Akron falls as Creighton pulls away in second half
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The culmination of a record-setting campaign for the Akron men's basketball team came to an end in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday as third-seeded Creighton bested the Zips, 77-60, at PPG Paints Arena.
Akron senior Enrique Freeman shined for UA, matching a single-season NCAA record with his 31st double-double of the season while registering a team-high 21 points and pulling down 14 rebounds.
With an offensive . . .
Akron senior Enrique Freeman shined for UA, matching a single-season NCAA record with his 31st double-double of the season while registering a team-high 21 points and pulling down 14 rebounds.
With an offensive . . .
. . .rebound at the 11:26 mark of the second half Freeman recorded his 31st double-double of the year to equal David Robinson's NCAA single-season record set during the 1985-86 campaign. North Carolina's Armando Bacot also matched the mark during the 2021-22 campaign.
Senior Ali Ali added a 14-point effort for the Zips, while senior Greg Tribble contributed five points and two steals.
Akron finished the afternoon shooting 37.9 percent from the field, while the Bluejays sparked by a 52.4 percent shooting mark in the second half, concluded the contest hitting at a .565 clip from the floor.
Despite 14 rebounds from Freeman, Akron was outrebounded, 38-26. The Zips' defense was a problem in Thursday's game, forcing 14 Creighton turnovers while committing five. Those takeaways turned into 14 points on the other end of the floor. Freeman's two steals led the way individually for the Zips.
The game marked the final career games as a Zip for Ali, Freeman, Sammy Hunter, Kaleb Thornton and Greg Tribble (Cincinnati, Ohio).
How It Happened
The contest proved to be a back-and-forth showdown in the game's early minutes with each side shooting over 50 percent from the field.
The Zips made five of their first 10 shots from the field, including connecting on 4-of-7 attempts from beyond the arc, but trailed at the first media timeout (13:58), 16-14. Freeman was feeling his shot pouring in nine early points, including hitting three of his initial four shots from distance.
The Bluejays came out the break hitting a jumper before Dawson drained a corner three pointer at the 12:52 mark, to make it 18-17.
A layup by Freeman tied the game at 21 (10:09) before Akron again evened the score at 27 with a basket from sophomore Tavari Johnson (Chicago, Ill.) at the 7:26 mark.
After a more than three-minute scoring drought for both teams, the score was tied at 31 when a hook shot in the lane by Freeman gave Akron a 33-31 lead at the 3:09 mark.
Creighton hit back-to-back triples to regain the lead, 37-34, with 1:30 left before halftime as part of 8-0 run and led at the break 39-34.
Akron shot nearly 44 percent from the field in the opening half, including making five three pointers, while Creighton fired at a 60-percent clip in the initial stanza.
Freeman paced the Zips with 15 points and eight rebounds in the first half, while Ali added 10 points.
Creighton widened its lead after intermission, constructing a 70-53 advantage before Akron went on a 5-0 run, finished off by Hunter's three, to shrink the deficit to 70-58 with 4:01 to go in the contest. Creighton responded and outscored the Zips the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 77-60. Akron capitalized on seven Creighton turnovers in the period, collecting seven points off those turnovers.
(Courtesy of UA Athletics)
Senior Ali Ali added a 14-point effort for the Zips, while senior Greg Tribble contributed five points and two steals.
Akron finished the afternoon shooting 37.9 percent from the field, while the Bluejays sparked by a 52.4 percent shooting mark in the second half, concluded the contest hitting at a .565 clip from the floor.
Despite 14 rebounds from Freeman, Akron was outrebounded, 38-26. The Zips' defense was a problem in Thursday's game, forcing 14 Creighton turnovers while committing five. Those takeaways turned into 14 points on the other end of the floor. Freeman's two steals led the way individually for the Zips.
The game marked the final career games as a Zip for Ali, Freeman, Sammy Hunter, Kaleb Thornton and Greg Tribble (Cincinnati, Ohio).
How It Happened
The contest proved to be a back-and-forth showdown in the game's early minutes with each side shooting over 50 percent from the field.
The Zips made five of their first 10 shots from the field, including connecting on 4-of-7 attempts from beyond the arc, but trailed at the first media timeout (13:58), 16-14. Freeman was feeling his shot pouring in nine early points, including hitting three of his initial four shots from distance.
The Bluejays came out the break hitting a jumper before Dawson drained a corner three pointer at the 12:52 mark, to make it 18-17.
A layup by Freeman tied the game at 21 (10:09) before Akron again evened the score at 27 with a basket from sophomore Tavari Johnson (Chicago, Ill.) at the 7:26 mark.
After a more than three-minute scoring drought for both teams, the score was tied at 31 when a hook shot in the lane by Freeman gave Akron a 33-31 lead at the 3:09 mark.
Creighton hit back-to-back triples to regain the lead, 37-34, with 1:30 left before halftime as part of 8-0 run and led at the break 39-34.
Akron shot nearly 44 percent from the field in the opening half, including making five three pointers, while Creighton fired at a 60-percent clip in the initial stanza.
Freeman paced the Zips with 15 points and eight rebounds in the first half, while Ali added 10 points.
Creighton widened its lead after intermission, constructing a 70-53 advantage before Akron went on a 5-0 run, finished off by Hunter's three, to shrink the deficit to 70-58 with 4:01 to go in the contest. Creighton responded and outscored the Zips the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 77-60. Akron capitalized on seven Creighton turnovers in the period, collecting seven points off those turnovers.
(Courtesy of UA Athletics)
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