Akron Falls in Overtime to Central Michigan, 88-86

Tuesday, January 8

Mount Pleasant, MI

7:00 pm

University of Akron

9-6, 1-1MAC

Central Michigan

13-2, 2-0MAC

OT 1

Akron Zips

Central Michigan

Akron Falls in Overtime to Central Michigan, 88-86

January 08 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

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MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The No. 1 ranked offense in the Mid-American Conference needed overtime to take down the No. 1 ranked defense as Akron fell 88-86 on the road against Central Michigan at McGuirk Arena on Tuesday.

Akron (9-6, 1-1 MAC) nearly ended the Chippewas six-game winning streak and unblemished home record, but a foul at the 3-point arc with five seconds remaining in regulation allowed the Chips to extent the game. With Akron clinging onto a three-point lead, CMU's David DiLeo grabbed an offensive rebound and went directly to the corner for a last second 3-point attempt. He was fouled in the process and buried all three free throws to tie the game at 76 points apiece.

In the final moments of regulation, the Zips pushed the ball up the floor and attempted what would have been the game winner, but the shot rattled in-and-out to set up the extra period.

Akron got on the board first in overtime when Loren Cristian Jackson (Chicago, Ill.) buried a 3-pointer, but CMU's Rob Montgomery answered with a three of his own. Next, Daniel Utomi (Houston, Texas) buried a 3-pointer, and again, Montgomery answered with a layin to cut the Zips lead to one point, 82-81.

With 1:56 remaining in the overtime period, Shawn Roundtree gave the Chippewas the lead on a pair of made free throws, 83-82. He followed with a 3-pointer to lift CMU to an 86-82 advantage.

On the ensuing possession, Ivey grabbed a sideline inbounds pass and drove the lane for two points. He eventually tied the game with a pair of free throws, 86-86, but 11 seconds remained on the clock. With the time left, the Chippewas broke the seventh stalemate of the game as Larry Austin drove the length of the floor and finished with what proved to be the game winner.

The Zips top-ranked defense controlled the pace for most of the first half, limiting the top-notch offense to just 30 points. Akron held a six-point advantage at halftime as Jackson ended the initial 20-minutes with a coast-to-coast layin. Ivey contributed a team-high 11 points in the opening frame.

In the first half, the Zips shot 41.7 percent from the field (15-of-36), but only 20.0 percent from deep (3-of-15) while limiting the home team to just 37.5 percent shooting (12-of-32) and 28.6 from downtown (4-of-14). Rebounds were tied at 22 each.

After the break, CMU came out of the locker room with a 10-0 run fueled by two layups (Shawn Roundtree and Kevin McKay) and two 3-pointers from Montgomery. From there the game was played back-and forth, showcasing 10-of-the-14 lead changes.

The Zips held the lead for 29:41 while Central Michigan led for 11:11. The game was tied for 4:08.

Four Zips reached double figures in scoring as Ivey led the way. He posted his third double-double of the season with 24 points and 11 boards. Ivey added a team-best seven assists as three others reached double figures in points. Utomi was second with 18 points while Tyler Cheese (Albany, Ga.) and Jackson had 16 and 12, respectively.

The Chippewas were paced by 23-second half points from Rob Montgomery while all starting five Chips notched double figures – Roundtree (20), Austin (13), McKay (11) and DiLeo (10).

The Zips continue league play on the road, traveling to DeKalb, Ill. to play Northern Illinois on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 4:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. CT). The third league contest of the season is scheduled to be aired on ESPN+ 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.