Akron Wins Fifth Game in 11 Days, Defeats Eastern Michigan 86-65

Tuesday, January 26

Akron, Ohio

7:30 PM

University of Akron

9-3,7-2MAC

Eastern Michigan

4-8,1-7MAC

Eastern Mich.

Akron

Akron Wins Fifth Game in 11 Days, Defeats Eastern Michigan 86-65

January 26 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Akron Wins Fifth Game in 11 Days, Defeats Eastern Michigan 86-65

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Post Game Press Conference | HIGHLIGHTS

AKRON, Ohio – What a difference 17 days can make. On Jan. 9, the Akron Zips lost their first of two straight games in a road contest against Eastern Michigan. On Jan. 26, the Zips throttled the visiting Eagles 86-65 at James A. Rhodes Arena for their fifth straight win, all in the past 11 days.

With the win, Akron (9-3, 7-2 MAC) continued its meteoric rise up the Mid-American Conference standings, staying on the heels of league-leading Toledo.

It was truly a group effort for the Zips in dispatching the Eagles (4-8, 1-7 MAC) as four players reached double figures, seven had six or more points and 11 different players scored. Senior forward Maishe Dailey (Beachwood, Ohio) led the way with 14 points, sophomore forward Ali Ali (Kendallville, Ind.) recorded 13 points and five assists, junior guard Bryan Trimble, Jr. (Kansas City, Mo.) notched 12 points and six rebounds and sophomore forward Enrique Freeman (Cleveland, Ohio) narrowly missed yet another double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.

The game's decisive stretch spanned the first and second halves as Akron blitzed the visitors with a 24-0 run to build a 52-26 edge moments into the second stanza. The tenets of the run were rebounding and defense, underscored by the Zips' 50-31 rebounding edge for the evening along with the 14 turnovers they forced and 15 points they scored off those miscues.

Freeman and senior forward Camron Reece (Oakland, Calif.), who had team-high 10 rebounds, powered Akron on the glass, with Freeman also menacing Eastern Michigan shooters at the rim all evening. Tensions ran high throughout the night, but it was the Zips who had the final word with their fourth straight double-digit win and second-largest margin of victory for the season.

For the game, they allowed Eastern Michigan to shoot just 36.7 percent, including an ice-cold 30 percent from 3-point range. Those figures were all the more impressive given how the first few moments of the game unfolded. The Eagles canned three 3-pointers en route to an early 11-6 lead, but couldn't sustain their sizzling shooting.

After that uncharacteristically hot-shooting start for the visitors, Akron maintained its collective focus and clamped down on defense to steadily seize control of the game. The Zips held Eastern Michigan without a point for the final 5:04 of the half, forcing turnovers, taking charges and amping up their pressure.

During that same stretch, Akron turned a two-point lead into a 42-26 edge. Two 3-pointers by Trimble kick-started the run, which included a pair of technical fouls on the Eagles. With the Zips peaking on defense, Eastern Michigan missed its last six shots of the half and committed three turnovers during the run.

Senior forward Ty Groce led the Eagles with 28 points and junior guard Bryce McBride added 20 in defeat.

After playing five times in just 11 days, the Zips will receive a rare three-day break from game action before capping their two-game homestand with a 2 p.m. contest against Ball State on Jan. 30. That contest can be seen on ESPN3 and heard on WHLO 640-AM.