Zips Fall in Game One of Rivalry Series, 68-67

Friday, January 31

Kent, Ohio

6:30 PM

University of Akron

16-6,6-3MAC

Kent State

16-6,6-3MAC

Akron

Kent St.

January 31 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

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Post Game Presser and Highlights

AKRON, Ohio – The first game of the Akron/Kent State rivalry series came down to the final seconds as the Golden Flashes pulled out a one-point, 68-67, victory over the Zips at the M.A.C. Center on Friday evening.

With the win, Kent State earned a half point for the Crystal Clinic Wagon Wheel Challenge for a 3.0-2.5 advantage.

Despite leading for 21:01, the Zips fell one point short as the final shot of the game rattled around the rim and fell to the floor. Akron (16-6, 6-3 MAC) had four players reach double figures in scoring with junior Loren Cristian Jackson (Chicago, Ill.) leading the way with 19 points.

Seniors Xeyrius Williams (Springfield, Ohio) and Tyler Cheese (Albany, Ga.) followed with 15 points each. Williams captured his ninth double-double with a team-high 10 rebounds while dishing out four assists. Cheese also stuffed the stat sheet with six rebounds and six assists. Senior Channel Banks (Las Vegas, Nev.) rounded out the double-digit scoring with 10 points.

The first installment of the intense rivalry was a game of runs that featured nine lead changes and five tied scores. The Zips opened the game with an 8-0 run which featured a pair of free throws from banks and two triples, one by Cheese the other by Jackson.

KSU's Danny Pippen, who led the Golden Flashes with 20 points, ended Akron's initial run with a 3-pointer, but Jackson answered for Akron as he drained his second three of the game, 11-3. Kent State (16-6, 6-3) responded with a run of their own, outscoring the Zips 12-4 to tie the game 15 all with 11:36 left to play in the first half.

Over the next three minutes, the two teams traded buckets until Akron scored 10 unanswered points to take a 29-19 lead fueled by six free throws and two field goals. Jackson, Cheese and junior Camron Reece (Oakland, Calif.) made two free throws apiece, while Jackson connected with a mid-range jumper and Reece threw down an alley-oop via Cheese. Williams followed with a thunderous dunk for a 33-24 Zips lead. Kent narrowed the margin to 33-27 at the break.

Zips shot 10-of-10 from the free throw line during the initial 20 minutes and connected for 37.0 percent from the field (10-of-27) and 37.5 from deep (3-of-8). Jackson scored 12 points in the opening frame, Cheese had nine and Reece followed with six.

Kent State shot 39.3 percent from the floor (11-of-28), 36.4 percent deep (4-of-11) and 1-of-2 from the charity stripe.

In the second half, Kent State tied the game within the first 3:13 and grabbed a 38-37 lead after two free throws from Pippen, but again, the Zips responded with a pair of 3-pointers by Banks for 43-38 advantage.

However, the Golden Flashes continued an aggressive offensive attack and Akron went scoreless for 3.5 minutes, resulting in a 12-0 run for a 50-43 lead with 12:09 left to play. Pippen started the run with a 3-pointer and Troy Simons followed suit. Philip Whittington and Antonio Williams added two points each before Jackson extinguished the scoring outburst with a layup – Antonio Williams finished with 17 while Whittington and Simons had 11 each.

For the next seven minutes, the home team played with a one or two possession lead before Akron tied the game 61-all on a pair of 3-pointer from Williams and a layin by Cheese.

The back-and-forth game continued to the final buzzer as the Zips had ball with 1:15 remaining and down by three points, 66-63. After a timeout, Cheese attacked with a quick layin on inbounds play and Banks stepped in front of Pippen, forcing a KSU turnover with 45.1 seconds left to play.

Akron grabbed the lead one final time as Jackson hit a floater in the lane with 30 seconds left for a 67-66 Zips advantage.

With 25.6 seconds remaining, Kent State followed with a bucket and Akron had the ball with 14.1 seconds left but missed what would have been the game-winner at the end of regulation.

Akron won the battle of the boards, outrebounding KSU 37-33.

Akron enters its bye week and will have an eight-day gap between games. On Saturday, Feb. 8 Akron is scheduled to host Eastern Michigan at James A. Rhodes Arena at 2 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.