Akron Falls 78-68 in Crystal Clinic Wagon Wheel Challenge Showdown

Saturday, February 17

Kent, OH

2 p.m.

University of Akron

11-15, 4-10MAC

Kent State

13-14, 7-7MAC

Akron

Kent State

Akron Falls 78-68 in Crystal Clinic Wagon Wheel Challenge Showdown

February 17 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

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KENT, Ohio- In the first installment of the Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center Wagon Wheel showdown, the Zips fell 78-68 to rival Kent State Golden Flashes despite a dominating performance by Malcolm Duvivier (Toronto, Ontario) on Saturday afternoon at the M.A.C. Center.

Duvivier led the Zips, registering a career-high 27 points en route to scoring his 1,000^th career-point. He shot 8-of-16 from the floor and 4-of-6 from downtown coupled with a career-best two blocks and a steal.

The Zips also received a double-digit performance from sophomore Daniel Utomi (Houston, Texas). Utomi collected 20 points on a 6-of-11 effort from the floor that included a perfect 3-of-3 performance from long distance and 5-of-5 showing from the free throw line.

With the win, Kent State picked up a half point in the Crystal Clinic Wagon Wheel Challenge making the score 4-2 in Akron's favor. Akron fell to 11-15 overall and 4-10 in Mid-American Conference play, while Kent State improved to 13-14 on the season and 7-7 in league play.

Kent State's Jaylin Walker led the Golden Flashes in scoring with 27 points. However, the Golden Flashes Jalen Avery dropped 16 points in the closing minutes to give Kent State the win. Danny Pippen recorded a game-high eight rebounds.

For the game, Akron shot 21-of-53 (.396) from the field and hit 9-of-21 (.428) from beyond the arc. The Zips shot 17-of-24 (.708) from the charity stripe. Kent State ended the game shooting 23-of-54 (.425) from the field, and hit 10-of-24 (.416) from beyond the arc, and drained 22-of-24 (.916) from the free throw line. Kent State won the battle of the boards 35-30. Both teams turned the ball over equally with 14 turnovers.

The Golden Flashes put points on the scoreboard first as Pippen hit the opening shot from the wing. The Zips retaliated with a three-pointer from Duvivier that got the offense rolling. Akron used back-to-back turnovers to ignite a 12-2 run headlined by an Utomi layup and a second 3-pointer by Duvivier. Akron held the home squad scoreless for three minutes as the built a 15-2 advantage with 16:01 showing on the clock.

The Golden Flashes answered with a 10-point scoring run of their own that was paced by Jaylin Walker who accounted for six points off of back-to-back three-pointers. Duvivier ended the run with a pair of free throws to keep Akron in front 17-14.

With under eight minutes left to play in the first half, Utomi hit a shot from beyond the arc that added on to Akron's lead, 22-16. The Golden Flashes capitalized on an Eric Parrish (Cypress, Texas) turnover that set them up for another Walker three that put Kent State within one of the Zip's 22-21 advantage.

After a few minutes of back-and-forth action with the Zips holding a 28-25 lead, Kent State's Walker hit his fourth 3-pointer of the half to deadlock the game, 28-28. Duvivier pushed the Zips back into the driver's seat with a triple, 31-28, but 4-0 run gave the Golden Flashes a one-point advantage at the break.

Despite the Golden Flashes holding a 32-31 lead at the end of the first half, Akron's perimeter defense held Kent State shooting 4-of-14 (.286) from beyond the arc, and 9-of-23 from the field (.323). Akron held the lead for 18:33 of the first half, while Kent State only managed to have the advantage for 22 seconds. The Zips connected on 10-of-31 (.391) from the field, and drained 5-of-10 (.500) from beyond the arc.

After the break, a 3-pointer by Utomi ignited the Zips' offense, once again, and put Akron ahead, 34-32. A 6-2 run and missed layup by Utomi set Kent State on a fast break alley-oop that gave the Golden Flashes a 38-34 lead, their largest lead of the game.

Kent State continued its striking from beyond the arc as the Golden Flashes used a 9-0 run consisting of all long-distance buckets that put Kent State ahead, 47-39.
A pull-up jumper from Duvivier ended Kent State's 9-0 run, which closed the Golden Flashes' lead to 47-41. This also secured Duvivier's 1,000^th career-point. Duvivier added a huge break-away dunk and three-pointer for a 53-51 Zips' lead at the 8:20 mark.

With five minutes left to play in the game, Duviver knocked down two free throws, extending the Zips' lead to 58-54, but Avery delivered consecutive triples and added a pair of conventional 3-point plays for Kent State to takeover the scoreboard for the final time. He followed with four consecutive free throws for a 74-67 advantage. The Zips' final efforts to steal the lead weren't enough to push past the Golden Flashes' offense that capitalized their last 11 possessions. KSU finished the game with a 78-68 victory.

The Zips continue Mid-American Conference play, traveling to Bowling Green on Tuesday, Feb. 20 at the Stroh Center. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip and will be televised on ESPN 3. 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/AkronZips.