The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
25-6,17-1MAC
Buffalo
9-22,4-14MAC
All 11 Zips Score in 88-77 Victory over Buffalo on Senior Day; Zips Go Undefeated at the JAR
March 07 | Men's Basketball
AKRON, Ohio - All 11 Zips that touched the court scored in an 88-70 victory over Buffalo at James A. Rhodes Arena on Friday to conclude the regular season.
With the win, Akron becomes just the second team in MAC history to go 17-1 in the regular season, joining the 2001-02 Kent State squad as the only two teams to record the feat. 17-1 is the best regular season record in the modern MAC era.
Akron also went 16-0 at the JAR this season. It is just the fourth time an Akron squad has gone undefeated at the JAR and the first since 2015-16.
The 2024-25 Zips also set the program record for most regular season wins with 25. The previous high was 24, which was last set by the 2019-20 team.
Akron (25-6, 17-1) had four players score in double figures, led by Nate Johnson, who had 14 points. Isaiah Gray added 14 points and Shammah Scott helped out with 11 points from the bench. James Okonkwo recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Akron grabbed 44 rebounds in Friday's game compared to Buffalo's 36, led by Okonkwo's 11 boards. The Zips also cleaned up the offensive glass, turning 16 rebounds into 18 second chance points.
The Akron defense held Buffalo shooters to only 37.7 percent from the field, including 25.9 percent from three-point range.
How It Happened
After jumping out to a 26-17 advantage, Akron went on a 9-0 run with 10:05 left in the first half to increase its lead to 35-17. The Zips then added five points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 47-24 advantage. Akron relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down seven shots to account for 21 of its 47 points.
Akron kept its lead intact before going on a 5-0 run, finished off by Sharron Young's jumper, to grow the lead to 83-63 with 3:56 to go in the contest. The Bulls narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Zips still cruised the rest of the way for the 88-70 win. Akron took care of business in the paint, recording 22 of its 41 points in the lane.
Game Notes
» James Okonkwo notched a double-double for the Zips with 10 points and 11 rebounds.» Akron found success from three point land, knocking down 10 treys in the game.
» The Zips held the Bulls to only 37.7 percent shooting from the field.
» Akron never trailed on the way to an 88-70 victory.
» Akron recorded 18 total assists in the game.
» The Akron bench made an impact by scoring 45 points to its scoring output.
» Nate Johnson and Shammah Scott came off the bench to score 14 and 11 points, respectively.
» Akron had a 44-36 edge on the boards in the win.
» Akron turned the ball over six times while dishing out 18 assists.
» Akron cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 16 offensive boards in the game.
» Nate Johnson and Isaiah Gray led the Zips with 14 points apiece.
» James Okonkwo nabbed a game-high 11 rebounds to lead Akron and Amani Lyles contributed 10.
What's Next?
Akron will go into the Mid-American Conference Tournament as the No. 1 seed and will await to see who they'll face in the first round on March 13 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
