Castaneda, Hunter Fuel Comeback on Senior Night

Tuesday, February 28

Akron, Ohio

7 PM

University of Akron

21-9,13-4MAC

Ball State

20-10,11-6MAC

Ball St.

Akron

February 28 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

AKRON, Ohio – The Akron Zips honored their graduating seniors prior to their final home game of the regular season, then battled through adversity from the opening tip and roared back for a clutch 87-83 win over the visiting Ball State Cardinals on Tuesday evening at James A. Rhodes Arena.

Senior guard Xavier Castaneda scored 29 points to lead all scorers, junior forward Sammy Hunter posted a career-high in points (25) and in 3-pointers (six) while junior forward Enrique Freeman notched his 17th double-double of the season for the Zips with 24 points and 12 rebounds.

In a game filled with big shots, none were bigger than 3-pointers by Casntañeda with 1:57 remaining to extend Akron's hard-won lead to five (75-70) and Hunter with 44.1 seconds remaining for a seven-point margin (79-72), helping the Zips (21-9, 13-4 Mid-American Conference) fend off the Cardinals.

Following Ball State's last-ditch less than two seconds remaining, it was Castañeda who again came up big by making both foul shots on the ensuing possession to close out the win.

A 12-0 Akron run midway through the second half gave the blue and gold their first lead of the evening as back-to-back triples by Castañeda put the Zips ahead 66-63 edge and the senior guard capped the burst with two clutch free throws to put his team ahead by five.

The final push came after Akron played from behind much of the evening, then used multiple second-half runs to fight their way back into the lead before completing the comeback in their home finale.

That rallying spirit started in the first half as facing an early 11-point deficit, the Zips steadily chipped away and closed to within three before ending the half down by five (41-36).

Much of that progress was powered by free throws, as Akron outscored the visitors 6-1 from the line in the opening 20 minutes. With just two turnovers in the half and six offensive rebounds, the Zips maximized their scoring chances in the half.

Junior guard Jalen Windham led Ball State (20-10, 11-6 MAC) with 19 points and sophomore forward Basheer Jihad contributed 17 in the loss.

With the win, Akron will be either the second or third seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament and that seeding will be determined by the outcome of the season finale against Kent State, set for 6 p.m. on March 3 in Kent. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU and on WHLO 640-AM.