Zips Punch Ticket to Cleveland, Akron Defeats Buffalo, 86-73

Saturday, February 29

Buffalo, NY

2 PM

University of Akron

22-7,12-4MAC

Buffalo

18-11,9-7MAC

Akron

Buffalo

Zips Punch Ticket to Cleveland, Akron Defeats Buffalo, 86-73

February 29 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

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AMHERST, N.Y, -- The Akron Zips snapped a six-game losing skid to Buffalo at Alumni Arena on Saturday, as the Zips defeated the Bulls 86-73 behind yet another 35-point performance by junior Loren Cristian Jackson (Chicago, Ill.).

Akron moved to 22-7 on the season and 12-4 in Mid-American Conference play which was good enough to secure a first round by to the MAC tournament. The Zips have advanced to Cleveland for the 16^th-consecutive season, dating back to 2004-05.

With the game tied 69-69, Jackson scored 11 consecutive points to give the Zips an 80-73 advantage. Senior Xeyrius Williams (Springfield, Ohio) kept the run going with a big slam dunk off an inbounds play while senior Channel Banks (Las Vegas, Nev.) also contributed down the stretch by draining three consecutive free throws and Jackson split a pair to end the game. All-in-all Akron finished the game on a 17-4 run for the win.

Jackson led all-scorers with 35 points on 12-of-27 from the field, 4-of-11 from deep and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe. He added six assists and six rebounds in the winning effort. Jackson now has five 30-plus point performances this season while notching a career-best 35 points three times, including back-to-back games.

Williams recorded his 11^th double-double of the season with 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Williams controlled the defensive glass with 10 rebounds and scored twice while securing three offensive boards.

Banks rounded out the Zips' double-digit performers with 14 points. He drained several timely 3-pointers to keep Akron in the game or in the lead. He buried 3-of-7 from long distance and added a 2-point field goal with a 3-of-4 effort from the free throw line. Banks had two of the Zips five steals.

It was a classic Akron-Buffalo back-and-forth game, featuring seven lead changes and 11 tied scores. Buffalo sprinted out to a 10-2 advantage, scoring on the first four possessions of the contest. The Bulls held on to a 2-or-3 possession lead for the initial five minutes until Williams connected on a fastbreak layin while being fouled. He buried the free throw, cutting Akron's deficit to 13-9 at the 14-minute mark.

From there, both teams jockeyed for position, throwing punch and counterpunch for the reminder of the first half. Jackson connected with a step-back 3-pointer to tie the game a 20-points apiece, but the home team pushed the lead back to eight points, on a pair of 3-pointers from Savion Gallion and Jeenathan Williams.

The Zips climbed back into the game on a Jackson triple and three points from freshman Greg Tribble (Cincinnati, Ohio) before Williams hit a trailing 3-pointer for a 33-32 lead. However, Buffalo answered and claimed a 38-37 advantage before intermission.

In the second half, Akron came out on a mission. The Zips immediately grabbed the lead after senior Deng Riak (Melbourne, Australia) finished with a jump-hook in the paint and Jackson sliced his way to the hoop for a layup. The Zips pushed the lead to six points, 47-41, but the Bulls fought back to tie the game at 50-50 with 13:58 left to play.

The home team used a 7-2 run to take a five-point lead, but Akron battled back and never let off the gas. Junior Jaden Sayles (Cincinnati, Ohio) sparked the final run for the Zips to take the lead with his only bucket of the game. Williams and Banks followed as Williams pulled the Zips within one-point on a mid-range jumper and Banks elevated Akron to a two-point advantage with a corner 3-ball, 59-57.

The two teams traded baskets to reach the 69-69 stalemate.

Jeenathan Williams led the Bulls with 18 points while Antwain Johnson and Jayvon Graves added 12 and 11, respectively.

Akron won the battle of the boards 49-37 and only committed four second-half turnovers.

Akron returns to James A. Rhodes Arena for its final homestand of the regular season. The two-game stretch includes rivals Ohio and Kent State. On Tuesday, March 3, CBS Sports Network will broadcast the rematch between Ohio and Akron at 7:30 p.m.

Three days later, Akron will share the floor with its cross-town rival, Kent State. On Friday, March 6, CBS Sports will again broadcast the game but this time at 6:30 p.m. Both games can also be heard on at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/AkronZips. Fans can also follow the action on GoZips.com via Live Stats.