Akron Travels to Bowling Green for Second Meeting on Tuesday

Tuesday, February 20

Bowling Green, OH

7 p.m.

University of Akron

Bowling Green

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Akron Travels to Bowling Green for Second Meeting on Tuesday

February 19 | Men's Basketball

Akron Zips (11-15, 4-10) at Bowling Green (16-11, 7-7)

Tuesday, Feb. 20 • Stroh Center • Bowling Green, Ohio • 7 PM ET • ESPN3

Bowling Green Head Coach
Michael Huger(Bowling Green '94)
Overall Record: 45-48 (3rd Season)
Record at BGSU: 45-48 (3rd Season)
MAC Record: 19-31 (3rd Season)

AKRON ZIPS Head Coach
John Groce(Taylor '94)
Career Record: 191-146 (10th Season)
Record at Akron: 11-15 (First Season)
MAC Record at Akron: 4-10 (First Season)
Overall MAC Record: 38-40 (at Ohio and Akron)

All-Time Series
Akron Leads: 37-25 - Groce vs. BGSU: 1-0 (4-6 Overall)
Last Meeting: Akron 80, Bowling Green 78 January 13, 2018 at James A. Rhodes Arena

Broadcast
TV/Video: ESPN3 – Brad Woznicki (PxP)
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
The Akron Zips will travel to Bowling Green, Ohio to take on the Falcons at the Stroh Center on Tuesday, Feb. 20. The second meeting of the season is scheduled to tip-off at 7 p.m. ET. Round two will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Brad Woznicki calling the action.

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 on a free audio stream at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips.

The Akron-Bowling Green Series
Tuesday's game marks the 63rd meeting in series history between Akron and Bowling Green, and 11th meeting for a Groce coached squad. Akron holds an all-time 37-25 series advantage while Groce is 4-6 against BGSU and 1-0 at Akron.

The Zips have won 26 of the last 28 games, most recently an 80-78 win in the series opener on Jan. 13. Akron won on the final possession thanks to a Virshon Cotton jumper, leaving only a few seconds on the clock for BGSU to tie or go ahead.

Last year, the two team split the season series. The Zips opened Mid-American Conference play with an 89-84 win over Bowling Green at James A. Rhodes Arena on Jan. 3, 2017. The last time the two teams met, BGSU picked up the win in the closing seconds at the Stroh Center, 66-65, snapping the Zips' 17-game winning streak against the Falcons. It was Akron's first loss to BGSU since March 1, 2009, a 50-46 loss at Rhodes Arena. Akron has won eight consecutive games at the JAR and 12-of-13 at the Stroh Center.

In addition, Akron posted three wins in the 2015-16 season, including an 80-66 win during the semifinal round of the MAC Tournament. The Zips have met the Falcons four times in the MAC Tournament with the series being tied at two games apiece. In addition, the 2017 MAC opener was the third time in series history that Akron and Bowling Green have met to open the MAC schedule. Akron holds a 3-0 advantage in conference openers, posting a 53-51 win in 1992-93, 71-45 victory during the 2009-10 season, and an 89-84 with this season – all at Rhodes Arena.

Scouting the Falcons
Bowling Green enters the contest with a 16-11 overall record and 7-7 in MAC play. The Falcons rode a two-game winning streak into the Buffalo game, but fell to the Bulls (95-82) the last time out in league play. The Falcons swept Eastern Michigan as both games needed extra time to decide the winner. After, claiming the second meeting against EMU, Bowling Green defeated Western Michigan (83-81).

BGSU has three players scoring in double figures and four players with at least 33 made 3-pointers. Justin Turner leads the squad in scoring and steals, averaging 15.7 points on 40.7 percent shooting from the floor (137-of-337) and 41.5 percent from downtown (44-of-106). Turner has swiped 38 passes and shoots 81.1 percent (90-of-111) at the free throw line. He adds 97 rebounds, 68 assists, and eight blocked shots to the stat sheet.

Demajeo Wiggins and Dylan Frye follow with 13.8 and 12.0 points per game, respectively. Wiggins grabs a team-best 9.7 rebounds per game (252 total rebounds) while connecting with 57.1 percent of his shots, all in the painted area. He has buried 95 free throws, blocked 10 shots, and dished out 23 assists.

Frye leads the Falcons from behind the 3-point arc, draining 50 triples in 139 attempts (.360). Frye has buried 49 bonus buckets while grabbing 84 rebounds, dishing out 59 assists, 21 steals, and five blocks.

Averaging nearly 10 points a night are Rodrick Caldwell and Antwon Lillard with 9.7 and 9.6 points per game. Caldwell drained 35 3-point shots on 107 attempts (.327) and pushed out a team-high 77 assists. In addition, Matt Fox is a threat from deep, posting 33 long-distance makes on 67 chances for a team-high 49.3 percent effort with only three standard field goals (36-of-81).

Defensively, BGSU allows opponents to score 77.4 points a night on 45.4 percent shooting from the field and 36.8 percent from downtown with 8.1 made 3-pt FG per game. The Falcons caused 350 turnovers (13.0 tpg) while collecting 168 steals (6.2 stl/g) and 74 blocked shots (2.7 blk/g). On the glass, Bowling Green outrebounds its opponents 1,029-991 for a 1.4 margin.

Rebounding after a Loss
Since the start of the 2004-05 season, the Zips have been one of best teams in the nation when it comes to rebounding after a loss. Excluding season-ending losses, Akron is 98-42 (.700) following a loss. During this run, Akron has only posted 31 losing streaks. In fact, of those 31 losing streaks, 18 have been just two games and 23 have consisted of two or more games on the road (road/neutral site). This season, Akron posted its first four-game winless streak in over a decade. The last time Akron lost, five-in-a-row was Jan. 5-19, 2002, under former head coach Dan Hipsher. Head coach John Groce is 6-8 following a loss at Akron, three 3-game skids and a 4-game setback.

Last Time Out Against Bowling Green
Freshman guard Virshon Cotton (Milwaukee, Wisc.) hit a contested 3-pointer from the top of the key with 3.7 seconds remaining to lift Akron to an 80-78 win over visiting Bowling Green Saturday afternoon at James A. Rhodes Arena.

The Zips led throughout the game, but on the strength of 43 free throw attempts and a 31-18 foul disparity in favor of the Falcons, Bowling Green was able to stay in the game and tie it up twice late in the contest, for the final time on two free throws by Demajeo Wiggins with 49 seconds remaining.

Following the second make, the Zips (8-8, 1-3 MAC) missed a 3-pointer, but junior forward Lucas Smith (Omaha, Neb.) grabbed the offensive rebound, setting up Cotton's game-winning heroics. Cotton had his second straight big game off the bench, scoring 23 to tie his career high, set against Buffalo four days prior.

The Zips also received a career game from freshman forward Jayden Sayles (Cincinnati, Ohio), who hit his first five field goal attempts, including a pair of putbacks off of offensive rebounds, on his way to a 14-point outing and snagged four rebounds on the afternoon.

The 6-foot-9 freshman forward left the game after a hard fall under the Akron basket with 8:34 remaining in the second half and didn't return, but the Zips were able to hold on for the win thanks in large part to junior guard Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio), who added 19 points. Ivey also sank a pair of 3-pointers in a 9-0 run that helped Akron to its biggest lead of the game to that point at the 16:29 mark of the second half, 48-37.

Ivey also delivered one of the game's biggest plays, sinking a 3-pointer with 13:16 remaining after the Falcons (11-7, 2-3 MAC) narrowed the deficit to seven at 51-44. Moments later, graduate transfer guard Malcolm Duvivier (Toronto, Ontario) and Cotton sank back-to-back 3-pointers to push the Akron lead to 13 once again, and the Falcons slowly whittled away at it before tying it in the final minutes.

The contest was a slow-paced affair at the outset, with both teams looking to score out of their half-court offense. Akron once again received a major boost from its bench as freshman forward Jayden Sayles powered his way to nine first-half points to go with three rebounds and Cotton tallied seven points in the first 20 minutes.

Behind Cotton and Sayles, the Zips shot 43.3 percent (13-of-30) for the opening frame in a game that was nearly even by most statistical measures at intermission. The rebounding, shooting and turnover categories all featured a difference of two or less between the Falcons and Zips, but Bowling Green was able to keep itself in the game at the foul line, converting 10-of-15 chances before the half as Akron was whistled for 12 team fouls.

Because of those fouls, Duvivier was sidelined for much of the half after accruing his third foul. Sayles, sophomore guard Daniel Utomi (Houston, Texas), Ivey and Smith all had two fouls before the break, forcing first-year head coach John Groce to delve deeper into a bench thinned by the absence of sophomore forward Emmanuel Olojakpoke (Houston, Texas). Due to a medical condition that required surgery, Olojakpoke will miss the remainder of the 2017-18 season. Full details will be disclosed at a later date.

Despite their foul troubles, the Zips held on for a 36-32 lead at the break, surviving 10 turnovers and a cold spell shooting the ball late in the half. Solid defense, including holding the Falcons to 34.6-percent shooting and just two made 3-pointers for the half, allowed Akron to survive its shooting drought to keep its four-point lead intact heading to the locker room.

Redshirt freshman guard Justin Turner led Bowling Green with 30 points and sophomore guard Dylan Frye contributed 14 in defeat.

Duvivier Scores 1,000 Career Points
Malcolm Duvivier scored his 1,000th point on Saturday, Feb. 17 against Kent State. He recorded a career-high 27 points against the Golden Flashes. During his three-year career at Oregon State, Duvivier scored 623 points for the Beavers. Currently, Duvivier has posted 390 points for Akron, bringing his career total to 1,013 points.

Zips Starting Lineup
With the losses of Emmanuel Olojakpoke (surgery) and Jaden Sayles (injury), the Zips have shuffled the lineup depending on the opponent's personnel. In fact, of the 10-player roster, eight Zips have been thrust into a starting role over the last few weeks. Duvivier, Ivey, and Utomi have started all 24 games to date, and they have been joined by Eric Parrish (17), Virshon Cotton (6), Torrey Patton (5), Mark Kostelac (5), and Lucas Smith (4).

Home Sweet Home
Akron is 11-3 at Rhodes Arena under first-year head coach John Groce, who became the third Akron coach since 1940 to win his first six home games in his first season as head coach. The Zips rattled off seven straight wins at the JAR before falling in the MAC home opener to Buffalo.

The Zips set the all-time longest home winning streak record at Rhodes Arena with 30 consecutive wins during the 2015-17 seasons, replacing the 26-game run the Zips made during the 1985-87 seasons under head coach Bob Huggins. The streak ranked No. 2 in the NCAA. In 34 seasons at the JAR, the Zips own a 391-121 (.764) all-time record, and in the last 13 seasons, Akron has posted a 184-26 (.879) record at the JAR.

in 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 (then) 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 is the only Zip to score double digits in 22 games with eight 20-plus point performances.

Utomi currently leads the team's scoring efforts with 15.5 points per game, shooting 42.6 percent from the floor (132-of-310) and 38.9 percent from beyond the 3-point arc with 72 made triples (72-of-185). Currently, Utomi ranks 68th in the NCAA in 3-pointers per game (2.77), 84th in 3-point FG made (72), 90th in 3-point attempts (185), and 88th in 3-point FG percentage (.389).

Top 3-Point Tandems in the Nation
1. Fetcher Magee (125) and Nathan Hoover (54) (Wofford)# 179
2. Markus Howard (86) and Andrew Rowsey (84) (Marquette)* 170
Kendall Stephens (97) and Caleb Martin (73) (Nevada) 170
4. Jordan Barnes (105) and Brenton Scott (62) (Indiana State) 167
5. Kendrick Nunn (111) and Martez Walker (54) (Oakland) 165
6. Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (84) and Devonte' Graham (79) (Kansas) 163
7. Luwane Pipkins (86) and Carl Pierre (76) (UMass) 162
8. Jonah Antonio (85) and Junior Robinson (76) (Mt. St. Mary's)^ 161
9. Tyler Nelson (82) and Ferron Flavors Jr. (78) (Fairfield) 160
10. Marcus Burk (80) and Chris Clemons (76) (Campbell) 156
11. Trae Young (100) and Brady Manek (53) (Oklahoma) 153
12. RJ Cole (93) and Charles Williams (59) (Howard) 152
13. J.T. Escobar (81) and Ivan Gandia-Rosa (70) (North Florida) 151
14. Lance Tejada (76) and Pat Andree (72) (Lehigh) 148
Shep Garner (86) and Tony Carr (62) (Penn State) 148
16.Daniel Utomi (75) and Malcolm Duvivier (72) (Akron) 147
Connor Burchfield (78) and Matt Milon (69) (William & Mary) 147
Kassius Robertson (82) and Jordan Barnett (65) (Missouri) 147
19. Gary Trent Jr. (76) and Grayson Allen (69) (Duke) 145
20. Dakota Mathias (73) and Carsen Edwards (70) (Purdue) 143
David Jenkins (72) and Mike Daum (71) (South Dakota St.)% 143

#Please note, Wofford's, Trevor Stumpe also has 43 made threes on the year.
*Please note, Marquette's Sam Hauser also has 72 made threes on the year.
^Please note, Mount St. Mary's Greg Alexander also has 66 made threes on the year.
%Please note, South Dakota State's Matt Mooney also has 63 made threes on the year.
*Before games Monday, Feb. 19

Zips in the MAC
The Zips have posted a 47-26 mark (.644) in the last 73 games against the MAC East dating back to the start of the 2012 league schedule. Akron is 5-2 against the MAC East at the conference tournament during that stretch. Akron is 100-47 in the regular season against the West Division (.680), including winners of 43 of the last 56 regular-season games since divisional play began during the 1997-98 season.

Akron is 52-12 at home in league play since the start of the 2011 MAC schedule (.813). UA has seen a ton of success in league play since the start of the 2004-05 season, and is 159-74 overall (.682), including a 97-19 mark in MAC play at home (.836). The Zips' 159 wins are the most in the league during that stretch. The Zips have won 78 of their last 114 MAC games (.684).

Akron is 27-10 in the MAC Tournament in the last 12 seasons, going 21-6 in its last 27 tournament games. The Zips have won at least one game in the MAC Tournament every year and have made nine MAC Tournament title game appearances in the last 11 seasons with an unprecedented 12-straight semifinal appearances. The Zips' runs of the consecutive title game and semifinal appearances are the longest streaks in MAC history. The Zips are 24-10 at Quicken Loans Arena.

The Zips won 12 consecutive regular season MAC games, dating back to the 2015-16 season. However, the 2012-13 Zips won 19-straight games and rattled-off 13 consecutive league games during that run. Kent State owns the MAC regular season consecutive win record (21), and single-season record (17-1).

In 2016-17, the Akron Zips finished 14-4 in league play. Akron averaged 76.8 points per game in the MAC while shooting 46.3 percent from the field and 36.7 from long distance with 10.0 made 3-pointers a game. The Zips averaged 14.8 assists (266), 10.7 turnovers per game (193), 5.8 steals (104), and 3.1 blocked shots (56), but were slightly outrebounded 604-615 in league play.

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 91 career games for the blue and gold, starting 52 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).

In 2017-18, Ivey ranks third in scoring for Akron with 13.7 points per night and pulls down 5.5 rebounds per game (144). Ivey Leads in assists with 3.8 per outing (100). He set the all-time single-game scoring record with a career-high 48 points. He posted two double-doubles, most recently against Northern Illinois (1/20) with 15 points and 10 rebounds and App State (12/9) with 15 points and 10 assists. Ivey scored 25 points against Davidson and followed with 24 points against Concord.

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.

In 2017-18, Duvivier averages 15.0 points with 3.0 assists per game (78 assists). Duvivier scored a career-high 27 points against Kent State in the same week he scored 26-points against Ball State, besting his 24-points against App State and Concord. He has scored in double figures in 19 games with six 20-plus performances, 21 points against Davidson and Western Michigan and 22 points against Miami. Against Concord, Duvivier hit a career-best seven triples and has made at least five 3-pointers in five games, including 6-5-7 three-straight game stretch. Duvivier leads the squad with 62 made 3-pointers.

Currently, Duvivier ranks 52nd in the NCAA in 3-pointers per game (2.8), 66th in 3-point FG made (75), 82nd in 3-point FG percentage (.392), and 73rd in 3-point attempts (181).

Cotton's Career Week
During the week of Jan. 9, freshman guard Virshon Cotton led the Zips men's basketball team through a 1-1 week en route to lifting Akron to its first Mid-American Conference win by draining a game-winning 3-pointer against Bowling Green. Cotton led Akron's scoring effort in both games, scoring a career-high 23 points twice last week. For the week, Cotton scored 46 points (23 pts/g) on 11-of-19 (.579) shooting from the field and 6-of-11 (.545) from deep. He buried 18-of-22 (.818) free throws to go along with five rebounds, four assists, and two steals.

Against Bowling Green, Cotton buried the game-winner from long distance with 3.7 seconds remaining in regulation. He led Akron to an 80-78 victory with a career-high 23 points on 6-of-9 (.667) shooting from the floor which included a 5-of-7 (.714) performance from downtown. Cotton added a 6-of-7 (.857) effort from the free throw line to go along with three rebounds and three assists.

The Zips opened the week with an 87-65 loss to Buffalo as Cotton posted a team-high 23 points on 5-of-10 (.500) shooting from the field. Cotton made a career-best 15 trips to the free throw line and connected with a career-high 12 bonus buckets for an 80.0 percent showing from the charity stripe. He added two steals, two rebounds, and an assist.

IVEY Breaks Single-Game Scoring Record
Ivey became the all-time single-game scoring leader with a 48-point performance against Ball State (1/27), breaking the old mark by Joe Jakubick set on Feb. 5, 1983 against Murray State.

Ivey broke several records in the 111-106 double-overtime loss to Ball State at Worthen Arena. Ivey scored 48 points to set Akron's all-time single-game scoring record which stood for 35 years. He also broke Worthen Arena's all-time scoring mark of 41 points previously held by Bonzi Wells (Ball State, 1996) and Earl Boykins (Eastern Michigan, 1998). Ivey's nine 3-pointers set an arena record and he tied the arena record for made field goals (15) set in 1992 by Xavier's Brian Grant.

Ivey was magnificent on both ends of the floor against the Cardinals, shooting 65.2 percent (15-of-23) from the field that included a 75 percent effort (9-of-12) from downtown. Ivey scored 34 points in regulation and registered seven points in each of the 5-minute overtime periods. He was 9-of-10 from the charity stripe and added eight rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a blocked shot in 49 minutes of work.

E-MAN SHATTERS CAREER MARK
Sophomore frontcourt player Emmanuel Olojakpoke (Houston, Texas) shattered his career-scoring record against Fort Wayne, pouring in 24 points in 25 minutes of work. E-Man erased his previous game-high scoring effort (11 points) by halftime, tossing in 14 points before the break. He continued to elevate his personal stat sheet by doubling his career field goals made and attempted. He knocked down 10 field goals, six more than his previous high, on 13 shot attempts, seven more than before, for a 77.0 shooting percentage. E-Man also made two more trips to the free throw line, burying career-best four freebies on six attempts. In addition, Olojakpoke tied his career-high blocked shot performance with four denials.

E-MAN Season Cut Short
On Wednesday morning (1/10), sophomore frontcourt player Emmanuel Olojakpoke (Houston, Texas) received difficult news. Due to a medical condition that required surgery, Olojakpoke will miss the remainder of the 2017-18 season. Full details will be disclosed at a later date.

Statement from Akron Basketball head coach John Groce on Emmanuel Olojakpoke:
"Yesterday (1/10), Emmanuel Olojakpoke had successful open-heart surgery. He is resting and expecting a full recovery. We fully anticipate this recovery will require him to miss the remainder of the 2017-18 season. The Zips basketball family is committed to assisting E-Man in his return to full health. We ask to keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Please allow E-Man and the entire Olojakpoke family the privacy they deserve at this time." #EManStrong

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.

The LeBron James Shoe Deal and Nike Apparel
Since June 2008, the Akron men's basketball program has been partnered with Nike under which the Zips' shoes, game uniforms, warm ups and accessories are licensed under the Nike and LeBron James Trademarks.

The Zips are just one of three college programs in the country that are partnered with the LBJ line of Nike equipment, the others are Ohio State and Duquesne. Akron rocks six pairs of LBJ kicks in three different styles all customized to Akron Basketball.

The Akron Zips men's basketball team have four different uniforms. The white (home) and blue (away) uniforms represent a reinvigorated pride in our University, our City, and Zips Athletics. The designs for both home and away were inspired by the "Pride of the City". The goal is to strengthen the pride for the University of Akron within the community.

The home uniforms are white with dark blue trim and accents, while the away are dark blue with white trim and accents. The "Pride of the UniverCity" uniforms display the name Akron in a prestigious oldstyle script font on the chest with the number(s) below. The script font and numbers are the same color as the jersey top (white/white or blue/blue) and outlined with the opposite color. The inspiration for the script writing and to use Akron on the chest stemmed from tradition and an overwhelming amount of pride for the city of Akron and its University. The game shorts have three distinguishing marks. The right side of the shorts depicts the Zips' mascot Zippy, and her Fear the Roo head logo, while the left side dons the University's official seal. The final mark on the shorts is the notorious Z-logo, which appears on the front waistband.

New for 2017-18, Akron has a grey set of uniforms modeled after the Team USA uniforms. The Grey uniforms feature the script Akron on the chest in blue outlined in the university gold. The numbers are depicted the same way which matches the blue piping that outlines the uniform. The shorts feature the Z-logo on both sides of the leg and are piped with the blue.Akron also has a purple set of uniforms that are worn as a tribute to former coach and director of operations Dan Peters.

UP NEXT
The Akron Zips will be back at James A. Rhodes Arena for its second game against Miami (Ohio) on Saturday, Feb. 20. The Zips and the RedHawks are scheduled to tip-off at 7 p.m. Fans can also follow the action on ESPN3, 1350-AM or GoZips.com.