Northern Illinois Used Second Half Comeback to Defeat Akron, 73-56

Saturday, January 12

DeKalb, IL

3:30 pm CT | 4:30 pm ET

University of Akron

Northern Illinois

Akron

Northern Ill.

Northern Illinois Used Second Half Comeback to Defeat Akron, 73-56

January 12 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

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DeKalb, Ill. – The Northern Illinois Huskies rallied in the second half to defeat the Akron Zips 73-56 at the NIU Convocation Center on Saturday.

Akron (9-7, 2-1 MAC) controlled the first half of the game and was led in scoring by Juniors Daniel Utomi (Houston, Texas) and Channel Banks (Las Vegas, Nev.) with nine points each.

Senior Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) added an eight-point effort, while junior Deng Riak (Melbourne, Australia), junior Tyler Cheese (Albany, Ga.), sophomore Loren Cristian Jackson (Chicago, Ill.), sophomore Jeremy Roscoe (Chicago, Ill.) and sophomore Jaden Sayles (Cincinnati, Ohio) all notched six points.

Game started back-and-forth as both teams recorded nine points by the first media stoppage at 14:56. NIU attempted to make separation on the scoreboard with a 5-0 run, but the Zips answered with a run of their own.

Utomi initiated a 7-0 run with a pair of free throws and drive to the basket while Ivey added a long-distance shot for a 19-17 advantage for Akron. Moments later, NIU scored in the paint, but Akron scored nine more unanswered points.

Banks started the second scoring burst with a triple from the corner and Jackson added a pair of free throws and a layin. Ivey kept the run going with a dribble-drive down the lane, lifting Akron to a 28-19 lead with 4:56 left to play in the half. Utomi capped the run with an old-fashioned 3-point play before NIU touched the bottom of the net again. The Huskies ended the half with a 6-3 run, but Akron took a nine-point, 34-25 advantage in to the locker room.

The Zips limited the home team to just 9-of-23 (.391) shooting from the field and 2-of-11 (.182) from deep while causing nine turnovers. Akron also held a 15-14 edge on the glass.

The second half was much different as two quick layups by Eugene German set the tone for the second half. Northern Illinois (10-6, 3-0 MAC) used a 27-5 run that lasted 10:25 to take over the scoreboard and the game. By the 7:58 mark, the Huskies established a 54-44 advantage and continued to shoot the basketball lights out in the final stanza. NIU couldn't miss, shooting a stifling 21-of-30 (.700) from the floor which included a 5-of-10 effort from long distance. German led the Huskies with 27 points and Lacey James contributed 10 points.

The Zips only connected with 5-of-25 (.200) shots from the floor and 3-of-16 (.188) of those shots came from beyond the 3-point arc. Both teams had 10 turnovers and the Huskies won the battle of the boards 34-26.

Akron returns to the JAR to play Eastern Michigan on Tuesday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. The "Fear the Roo" game is scheduled to be aired on ESPN3 and Akron-IMG Sports Radio Network 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship) with Steve French calling the action and Joe Dunn providing analysis. The free audio stream is available at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips.