Zips Travel to League Leading Bowling Green on Tuesday

GAME PREVIEW: Akron vs Bowling Green, Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 7 PM | Stroh Center | ESPN+

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Zips Travel to League Leading Bowling Green on Tuesday

Akron Zips (5-3, 3-2 MAC) vs Bowling Green (10-3, 6-1 MAC)
Tuesday, Jan. 19 • Stroh Center • Bowling Green, Ohio • 7 p.m. • ESPN+

AKRON HEAD COACH
John Groce (Taylor '94)
Career Record: 240-175 (13th Season)
Record at Akron: 60-44 (4th Season)
MAC Record at Akron: 31-28 (4th Season)
Overall MAC Record: 65-58 (at Ohio and Akron)

BOWLING GREEN HEAD COACH
Michael Huger (BGSU, 1994)
Overall Record: 99-78 (6th Season)
Record at BGSU: 99-78 (6th Season)
MAC Record: 49-48 (6th Season)

ALL-TIME SERIES
Akron Leads: 40-27 - Groce vs. Bowling Green: 4-2 (7-8 Overall)
Last Meeting: BGSU 78, Akron 60 at Stroh Center Feb. 25, 2020
First Meeting: Akron 52, BGSU 29 in Akron 1937-38 season

BROADCASTS
TV/Video: ESPN+: - Brad Woznicki (PxP) and Brent Klassen (Analyst)
Radio: Akron Sports Network - Dave Skoczen (PxP), Joe Dunn (Analyst)
WHLO 640 AM (flagship), iHeart Radio, TuneIn.com/Akron Zips
Live Stats: GoZips.com/Schedule - Live Stats

WHAT'S AHEAD
The University of Akron men's basketball team returns to James A. Rhodes Arena for a Mid-American Conference bout against the top-ranked Toledo Rockets on Jan. 16 at 2 p.m. on ESPN+. Akron is looking to increase it's home winning streak to 10 games, while snapping a streak of two consecutive losses and ending the Rockets' eight-game winning streak that dates back to Dec. 12, 2020.

The Zips' radio broadcast will air on the Akron-IMG Sports Network WHLO 640 AM with Dave Skoczen and Joe Dunn calling the action. The pregame show starts 30 minutes prior to the contest. The free audio stream is available at iHeart Radio and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips. Fans can also follow the action on GoZips.com via Live Stats.

THE AKRON-BOWLING GREEN SERIES
Tuesday's game marks the 68th meeting in series history between Akron and Bowling Green, and 16th meeting for a Groce coached squad. Akron holds an all-time 40-27 series advantage while Groce is 7-8 against BGSU and 4-2 at Akron. The Zips have won 29 of the last 33 games, and split last season's series with a 78-60 setback at the Stroh Center and a 74-59 win at the JAR. Both teams protected home court and split the 2018-19 series . Akron dropped the last season's series opener at the Stroh Center (73-69) and bounced back with a lopsided 91-67 triumph. Akron swept 2017-18 season's series with an 80-78 win at Rhodes Arena (1/13/18) and an 81-79 win at the Stroh Center (2/20/18). Both games came down to the final possession.

In 2016-17, the two teams split the season series. The Zips opened Mid-American Conference play with an 89-84 win over BGSU at the JAR (1/3/17). BGSU picked up the win in the closing seconds at the Stroh Center, 66-65, snapping the Zips' 17-game winning streak against the Falcons. It was Akron's first loss to BGSU since March 1, 2009, a 50-46 loss at Rhodes Arena. Akron has won nine consecutive games at the JAR and 13-of-14 at the Stroh Center.

In addition, Akron posted three wins in the 2015-16 season, including an 80-66 win during the semifinal round of the MAC Tournament. The Zips have met the Falcons four times in the MAC Tournament with the series being tied at two games apiece. In addition, the 2017 MAC opener was the third time in series history that Akron and Bowling Green have met to open the MAC schedule. Akron holds a 3-0 advantage in conference openers, posting a 53-51 win in 1992-93, 71-45 victory during the 2009-10 season, and an 89-84 win in 2016-17 – all at Rhodes Arena.

SCOUTING THE FALCONS
The Bowling Green enters the game with a 10-3 overall record and 6-1 league mark. The Falcons are 4-2 at home and 6-1 on the road this season. BGSU averages 81.6 points per game on 43.6 percent shooting from the floor and 34.9 percent effort from beyond the 3-point arc, draining 8.2 triples a game. In addition, Bowling Green shoots 76.7 percent from the free throw line with 17.5 per game.

BGSU has three players scoring in double figures and two at nine and some change led by Justin Turner with 21 points on 42.9 percent shooting from the floor with a team-best 90 made field goals. He buried 16 long-distance buckets and adds 4.0 rebounds per game. Turner leads the team in assists (69) and has a team-high 17 steals and two blocked shots.

Trey Diggs and Daeqwon Plowden follow with 11.4 points per game each. Diggs leads the squad from behind the 3-point arc with 29 made triples on 72 attempts for a 40.3 shooting percentage from deep. He shoots 32. 3 percent from all areas of the court with 47 made field goals, Plowden connected with 50 made field goals at a 44.2 percent clip, including a 43.3 effort from downtown (13-of-30). He is the team's top rebounder, pulling down 8.8 boards per night and has 114 total rebounds. Plowden is the leader in blocked shots (8) and is third in steals (13). Kaden Metheny and Caleb Fields supply the Falcons with 9.7 and 9.2 points per game, respectively. Metheny has made 41 field goals with more than half coming from deep (22), while Fields nailed 42 field goals and 19 from deep.

Defensively, BGSU limits its opponents to 73.3 points per game on 43.9 percent shooting from the floor and 33.0 percent from 3-point range, allowing 7.5 long distance strikes per night. The Falcons caused 190 turnovers (14.6 to/g) with 97 steals (7.5 stl/g). Bowling Green slightly outrebounds the opponent by a +0.4 margin as the opponent grabbed 499 total boards (38.4 rebs/g) compared to the 504 total rebounds (38.8 rebs/g) secured.

THE LAST MEETING
Loren Cristian Jackson became Akron's 46th member of the 1,000th point club as the Zips fell 78-60 to Bowling Green at the Stroh Center on Feb. 25, 2020. Jackson needed only 24 points to enter the exclusive group at Akron as he scored his 1,000th career point against Ohio in a 35-point scoring effort. Jackson matched that career-high scoring effort on Tuesday night against Bowling Green. Jackson eclipsed the 1,000th point threshold at Akron on a 3-pointer from the far wing while being fouled. It was his 24th point of the game and he completed four-point play for a 1,001 total. He led all scorers with his second 35-point performance of the season. Jackson tallied 13 points in the first half and followed with 22 in the final frame.

Bowling Green snapped Akron's five-game winning streak as the Zips had a tough night getting shots to fall, opening the game 0-of-14 from long distance. Senior Channel Banks ended the Zips' frigid streak by draining the team's 15th attempt with 2:56 showing on the clock. The Zips finished the first half just 1-of-20 from deep and 10-of-40 overall from the field. At the midpoint, Akron trailed the home team 40-25. The Falcons shot 14-of-35 in the opening frame and 5-of-13 from deep while controlling the glass (33-22) and the game's tempo. BGSU carried that momentum into the second half by using a 10-4 run to create more separation on the scoreboard, 50-29.

Akron immediately responded with a 9-0 run as senior Tyler Cheese sparked the run with his third field goal of the half, and senior Xeyrius Williams buried two free throws. Jackson followed with an old-fashioned 3-point play and freshman Mikal Dawson split a pair of free throws to cut the Zips deficit to 12 points, 50-38. Three consecutive 3-pointers by the Falcons pushed the lead back to 20 points, 62-42, and the home team held on for the win.

Justin Turner led the Falcons with 19 points while Dylan Frye added 16, Caleb Fields chipped-in 13 and Daeqwon Plowden had 10. Cheese followed Jackson in scoring for the Zips with 10 points, and Banks added nine points.

AKRON IN THE MAC
Akron opened 2020-21 MAC play with a 90-70 win over Ohio and followed with a 66-62 win over rival Kent State, before falling to Eastern Michigan, 71-59, and Northern Illinois, 67-65. Akron bounced by knocking off the top-ranked Toledo Rockets in overtime, 95-94, snapping UT's 8-game winning streak. The Zips are 3-2 under the new conference format without divisions (new in 2020-21). Akron is 69-18 (.795) at home in league play since the start of the 2011 MAC schedule. UA has seen a ton of success in league play since the start of the 2004-05 season, and is 186-91 overall (.669), including a 115-24 mark in MAC play at home (.822). The Zips' 186 wins are the most in the league during that stretch. The Zips have won 104 of their last 151 MAC games (.685). Previously, the Zips posted a 59-36 mark (.617) in the last 95 games against the MAC East dating back to the start of the 2012 league schedule. Akron is 6-3 against the MAC East at the conference tournament during that stretch. Akron is 112-53 in the regular season against the West Division (.679), including winners of 55 of the last 72 regular-season games since divisional play began during the 1997-98 season.

UP NEXT
The Zips will play three regular season conference games this week with the second of the 3-game stretch at home game against Central Michigan on Thursday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. The Zips wrap-up the week with a road trip to Western Michigan on Saturday, Jan. 23 at 5 p.m. Fans can follow the action on ESPN3/+, WHLO 640 AM or GoZips.com.

QUICK HITS

• Loren Cristian Jackson named Lute Olson National Player of the Week (Jan. 4) and MAC Player of Week two consecutive weeks (Dec. 28 & Jan.4)
•Jackson leads MAC - PPG (22.6) and AST (7.0) - 2nd in FT % (.911), 3PT FGM (28) and 3PT FG/G (3.5)
• The Zips are 5-0 at James A. Rhodes Arena and currently own an 10-game winning streak at the JAR
• Enrique Freeman's 21-rebound effort stands as the most by an Akron player since 1985.
• Bryan Trimble posted a career-high 6-of-6 from deep in MAC opener against Ohio
• Jackson, Dailey and Trimble combined for 14-of-20 from beyond the arc against Ohio 70.0 Percent
• Akron Top 100 NCAA rankings: 16th FT % (77.9), 21st 3Pt. FG/g (10.1), 32nd DRebs/g (28.9), 34th Rebs/g (40.4), 41st 3PT FG % Def (29.1), 46th Fewest Turnovers (104), 51st Scoring Offense (79.9), 56th Reb Margin (+5.9), 63rd Fewest Fouls (149), 84th FG% (46.4), 84th ORebs/g (11.5), 91st Scoring Margin (+7.8), 92nd Assist turnover Ratio (1.13) and 104th Ast/g (14.8)

Zips Travel to League Leading Bowling Green on Tuesday

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Players Mentioned

Channel Banks

Tyler Cheese

Mikal Dawson

Enrique Freeman

Loren Cristian Jackson

Xeyrius Williams

The University of Akron Athletics