Akron Stunned by Turner's 23-point Second Half

Tuesday, February 19

Bowling Green, OH

7:00 pm

University of Akron

14-12

Bowling Green

19-7

Akron

Bowling Green

February 19 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

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Bowling Green, Ohio – The visiting Akron men's basketball team could not overcome 23 second-half points from Bowling Green's Justin Turner as the top-ranked Falcons defeated the Zips 73-69 at the Stroh Center on Tuesday night.

The game came down to the final seconds as the Zips' guard Loren Cristian Jackson (Chicago, Ill.) buried a 3-pointer from the right wing to tie the game 69-69 with 19 seconds left on the game clock.

The Falcons used a timeout to setup what proved to be the game-winning field goal as Turner drove down the left lane line and finished off the glass for his 23^rd point of the game, leaving only 0.9 seconds on the clock. He shot 9-of-11 in the second half including a 3-of-4 effort from long distance after the Zips held him to 0-of-4 shooting and 0-of-2 from deep in the opening frame.

Junior guard Jeremy Roscoe (Chicago, Ill.) led Akron's scoring efforts with a career-high 16 points. He shot 66.7 percent from all areas of the floor, knocking down 6-of-9 from the field and 4-of-6 from deep. He also corralled a team-best and a career-high seven rebounds.

Roscoe fueled a first-half, 15-0 run by the Zips with seven points on two drives through the paint and a triple. He buried two more 3-pointers and carried Akron (14-12, 6-7 MAC) into halftime with a career-high 13 points and a 29-25 advantage.

Bowling Green (19-7, 11-2 MAC) opened the game with a 10-point, 14-4 lead by the 14:13 mark before junior forward Emmanuel Olojakpoke (Houston, Texas) sparked the run that eventually led to the Zips taking over the lead.

The Akron defense held Bowling Green scoreless for eight minutes during that stretch which led to a 10-of-35 (.286) first-half shooting performance from the field and 4-of-15 (.267) from long range for the Falcons.

During the second half, BGSU turned a five-point deficit into a lead by as many as nine points. Turner did most of the damage, but the Zips never backed down.

In the final six-minutes, Akron battled back as Jackson scored eight of his 14 points. Junior wing Daniel Utomi (Houston, Texas) also contributed two timely 3-pointers, the second with 44.8 left to make it a 3-point game, 65-62 Falcons.

BGSU responded with two made bonus buckets, and the next time down court, Ivey made a 3-pointer while being fouled and turned it into a four-point play. The Zips came within one point 67-66 with 35 seconds remaining, but again BGSU made a pair of free throws, 69-66. Next, Jackson tied the game. Ivey finished with 12 points for the Zips.

Akron will be back in action at James A. Rhodes Arena, hosting the Miami RedHawks on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 2 p.m. The Zips look to even the season series and avenge an early season league loss in Oxford (68-61). The Akron women's basketball game will follow at 5 p.m.

Fans can also follow the action on ESPN3, Akron-IMG Sports Radio Network 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship). The free audio stream is available at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips.