Akron Basketball Extends Home Winning Streak to 14 Games, Defeating Northern Illinois 81-76

Tuesday, February 16

Akron, Ohio

2 PM

University of Akron

13-4,11-3MAC

Northern Illinois

2-12,1-8MAC

Northern Ill.

Akron

Akron Basketball Extends Home Winning Streak to 14 Games, Defeating Northern Illinois 81-76

February 16 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

Akron Basketball Extends Home Winning Streak to 14 Games, Defeating Northern Illinois 81-76
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AKRON, Ohio – Presented with a chance to claim a first-place tie in the Mid-American Conference standings, the Akron Zips shook off a hot start by visiting Northern Illinois and roared back for an 81-76 win in a rare Tuesday afternoon contest at James A. Rhodes Arena.

Despite trailing by double figures for chunks of the first half, the Zips clamped down on defense and held the Huskies to 31 points and 32.5-percent shooting in the second half to complete the comeback. With the win, Akron moved into a tie with Toledo for the top spot in the MAC, with the Rockets set to tip about three hours after the Zips closed out their 11th conference win of the year.

Junior guard Bryan Trimble, Jr. (Kansas City, Mo.) led Akron with a game-high 22 points, including 6-of-11 shooting from 3-point range. Senior point guard Loren Cristian Jackson (Chicago, Ill.) also reached double figured with 19 points and added seven assists, while sophomore forward Ali Ali (Kendallville, Ind.) tallied 11 points and junior forward Michael Wynn (Albany, N.Y.) added 10 points, five rebounds and two assists.

Wynn also helped lead the block party for Akron, which rejected seven shots on the day. His two blocks played into an 11-0 run over a span of 4:32 of the second half as the Zips (13-4, 11-3 MAC) seized control. They took their first lead of the day (50-49) on a deep triple by Trimble at the 16:47 mark of the second half. In the ensuing moments, they were able to gradually build the margin to as many as eight as the Huskies cooled off and foul trouble began to thin the ranks of the Northern Illinois front court.

With two players fouling out by the 5:59 mark of the second half, the Huskies lost key depth and sent the Zips to the foul line often in the game's closing minutes. A 30-5 scoring edge from the charity stripe helped boost Akron on a day when its offense made just 38.5 percent of its field goal attempts.

It stood in contrast to an uncharacteristically good shooting day for the visitors, who entered the game averaging just 4.8 made 3-pointers per contest. Despite ranking last or next to last in the MAC in scoring, shooting and 3-point shooting, the Huskies (2-12, 1-8 MAC) shot the ball well in the opening half, making 58 percent of their attempts from beyond the arc and 55 percent from the field overall.

The visitors led by as many as 11 before intermission as the Zips worked to get on track offensively. Trimble was the driving force as Akron steadily closed the gap, making 5 of 8 from long range and leading all scorers with 17 points in the opening frame. With Northern Illinois determined to deny Jackson good looks at the basket, the senior point guard notched five first-half assists and helped set the table for several key scoring chances.

Junior forward Zool Kueth led the Huskies with 21 points and sophomore guard Tyler Cochran added 20 in defeat.

Akron's next contest is a road tilt with Ball State, set for 7 p.m. on Feb. 19 in Muncie, Ind. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network and can be heard on WHLO 640-AM.