Akron Closes 2022 with Win Over Concord, Hankerson Reaches 1,000 Points

Friday, December 30

Akron, Ohio

7 PM

University of Akron

8-5,0-0MAC

Concord

7-5,4-2MEC

Concord

Akron

Akron Closes 2022 with Win Over Concord, Hankerson Reaches 1,000 Points

December 30 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

AKRON, Ohio – The Akron Zips closed out the calendar year with a dominant effort, taming the visiting Concord Mountain Lions 84-58 on Friday evening at James A. Rhodes Arena.

After taking the lead in the opening minute, Akron never trailed and built its edge to as many as 27 points in the second half. Defense was again the calling card for the blue and gold, who entered the game ranked 51st of 352 Division I teams in the nation in points allowed per game.

Junior forward Enrique Freeman (Cleveland, Ohio) and graduate student guard Trendon Hankerson (Novi, Mich.) scored 18 points each to lead Akron, while senior guard Xavier Castañeda (Chicago, Ill.) added 17. Hankerson eclipsed the 1,000-point threshold, scoring 886 points at Northern Illinois and 124 points at Akron for 1,010 career points. Freeman also notched a double-double with a game-best 10 rebounds.

With eight Zips logging double-digit minutes, the defensive energy was strong throughout as Concord shot just 39 percent for the game. Akron also forced 18 turnovers and claimed a 39-35 rebounding edge in holding its sixth opponent to 65 or fewer points this season.

Thanks to aggressive defense that kept the Lions (7-4) from getting good looks at the basket, the Zips (8-5) overcame a shooting slump in the first half and built a 31-23 halftime advantage. They didn't allow a made 3-pointer in the frame and forced 12 turnovers, leading to 12 points on the offensive end.

The offense featured balanced scoring before intermission as no player scored more than Freeman's seven points but five Zips tallied four or more. That trend continued in the second half as Akron heated up from distance, making eight of its 12 total 3-pointers to pull away. With a 36-12 scoring edge beyond the arc, the hosts were never threatened in the second half. Ball movement also helped fuel the Akron attack as the Zips assisted on 21 of 27 field goals made.

Graduate student forward Lual Daniel Rahama paced Concord with 21 points with junior guard J.J Harper adding nine in defeat.

Akron now pivots to Mid-American Conference action with a home contest against Northern Illinois on Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. The broadcast can be heard live on WHLO 640-AM or GoZips.com.