Zips Defeat North Carolina Central, 57-47

Friday, November 15

Akron, Ohio

7 PM

University of Akron

2-1,0-0MAC

North Carolina Central

1-2,0-0MEAC

N.C. Central

Akron

November 15 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

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Postgame Press Confrence and Highlights

AKRON, Ohio – Behind a suffocating defense and big nights from seniors Tyler Cheese (Albany, Ga.) and Xeyrius Williams (Springfield, Ohio), the Akron Zips downed visiting North Carolina Central 57-47 Friday night at James A. Rhodes Arena.

Cheese led all scorers with 20 points and also had nine rebounds and three assists, while Williams chipped in 19 points, including four 3-pointers, and a team-high-tying nine rebounds in the win.

Junior Loren Cristian Jackson (Chicago, Ill.) was the third Akron player in double figures, tallying 10 points on the night.

The win was Akron's second in as many home games this season and the Zips (2-1) were able to mute the Eagles' offense for long stretches to battle their way to a hard-fought win. A 6:58 stretch of the first half saw the Zips hold the visitors scoreless while tallying 16 points of their own to expand a 5-4 lead into a 21-4 margin that remained in double digits throughout the half.

Cheese fueled the Akron attack with 11 points before intermission and got plenty of support from Williams, who headed to the locker room at the break most of the way to a double-double with seven points and seven rebounds.

Both were part of a defensive effort that saw the Eagles (1-2) knock down just 18.5 percent (5-of-27) field goal attempts in the opening stanza, including 1-of-8 from beyond the arc. Pressure from the Zips in the half court also yielded 12 NCCU turnovers by the break, with Williams also contributing two blocked shots to further stymie the Eagles.

Although NCCU battled back early in the second half, cutting the Akron lead as low as two points on multiple occasions early in the frame, but each time the Zips were able to respond. During a stretch midway through the period, Williams twice turned back NCCU with a 3-pointer from the wing and a driving, two-handed dunk that brought the home crowd to its feet.

Akron steadily rebuilt its lead at the foul line in the closing minutes of the game, with senior Deng Riak (Melbourne, Australia), Jackson and Cheese all contributing from the charity stripe as the Zips locked in on defense and held the Eagles scoreless for 8:34 as they kicked off a three-game homestand in victorious fashion.

The 47 points allowed were the fewest for the Zips this season and despite a difficult night from the field (25.5-percent shooting), they were able to scrap and battle their way to a win as nine different players saw court time.

Redshirt junior guard Ty Graves was the only NCCU player to reach double figures with 10 points and senior Jibri Blount added nine points in the defeat. Blount also had a team-high eight rebounds.

Akron continues its homestand at James A. Rhodes Arena on Monday, Nov. 18 against South Carolina Upstate. The game is slated for a 7 p.m. tip-off on ESPN+. The final game of the three-game run is against Youngstown State on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. on ESPN+. All three games are part of the Global Sports Shootout.