Akron Nets 20th Win with 81-64 Triumph Past Western Michigan

Saturday, February 25

Akron, Ohio

7 PM

University of Akron

20-9,12-4MAC

Western Michigan

7-22,3-13MAC

Western Mich.

Akron

Akron Nets 20th Win with 81-64 Triumph Past Western Michigan

February 25 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

BOXSCORE (PDF) | POST-GAME COMMENTS

AKRON, Ohio – In their penultimate home game of the season, the Akron Zips men's basketball team methodically powered past the visiting Western Michigan Broncos, 81-64, for a Mid-American Conference win on Saturday evening at James A. Rhodes Arena.

Senior G Xavier Castaneda (Chicago, Ill.) led the way for Akron with a game-high 23 points, while junior F Enrique Freeman (Cleveland, Ohio) notched his 16th double-double of the season with a 17-point and 10-rebound performance. Redshirt freshman G Nate Johnson (Liberty Township, Ohio) chipped in with 13 points, while posting a game-high four steals.

After a back-and-forth first half that saw the Zips (20-9, 12-4 MAC) seize control late, a 12-2 run out of the half blew the game wide open and expanded the Akron advantage to 20, 47-27. Castaneda's top-of-the-arc triple capped the run, but two pin-point passes to Freeman set up lay-ins to help bury the Broncos.

Western Michigan never got closer than 12 the rest of the way as Akron swept the season series between the teams following a 63-55 win in Kalamazoo in January. The second-best scoring defense in the MAC entering the game forced 12 turnovers and harassed the Broncos (7-22, 3-13 MAC) into 37.3-percent shooting, holding them under 42 percent from the field in both halves.

The contest unfolded at a slower, defensive-oriented pace from the opening tip as both sides dug in and forced one another to operate in a half-court setting.

A three-pointer by Castaneda with 2:10 left in the half gave the Zips separation before a second triple less than a minute later by Johnson extended the lead and a third long ball from Trendon Hankerson (Novi, Mich.) gave Akron its largest lead of the half, 35-23. The shot also capped a 12-0 run over a span of 4:41 as the Zips forced three Western Michigan turnovers and four missed field goal attempts.

Ball security was elite for the Blue and Gold in the half with only four turnovers. By forcing six miscues by the Broncos, the Zips held an 8-2 edge in points off turnovers for the opening 20 minutes.

Seth Hubbard led the Broncos with 19 points to go along with 17 points from Lamar Norman.

UP NEXT:
Akron caps its regular season home campaign with a 7 p.m. contest against Ball State on Tuesday, Feb. 28. Follow the action live on ESPN+ or listen to the broadcast on WHLO 640-AM.