The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
19-4 (9-1MAC)
Ohio
15-7 (6-4MAC)
Zips' Win Streak Ends on the Road at Ohio, 85-70
February 04 | Men's Basketball
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Athens, Ohio – The Akron Zips 12-game winning streak ended on Saturday as the Zips fell 85-70 on the road to Ohio University at the OU Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio. The Zips went nearly two months without a loss, dating back to Dec. 10 against No. 1 ranked Gonzaga, and still currently owns a 28-game home-court winning streak at James A. Rhodes Arena.Â
Saturday's game on CBS Sports Network featured eight lead changes and five tied scores before the Bobcats (14-7, 6-4) pulled away for the final time on a Jordan Dartis 3-pointer at the 4:31 mark. Ohio ended the game with 12 consecutive free throws for the 15-point win. Jaaron Simmons scored a game-high 38 points which included a 5-of-5 showing from downtown and 13-of-16 effort from the free throw line. He also pulled down a team-best 10 rebounds.Â
For the Zips (19-4, 9-1), senior center Isaiah Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio) and junior guard Antino Jackson led the way with 18 and 14 points, respectively. Johnson connected on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor and a 4-of-7 performance from the charity stripe, while Jackson went 3-of-8 from deep and 3-of-4 from the foul line. Senior forward Kwan Cheatham, Jr. and sophomore guard Josh Williams had nine points each , and Cheatham led the team on the glass with 13 rebounds.
The Zips were whistled for 30 fouls, sending the Bobcats to the charity stripe 38 times while connecting with 30 of those attempts for a 78.9 percentage. The Zips attempted 16 free throws and drained 11 bonus buckets for an 68.8 percent showing.
For the game, the Zips shot 37.9 percent from the field collectively, including a 9-of-37 (.243) performance from deep. Ohio used a 23-of-48 (.479( effort from the floor and 9-of-22 (.409) performance from long distance. On the glass, Akron held a slight 36-35 advantage as turnovers and assists were tied at 10 apiece.
In the first half , the Bobcats established the early lead by scoring first and maintained control of the scoreboard during the initial 20 minutes of play. Akron opened the game shooting 1-of-7 from the field and trailed at the under-16 media timeout as Ohio led 5-2. After the break, Ohio used a 6-0 run to build an 11-4 advantage at 14:22.
Johnson answered with his third consecutive layup before Cheatham ended a 0-of-6 start from beyond the 3-point arc by the Zips. Williams and Jackson followed with a pair of 3-pointers to cut the Bobcats lead to three points, 18-15 with 8:57 left in the half.
Akron battled back within two points on a Noah Robotham (Las Vegas, Nev.) trifecta, but the Bobcats closed out the half with a 7-4 run to lead by five points, 32-27. Johnson scored the final points of the half in the paint.
Akron came out of the locker and wasted no time to take control of the scoreboard as Jackson drained back-to-back 3-pointers for a 33-32 advantage. The two teams battled back-and-forth until a Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) dunk and 3-pointer put the Zips up three points, 45-42. On the ensuing possession, Williams knocked down a long distance shot to give Akron its largest lead of the game at six points, 48-42, while forcing the Bobcats to call a timeout with 12:57 left to play.
Ohio answered with a dunk, and Akron controlled the scoreboard until 11:25 when a pair of Bobcat free throws gave them a one-point advantage, 50-49. UA's Emmanuel Olojakpoke answered with a dunk and the see-saw battle continued until a pair of free throws by Jackson and a Williams' 3-pointer put the game in Akron's favor, 61-56, with 8:08 left to play.
A minute later, Simmons hit a shot from deep which sparked a 10-2 run, giving the Bobcats its final lead 68-65 with 3:04 left in the game.Â
Akron basketball will be back in action on Tuesday, Feb. 7, hosting its fourth annual 4 Pete's Sake Purple Out game at 6 p.m. at James A. Rhodes Arena. American Sports Network will televise the game, and fans can also follow the action on 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.
