tickets | Akron Basketball Schedule
Akron Zips (2-0)Mid-American at Dayton (2-2) Atlantic 10
Saturday, Nov. 25 • UD Arena • Dayton, Ohio • 7 PM ET • FOX Sports Ohio
Overall Record: 182-131 (10th Season)
Record at Akron: 2-0 (First Season)
MAC Record at Akron: 0-0 (First Season)
Overall MAC Record: 34-30 (at Ohio and Akron)
Overall Record: 195-112 (10th Season)
Record at UD: 2-2 (First Season)
Last Meeting: Dayton 76-68 | Nov. 16, 2010 at UD Arena
Live Stats: GoZips.com/Schedule - Live Stats
Radio: Akron-IMG Sports Network - Steve French (PxP) and Joe Dunn (Analyst)
WARF 1350 AM (flagship), iHeart Radio, TuneIn.com/Akron Zips
What's Ahead
After opening the season with back-to-back wins at James A. Rhodes Arena, the Akron Zips men's basketball will be on the road for the first time of the season. The Zips are scheduled to travel to Dayton, Ohio to battle the Flyers at UD Arena on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. The game is scheduled to air on FOX Sports Ohio as Jim Day will call the action and Derrick Dukes will provide analysis.
Fans can also follow the action on GoZips.com via Live Stats or by Zips' radio. The Zips' radio broadcast will air on the Akron-IMG Sports Network SportsRadio 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship) with Steve French calling the action and Joe Dunn providing analysis. The pregame show starts 30 minutes prior to the contest. The free audio stream is available at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips.
The Akron-Dayton Series
Saturday's game marks the 14th meeting in series history for Akron and Dayton, but first all-time meeting for a Groce led squad. The Flyers hold an 11-2 advantage, winning the last 11-straight games. The two teams last met on Nov. 16, 2010 in Dayton as the Flyers claimed a 76-68 victory.
Scouting the Flyers
Dayton enters its fifth contest of the season with a 2-2 overall record, and looks to bounce back from a 75-67 loss to Old Dominion. The Flyers split the first two games of the season, defeating Ball State 78-77 in the opener and falling to Hofstra in the second game 72-69. Dayton bounced back with a 79-65 win over Ohio before falling to Old Dominion. The Flyers are 2-0 against the Mid-American Conference this season.
Over the first four games, UD has two players scoring in double figures led by senior guard Darrell Davis with 22.0 points per game. Davis has buried 50 percent of his shots from the floor (29-of-58), including a team-best 51.7 percent from downtown (15-of-29). In addition, he adds an 83.3 percent effort from the free throw line while dishing out 10 assists with 11 rebounds and four steals. Joining Davis in the scoring column is Josh Cunningham. He connects at a team-high 63.2 percent from the floor (24-of-38) with10 free throws and two made 3-pointers. He leads the squad on the glass with 8.8 rebounds per game, pulling down 21 defensive boards and 14 offensive grabs for 35 total rebounds. Xeyrius Williams is third in scoring (8.8 ppg) and ranks second on the glass with 5.3 rebounds per game.
Defensively, UD limited their opponents to 72.2 points per game on 46.0 percent shooting from the field (108-of-235) and 32.0 percent from downtown (32-of-100) with 8.0 made 3-pt FG per game. The Flyers caused 39 turnovers (9.8 tpg) while collecting19 steals (4.8 stl/g) and 13.0 blocked shots (3.3 blk/g). On the glass, Dayton is slightly outrebounded by its opponents with a slim -0.5 while averaging 34.5 rebounds per game compared to 35.0 from the opposition (40-39).
Starting the Season Off Right
The Zips are 70-46 (.603) all-time in season openers with a 56-12 (.824) home record and 14-34 (.292) on the road. Since the 2004-05 season, UA is 8-5 (.615) when opening the season, standing 5-1 (.833) at home and 3-4 (.429) on the road.
In addition, the Zips own a 95-21 (.819) home-opening record at Rhodes Arena and have been winners in the last 15-of-16 home opening games. Akron is 18-7 in MAC openers, 10-1 at home since joining the league in 1992. Over the last 13 seasons, the Zips are 11-2 in MAC openers and 7-0 at home. Akron has won the last eight straight MAC openers.
Best Start to a Season
The 2015-16 Akron Zips started the season with a 3-0 winning streak. The three consecutive wins to open the season marks the best start in the Division I era of Akron men's basketball history. In addition, that Akron squad went on to post a 13-2 start, standing as the best opening to a season in Akron basketball's Division I era. The Zips defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks during the stretch, marking the fifth consecutive season the Zips posted a win over a Power Five Conference opponent.
Stepping into the Spotlight
Sophomore guard/wing Daniel Utomi (Houston, Texas) opened the 2017-18 season as a starter and used the opportunity to lead the Zips to a season-opening win over Cleveland State with a career-high 20 points. He topped that performance in the second game of the season, dropping 32 points and knocking down a career-best eight 3-pointers to lead Akron to a 76-59 win over UT Martin. Utomi notched 10 first-half points in both contests, while scoring a combined 32 second-half points. He netted 10 second-half points versus CSU and an astounding 22 against UT Martin. Utomi currently leads the team's scoring efforts with 26.0 points per game, shooting 54.5 percent from all areas of the floor. He is 18-of-33 from the field and 12-of-22 from 3-point land.
LEading a Young Crew
The Akron Zips look to veteran leaders junior guard Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) and graduate transfer Malcolm Duvivier (Toronto, Ontario) to navigate through the 2017-18 campaign. Ivey, the only returning starter from last year's squad, has played 69 career games for the blue and gold, starting 30 of those contests. He earned a starting role last season and has averaged 10 points per game for two consecutive seasons (2015-16 and 2016-17). The other seasoned vet on the squad is a transfer from Oregon State. Duvivier played three seasons with the Beavers, accounting for 95 games played with 62 starting appearances. Over that three-year span, he averaged 23.85 minutes per game against some of the best competition in college basketball with 6.56 points, 2.03 assists, and 2.0 rebounds per night. As a sophomore, He scored 10.7 points per game. Only two additional Zips have appeared in more than 30 games for their collegiate careers. After the season opener, sophomore Houston, Texas natives Daniel Utomi and Emmanuel Olojakpoke have seen action in 33 games each with Utomi having two career starts and Olojakpoke having one start.
Groce Debuts with a WIN
Zips' head coach John Groce has spent over two decades on the sidelines of a basketball court as a coach and enters his 10th season as the lead man, but first at Akron. On April 6, 2017, Groce was named the 22nd head coach in Akron Basketball history. For the last six and a half months, Groce has been preparing a young team for the new season. On Nov. 11, Groce and the Zips accomplished something that has only been done 10 times in Akron's history, debuting a coaching career with a win. Akron defeated Cleveland State 67-57 in Groce's Akron coaching debut to become the first coach since the 1984-85 season to win their initial game.
In fact, the last coach to start his Akron career with a win was Bob Huggins during the 1984-85 season against Western Illinois, 64-57. Prior to Huggins, six coaches were unsuccessful in accomplishing that feat since Thomas Dowler did so in 1939-40 against Franklin, 34-25.
Groce Inks LePear Toles
LePear Toles, a 6'6" guard from Canton, Ohio, started his prep career at Timken High School and finished at Canton McKinley High School following the merger of the two schools. While at Timken, Toles garnered three consecutive All-Presidents Athletic League honors, including the All-PAC 7 Player of the Year award as a junior. In addition, he was named to the All-Ohio Special Mention squad. As a senior at McKinley, Toles averaged 16.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game. He was a Third-Team All-Ohio selection and First-Team All-Federal League. In addition, the three-time First-Team Repository All-Stark County selection scored 1,331 points during his high school career to finish 25th on Stark County's all-time scoring list.
After graduating high school as an academic qualifier, Toles decided to attend postgraduate school at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia. During his postgrad season, Toles averaged 14.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He is currently at State Fair Community College.
UP NEXT
The Akron Zips will be back at James A. Rhodes Arena on Tuesday, Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. against UT Chattanooga.
Game Notes PDF | Live Stats | FOX Sports Ohio | Akron-IMG Sports Network | Season Tickets | Akron Basketball Schedule
Akron Zips (2-0)Mid-American at Dayton (2-2) Atlantic 10
Saturday, Nov. 25 • UD Arena • Dayton, Ohio • 7 PM ET • FOX Sports Ohio
AKRON ZIPS Head Coach
John Groce (Taylor '94)Overall Record: 182-131 (10th Season)
Record at Akron: 2-0 (First Season)
MAC Record at Akron: 0-0 (First Season)
Overall MAC Record: 34-30 (at Ohio and Akron)
DAYTON FLYERS Head Coach
Anthony Grant (Dayton '87)Overall Record: 195-112 (10th Season)
Record at UD: 2-2 (First Season)
All-Time Series
Dayton Leads: 11-2 (11-straight wins) | Groce vs Dayton: First MeetingLast Meeting: Dayton 76-68 | Nov. 16, 2010 at UD Arena
Broadcast
TV/Video: FOX Sports Ohio – Jim Day (PxP) and Derrick Dukes (Analyst)Live Stats: GoZips.com/Schedule - Live Stats
Radio: Akron-IMG Sports Network - Steve French (PxP) and Joe Dunn (Analyst)
WARF 1350 AM (flagship), iHeart Radio, TuneIn.com/Akron Zips
What's Ahead
After opening the season with back-to-back wins at James A. Rhodes Arena, the Akron Zips men's basketball will be on the road for the first time of the season. The Zips are scheduled to travel to Dayton, Ohio to battle the Flyers at UD Arena on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. The game is scheduled to air on FOX Sports Ohio as Jim Day will call the action and Derrick Dukes will provide analysis.
Fans can also follow the action on GoZips.com via Live Stats or by Zips' radio. The Zips' radio broadcast will air on the Akron-IMG Sports Network SportsRadio 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship) with Steve French calling the action and Joe Dunn providing analysis. The pregame show starts 30 minutes prior to the contest. The free audio stream is available at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips.
The Akron-Dayton Series
Saturday's game marks the 14th meeting in series history for Akron and Dayton, but first all-time meeting for a Groce led squad. The Flyers hold an 11-2 advantage, winning the last 11-straight games. The two teams last met on Nov. 16, 2010 in Dayton as the Flyers claimed a 76-68 victory.
Scouting the Flyers
Dayton enters its fifth contest of the season with a 2-2 overall record, and looks to bounce back from a 75-67 loss to Old Dominion. The Flyers split the first two games of the season, defeating Ball State 78-77 in the opener and falling to Hofstra in the second game 72-69. Dayton bounced back with a 79-65 win over Ohio before falling to Old Dominion. The Flyers are 2-0 against the Mid-American Conference this season.
Over the first four games, UD has two players scoring in double figures led by senior guard Darrell Davis with 22.0 points per game. Davis has buried 50 percent of his shots from the floor (29-of-58), including a team-best 51.7 percent from downtown (15-of-29). In addition, he adds an 83.3 percent effort from the free throw line while dishing out 10 assists with 11 rebounds and four steals. Joining Davis in the scoring column is Josh Cunningham. He connects at a team-high 63.2 percent from the floor (24-of-38) with10 free throws and two made 3-pointers. He leads the squad on the glass with 8.8 rebounds per game, pulling down 21 defensive boards and 14 offensive grabs for 35 total rebounds. Xeyrius Williams is third in scoring (8.8 ppg) and ranks second on the glass with 5.3 rebounds per game.
Defensively, UD limited their opponents to 72.2 points per game on 46.0 percent shooting from the field (108-of-235) and 32.0 percent from downtown (32-of-100) with 8.0 made 3-pt FG per game. The Flyers caused 39 turnovers (9.8 tpg) while collecting19 steals (4.8 stl/g) and 13.0 blocked shots (3.3 blk/g). On the glass, Dayton is slightly outrebounded by its opponents with a slim -0.5 while averaging 34.5 rebounds per game compared to 35.0 from the opposition (40-39).
Starting the Season Off Right
The Zips are 70-46 (.603) all-time in season openers with a 56-12 (.824) home record and 14-34 (.292) on the road. Since the 2004-05 season, UA is 8-5 (.615) when opening the season, standing 5-1 (.833) at home and 3-4 (.429) on the road.
In addition, the Zips own a 95-21 (.819) home-opening record at Rhodes Arena and have been winners in the last 15-of-16 home opening games. Akron is 18-7 in MAC openers, 10-1 at home since joining the league in 1992. Over the last 13 seasons, the Zips are 11-2 in MAC openers and 7-0 at home. Akron has won the last eight straight MAC openers.
Best Start to a Season
The 2015-16 Akron Zips started the season with a 3-0 winning streak. The three consecutive wins to open the season marks the best start in the Division I era of Akron men's basketball history. In addition, that Akron squad went on to post a 13-2 start, standing as the best opening to a season in Akron basketball's Division I era. The Zips defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks during the stretch, marking the fifth consecutive season the Zips posted a win over a Power Five Conference opponent.
Stepping into the Spotlight
Sophomore guard/wing Daniel Utomi (Houston, Texas) opened the 2017-18 season as a starter and used the opportunity to lead the Zips to a season-opening win over Cleveland State with a career-high 20 points. He topped that performance in the second game of the season, dropping 32 points and knocking down a career-best eight 3-pointers to lead Akron to a 76-59 win over UT Martin. Utomi notched 10 first-half points in both contests, while scoring a combined 32 second-half points. He netted 10 second-half points versus CSU and an astounding 22 against UT Martin. Utomi currently leads the team's scoring efforts with 26.0 points per game, shooting 54.5 percent from all areas of the floor. He is 18-of-33 from the field and 12-of-22 from 3-point land.
LEading a Young Crew
The Akron Zips look to veteran leaders junior guard Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) and graduate transfer Malcolm Duvivier (Toronto, Ontario) to navigate through the 2017-18 campaign. Ivey, the only returning starter from last year's squad, has played 69 career games for the blue and gold, starting 30 of those contests. He earned a starting role last season and has averaged 10 points per game for two consecutive seasons (2015-16 and 2016-17). The other seasoned vet on the squad is a transfer from Oregon State. Duvivier played three seasons with the Beavers, accounting for 95 games played with 62 starting appearances. Over that three-year span, he averaged 23.85 minutes per game against some of the best competition in college basketball with 6.56 points, 2.03 assists, and 2.0 rebounds per night. As a sophomore, He scored 10.7 points per game. Only two additional Zips have appeared in more than 30 games for their collegiate careers. After the season opener, sophomore Houston, Texas natives Daniel Utomi and Emmanuel Olojakpoke have seen action in 33 games each with Utomi having two career starts and Olojakpoke having one start.
Groce Debuts with a WIN
Zips' head coach John Groce has spent over two decades on the sidelines of a basketball court as a coach and enters his 10th season as the lead man, but first at Akron. On April 6, 2017, Groce was named the 22nd head coach in Akron Basketball history. For the last six and a half months, Groce has been preparing a young team for the new season. On Nov. 11, Groce and the Zips accomplished something that has only been done 10 times in Akron's history, debuting a coaching career with a win. Akron defeated Cleveland State 67-57 in Groce's Akron coaching debut to become the first coach since the 1984-85 season to win their initial game.
In fact, the last coach to start his Akron career with a win was Bob Huggins during the 1984-85 season against Western Illinois, 64-57. Prior to Huggins, six coaches were unsuccessful in accomplishing that feat since Thomas Dowler did so in 1939-40 against Franklin, 34-25.
Groce Inks LePear Toles
LePear Toles, a 6'6" guard from Canton, Ohio, started his prep career at Timken High School and finished at Canton McKinley High School following the merger of the two schools. While at Timken, Toles garnered three consecutive All-Presidents Athletic League honors, including the All-PAC 7 Player of the Year award as a junior. In addition, he was named to the All-Ohio Special Mention squad. As a senior at McKinley, Toles averaged 16.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game. He was a Third-Team All-Ohio selection and First-Team All-Federal League. In addition, the three-time First-Team Repository All-Stark County selection scored 1,331 points during his high school career to finish 25th on Stark County's all-time scoring list.
After graduating high school as an academic qualifier, Toles decided to attend postgraduate school at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia. During his postgrad season, Toles averaged 14.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He is currently at State Fair Community College.
UP NEXT
The Akron Zips will be back at James A. Rhodes Arena on Tuesday, Nov. 28 at 7 p.m. against UT Chattanooga.
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