Akron Bounces Back in Second Half, Downs Ball State

Friday, January 10

Akron, Ohio

9 PM

University of Akron

13-3,3-0MAC

Ball State

9-7,2-1MAC

Ball St.

Akron

Akron Bounces Back in Second Half, Downs Ball State

January 11 | Men's Basketball

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Post Game Press Conference and Highlights

AKRON, Ohio – The calendar may have flipped over to 2020, but the Akron Zips are still refusing to lose at home, adding a 75-60 comeback win over Ball State to their ledger Friday night at James A. Rhodes Arena.

After falling behind by 10 late in the first half, Akron surged back and overwhelmed the visiting Cardinals (9-7, 2-1 Mid-American Conference) behind a blend of strong shooting and even better defense to improve to 10-0 on their home court this season.

Senior Xeyrius Williams (Springfield, Ohio) led the Zips with 23 points and 12 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season, with junior Loren Cristian Jackson (Chicago, Ill.) adding 19 points, eight assists and four rebounds and senior Tyler Cheese (Albany, Ga.) also reaching double figures with 17 points and contributing five rebounds.

Taking Williams' lead, Akron outrebounded Ball State 41-29 for the game.

Following a slow start, Akron caught fire in the middle portion of the contest, outscoring the Cardinals 34-10 in a period of 12:30 spanning the end of the first half and the start of the second half. Three early second-half 3-pointers by Williams were key in Akron asserting control over the game, but a bevy of Zips (13-3, 3-0 MAC) had a hand in maintaining the lead once the hosts pushed ahead.

It was a rally made possible by a gritty, determined effort in the first half, when the shots simply weren't falling for the Zips and they watched the visitors slowly build a double-digit lead.

Jackson helped keep the Zips close in the first half despite shooting just 1-of-7 from the field. His five free throws, four rebounds and two assists in the half helped breathe life back into the Akron attack and Williams added nine points as the duo accounted for nearly two-thirds of the Zips' first-half scoring.

Despite shooting just 30 percent from the field in the first half, the Zips scrapped and battled to stay in the game, getting plenty of defensive stops of their own, including taking multiple charges and playing excellent help defense.

They were able to withstand a 10-4 Ball State run midway through the half and pull off a 10-3 spurt of their own as Williams scored four straight points, with the Zips tying the game at 27-all with 1:59 left in the opening frame on a driving, up-and-under layup by Cheese.

It was a first half that saw the two teams play to a virtual standoff across the stat sheet. Each side made just two 3-pointers, missed just one free throw, recorded three assists and had 16 defensive rebounds. They were also nearly even in turnovers (9-8 in favor of Akron), second-chance points (4-3 in favor of Akron) and total rebounds (22-20 in favor of Akron).

Fouls marred much of the half, disrupting the flow of the game and putting both teams in the bonus with nearly 40 percent of the half still to play.

Ball State edged ahead 30-27 heading into intermission with a late 3-pointer, but the Zips retained much of the momentum thanks to their 10-0 run and transferred that positive traction to the second half.

Akron took its first lead since the third minute of the game at the 18:31 mark of the second half. The Zips quickly extended that lead to four, 37-33, after Jackson hit a clutch triple from the top of the arc and followed that up by picking the pocket of redshirt freshman guard Jarron Coleman on Ball State's ensuing possession, converting the turnover into a layup to cap an 8-0 Akron run.

Even after Ball State scored to snap the run, the Zips simply regrouped and launched another burst, a 7-2 run that gave them their largest lead to that point, 44-37.

Improved shooting fueled the run, as the hosts canned seven of their first nine second-half attempts, including three of their first four tries from long distance. It turned out to be a spark that led to an inferno as Akron pulled away for its third straight double-digit win to kick off conference play.

Senior forward Tahjai Teague led Ball State with 19 points and junior guard Ishmael El-Amin also reached double figures with 16 for the Cardinals.

The Zips will make the long trip west for their next game, a road tilt against MAC West foe Northern Illinois set for Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. The contest can be seen on ESPN+ and heard on 1350-AM, serving as a one-game road trip before Akron returns home to face Toledo on Jan. 18.