Jackson Nets Career High to Lead Zips Past Ohio, 88-86

Saturday, January 25

Athens, Ohio

3:30 PM

University of Akron

16-4,6-1MAC

Ohio

10-10,2-5MAC

Akron

Ohio

Jackson Nets Career High to Lead Zips Past Ohio, 88-86

January 25 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

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ATHENS, Ohio – Junior guard Loren Cristian Jackson (Chicago, Ill.) recorded his 1,000th career point and finished with a career-high 35 while leading the Zips to an 88-86 road win over Ohio on Saturday at the Convocation Center.

Jackson was on fire, shooting 76.5 percent from the floor (13-of-17) which included a 77.8 percent showing from beyond the 3-point arc. He knocked down seven triples (7-of-9) and scored the Zips final six points in a tight game that was decided in the final moments. Jackson handed out a team-high five assists and tallied two steals.

Senior Tyler Cheese (Albany, Ga.) followed with 16 points, four assists and a blocked shot, and seniors Xeyrius Williams (Springfield, Ohio) and Channel Banks (Las Vegas, Nev.) collected 12 points apiece. Williams added five rebounds, four steals and two assists while Banks grabbed four rebounds, three assists and a blocked shot.

For the third-straight game, Akron shot over 50-percent from all areas of the court, finishing 56.9 percent from the floor (33-of-58), 56.5 percent from deep (13-of-23) and 90 percent from the charity stripe (9-of-10). In two games this week, Akron went 27-of-47 from long distance, shooting 57.4 percent while draining 14 and 13 triples, respectively.

Jackson started the scoring for the Zips (16-4, 6-1 MAC), recording the Zips first five points before tossing the ball in the air for an alley-oop to junior Camron Reece (Oakland, Calif.). Reece threw the dunk down with authority and was fouled in the process. He completed the 3-point play, and the Zips outscored Ohio 20-7 over the next four minutes of play.

An old-fashioned 3-point play by Banks capped the Zips' run at 25-11 with 11:11 remaining in the first half. During the run, Jackson eclipsed the 1,000 career-point threshold with a 3-pointer from the wing as the Zips lead swelled to 14-points.

Ohio (10-10, 2-5 MAC) bounced back with a run of their own, cutting the deficit to four points, 30-28, fueled by three deep strikes and 10 points in the paint. Cheese answered with a layin and added nine points to a Zips 16-2 run to finish out the half. Akron led 48-32 at intermission.

Jackson had 14 points at the break and was 4-of-5 from deep as Akron posted a 50-percent effort from long distance (7-of-14) and 52.9 percent shooting overall (18-of-34). Cheese scored 11 points in the initial 20 minutes of play.

The Zips 16-point lead was the largest of the game, but it didn't last as the Bobcats came back from the break and began to chip away at their deficit.

In the opening seven minutes of the second half, Ohio cut the lead to 12 points five times, but Akron answered with twos and threes to keep the game hovering in the 15- to 14-point range.

With the Zips ahead 61-47, Ohio hit back-to-back 3 pointers as Jason Preston and Miles Brown initiated a 11-0 run. Preston followed with layup and a Ben Roderick 3-pointer brought the 5,000-plus fans to their feet at the Convocation Center. However, Akron still had the lead 61-58 with 11:35 remaining in the game.

On the ensuing possession, Cheese quieted the crowd with a 3-pointer and gave the Zips a six-point cushion. Later, Akron pushed the lead back to double-digits on Jackson's sixth triple of the game, 75-65.

The Bobcats didn't quit as they fought back again and cut the Zips advantage to two points, 86-84, with 28-seconds left in regulation. Jackson scored the Zips final two points, cashing in on two free throws after being fouled in the paint.

Preston answered for Ohio with a 2-point field goal, but the Zips held on to win their fourth road game in league play.

Jordan Dartis led the Bobcats scoring with 21 points while Ben Vander Plas followed with 18, Preston notched 15 and Lunden McDay had 11.

Ohio shot 61.8 percent from the field (21-of-34) and 63.6 from downtown (7-of-11) in the second half and finished the game shooting above 55.6 from the floor and 45.5 from long distance. Ohio held a 28-27 advantage on the glass and turnovers were tied at 11 each.

Akron returns home to battle Buffalo on Tuesday, Jan. 28 at 7 p.m. The game is scheduled to be broadcasted on ESPN+ and can be heard on at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/AkronZips. Fans can also follow the action on GoZips.com via Live Stats.