AKRON, OHIO – The Akron Zips used an 11-3 run midway through the second half to pull away from Western Michigan and post a 56-48 victory Saturday afternoon in the Mid- American Conference opener for both schools at Rhodes Arena.
“They were excited for league play.” Zips head coach John Groce said. “I thought our defense got it done. Offensively we have to make up a few plays. We missed layups around the rim.”
Akron (9-5, 1-0 MAC) picked up its third win in the last four games. It was paced by senior Jimond Ivey, who led all scorers in the contest with 18 points. He also recorded eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot.
Junior Loren Cristen Jackson was UA’s only other scorer in double figures, notching 12 points with seven boards, three assists, and three steals.
Western Michigan (6-8, 0-1) fell for the fourth time in the last five games. Senior Josh Davis led the Broncos with 14 points adding seven rebounds, two assists and a steal before fouling out with 4:07 remaining. Sophomore Michael Flowers also had 14 with three rebounds.
Both teams had the lead early, with the visitors from Kalamazoo opening a 15-12 lead at the 7:39 mark on a put-back by Davis. They opened up a five-point advantage at the 4:02 mark on a transition layup by sophomore Kawansie Wilkins.
WMU held a one-point lead at halftime, 24-23, with both teams shooting well below par. UA hit only 7-of-32 from the field (21.9%), missing a bushel full of layups, while the Broncos were only 11-of-34 (32.4%)
UA started strong at the beginning of the second half as Ivey scored on a three-pointer from the left arc. Akron then stole the ball and a converted a slam dunk to give the lead back to the Zips 28-28 just two minutes into the half.
The game stayed close, with the biggest lead being six points in UA’s favor midway through the half. A crucial point of the game came when Davis committed his fourth foul with 12:05 remaining.
He sat on the bench for six minutes with the deficit still only five points 45-40 before he returned with 6:20 remaining.
In the decisive run, Ivey scored five points on a three from the right arc and converted a pair of free throws. The other points came from, a pair of foul shots from Jackson and a foul line jumper by junior Tyler Cheese, who finished the game with five points.
WMU made one last run, closing to within six at 52-46 thanks to a pair of free throws by senior Seth Dugan and a three-pointer from the left arc by Jared Printy -- his only points of the game.
That would be as close as the Broncos would get as the Zips picked up their second in the last four MAC openers.
Statistically UA shot better in the second half. However, it finished the game at just 27.9 percent from the floor over the 40 minutes. Meanwhile, the Zips defense held the Broncos to 30.6 percent from the floor (19-of-62) and only 4-of-26 from beyond the arc.
Both teams are in action on Tuesday with the Zips heading to Central Michigan, while WMU remains in Northeast Ohio to battle Kent State.