Utomi's Double-Double Lifts Zips Past UT Chattanooga, 75-70

Tuesday, November 28

Akron, Ohio

7 p.m.

University of Akron

3-1

UT Chattanooga

3-4

Team	1	2	F
Chattanooga	28	42	70
AKRON	39	36	75

Utomi's Double-Double Lifts Zips Past UT Chattanooga, 75-70

November 28 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

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AKRON – Senior guard Daniel Utomi (Houston, Texas) scored 24 points, including five straight points late in the contest to push Akron's lead from four points to nine with 1:50 remaining, and made a key steal to help seal a 75-70 win for the Zips over visiting Chattanooga Tuesday night at James A. Rhodes Arena.

Utomi, who also registered his first career double-double with 13 rebounds, sank a clutch 3-pointer with 30 seconds left, pushing the Zips (3-1) to a 75-69 lead after the Mocs closed to within three, giving Akron valuable breathing room in the final minute. Utomi's late-game heroics came in a stretch in which he scored 12 points in the final three minutes of the game.

With the Mocs (3-4) having closed to within four at 67-63, Utomi sank two free throws with 2:27 left, then made a steal on defense and converted a conventional three-point play at the other end to give the Zips some breathing room.

Graduate transfer Malcolm Duvivier (Toronto, Ontario) added 15 points, including 13 of his team's first 25, as Akron built a large early lead and junior guard Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) chipped in with 15 for the Zips, who also outrebounded Chattanooga 31-24.

After tailing by 11 at the half, Chattanooga closed to within four at 51-47 with 10:48 remaining in the game on a 3-pointer by Nat Dixon, but Akron responded with a layup by Utomi and a 3-pointer by freshman guard Eric Parrish (Cypress, Texas) to push the lead back to nine. Parrish added a team-best five steals.

The game remained close throughout the second half as Chattanooga was able to capitalize on being in the bonus for much of the frame, hitting 9-of-13 from the charity stripe in the second period. Both teams struggled with turnovers throughout the contest, with Chattanooga committing 18 miscues and the Zips tallying 17.

Akron trailed only briefly in the game, with Chattanooga seizing an early one-point lead as both teams struggled offensively in the early stages. After the Mocs took a 11-10 lead with 13:06 remaining in the opening stanza, the Zips scored 12 straight as Duvivier rattled off 10 straight, including two 3-pointers, and freshman guard Virshon Cotton (Milwaukee, Wisc.) punctuated the run with a layup to extend the Akron lead to 22-11.

The Zips would extend the lead to as many as 16 (35-19) in the first half and shot 50 percent or better from the field, 3-point line and free throw line in the first 20 minutes. They also forced 10 Chattanooga turnovers before the half and outrebounded the Mocs 18-11 during the period.

Rodney Chatman led Chattanooga with 19 points, while Dixon contributed 16 in the loss.

Akron returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m. in a non-conference road game against Marshall in Huntington, W.Va.