The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
10-7, 2-2MAC
Eastern Michigan
8-9, 2-2MAC
Akron Outlasts Eastern Michigan for Second MAC Win, 51-49
January 15 | Men's Basketball
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AKRON, Ohio – The Akron Zips won a battle of two of the Mid-American Conference's best defensive teams, locking up the Eastern Michigan Eagles and scoring a much-needed 51-49 victory.
Senior guard Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) led Akron with 12 points, five assists and three rebounds in the win while junior forward Daniel Utomi (Houston, Texas) notched 12 points, four rebounds and four assists. Rounding out the double-digit scoring was sophomore guard Loren Cristian Jackson (Chicago, Ill.) with 10 points.
Junior center Deng Riak (Melbourne, Australia) made a free throw with 5.1 seconds left to seal the win and an Eastern Michigan shot at the buzzer was off the mark. Riak grabbed the rebound after a missed layup attempt by Eastern Michigan sophomore Ty Groce and calmly sank the first of his two charity tosses for the final margin of victory.
It was a back-and-forth affair for much of the evening as the two teams traded leads throughout the second half before the Zips held on for the win. There were six ties and six lead changes in the contest, with the margin being no more than one possession for either side from the 17:24 mark of the second half onward.
The game, Akron's second MAC home game of the season, unfolded much like the first, a 56-48 win over Western Michigan 10 days prior. Both teams were content to play the game in the half court, settling in on defense and slowing the pace.
Akron elected to defend the Eagles man-to-man, while Eastern Michigan stuck to its traditional zone defense. That placed a premium on outside shooting and ball movement for the Zips (10-7, 2-2 MAC) and in the first half, they struggled, making just four 3-pointers and 34.6 percent of their overall field goal attempts.
However, the hosts were able to build a 26-22 halftime lead thanks to suffocating defense that forced 11 first-half turnovers the Zips converted into seven points and allowed the Eagles (8-9, 2-2 MAC) to make just one shot from beyond the arc. Eastern Michigan was able to stay in the game thanks to seven offensive rebounds - including three by junior center Boubacar Toure - and nine second-chance points in the opening half.
On the night, Toure recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds and paced the Eagles to a 34-16 edge on points in the paint.
Akron returns to the court Saturday in Oxford when the Zips take on the Miami RedHawks, with tip-off scheduled for 3:30 p.m and the game to be broadcast on ESPN3 and heard on 1350-AM.
