Akron Outscores Youngstown State 52-25 in Second Half for a 29-Point Win

Saturday, November 10

Cleveland, OH

4:30 pm

University of Akron

1-0

Youngstown State

0-1

Youngstown State

Akron

Akron Outscores Youngstown State 52-25 in Second Half for a 29-Point Win

November 10 | Men's Basketball

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Post Game Press Conference

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Akron Zips men's basketball team turned up the intensity in the second half to outscore Youngstown State 52-25 en route to a 98-69 win at the fourth annual Northeast Ohio Coaches vs. Cancer Doubleheader on Saturday at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

With the win, Akron moved to 2-0 on the season, while the Penguins fell to 0-2.

Five Zips reached double digits in scoring as junior forward Daniel Utomi (Houston, Texas) led all scorers with 25 points, shooting 69.2 percent (9-of-13) from the floor and 50.0 percent from downtown (2-of-4). He added five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot to his stat sheet.

Senior guard Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) followed with 18 points and five rebounds, while newcomers sophomore guard Loren Cristian Jackson (Chicago, Ill.), junior forward Deng Riak (Melbourne, Australia) and junior guard Tyler Cheese (Albany, Ga.) all turned in career-high performances.

Jackson posted a career-high 16 points and Riak reached career-best marks in points (14) and rebounds (7). Cheese collected 13 points, a personal best, and tied his four assist best effort.

For YSU, Olamide Pedersen notched a double-double with a team best 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Darrius Quisenberry was the only other Penguin to score double figures with 10 points.

In the first half, Youngstown State came out firing on all cylinders as the Penguins unleashed a barrage of 3-pointers that led to a 29-21 advantage. YSU used seven 3-pointers out of 10 total shots made for the eight-point lead, but the Zips did not let the scoring outburst affect them.

Akron countered the attack from deep with two-point field goals to keep the game within reach and relied on patience and poise. The Zips proved they were able to withstand the attack from beyond the arc and YSU's full court defensive pressure by committing only two turnovers in the entire first half.

The ability to take care of the ball paid off, and with 6:48 remaining in the period, Ivey and Utomi connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the deficit to two points, 31-29. On the ensuing possession, Riak finished above the rim with a dunk that resulted in a 31-31 stalemate.

The two teams traded buckets over the next three minutes, and during that span Akron established its first lead at 34-33 on a made free throw by Riak.

With 2:02 remaining in the half, Utomi tied the game for what proved to be the final time on a layin to make the score all-square at 39 points apiece. He followed with a midrange jumper giving Akron a two-point advantage which the held onto heading into the locker room.The Zips closed the first half with a 9-5 run for a 46-44 halftime advantage. The Penguins finished the half with 10 made 3-pointers and 16 total field goals.

The second half was much different as Akron increased the lead to as many as 29 points before the final buzzer sounded. Cheese scored six of the Zips first 12 points of the half while Utomi, Jackson and Banks chipped in two points each. The 12-4 run to open the half started and ended with Cheese buckets for a 10-point advantage, 58-48.

Akron quickly increased the lead to 15 points when Banks buried a 3-pointer and Ivey added a pair of free throws. With 9:32 remaining in the game, the Zips piled on 11 more unanswered points, increasing the lead to 23 points, 82-59. During the run, Jackson added five points and Ivey had four. Utomi also scored. The Zips cruised the rest of the way, eventually winning 98-69.

For the game, Akron shot 56.3 percent (36-of-64) from the floor and 31.8 percent (7-of-22) from 3-point range. Akron was also able to get to the free throw line 26 times and made 19 of those attempts for a 73.1 free throw percentage.

The Zips won the battle of the boards 37-35, but the most impressive stat maybe the lack of turnovers as they only gave the ball up five times compared to the 15 forced giveaways.

The Zips are scheduled to return to James A. Rhodes Arena for their third game of the season against Chicago State on Friday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. The Zips will then depart for the Cayman Islands Basketball Classic on Saturday to play Clemson in Game 1 on Monday, Nov. 19 at 11 a.m. ET.