It was a balanced scoring effort for the Zips (8-5) in their final game of the calendar year as junior forward Daniel Utomi led all scorers with 22 points and added six rebounds and two assists. Junior guard Channel Banks scored 13, junior guard Tyler Cheese added 12 and senior guard Jimond Ivey also had 11 for the hosts.
Defensively, Akron held the Tartans (4-7) to 38-percent shooting and forced 17 turnovers, converting those miscues in to 24 points on the offensive end. Three different Zips had multiple 3-point makes as Utomi sank five, Banks added three and Cheese chipped in with two.
Akron also made an impact from long range, draining 11 3-pointers and shooting 36.7 percent on triples.
The Zips controlled the paint and thrived off Carnegie Mellon turnovers to build a lead and withstand a cold shooting stretch in the middle of the first half. The Tartans were able to close to within six points, 29-23, but Akron forced nine first-half turnovers and converted them into 12 points to rebuild the lead to 43-27 heading to the locker room.
While closing the half on a 14-4 run, the Zips outscored the Tartans 22-10 in the paint before intermission and were a red-hot 11-of-15 (72.9 percent) on two-point attempts in the opening 20 minutes.
Akron never trailed in the game, getting out to an early 10-2 lead as Utomi poured in five early points to get his team going. Utomi was the Zips' most-consistent contributor offensively on the day, tallying 11 points in the first half, 11 after halftime and scoring from both the perimeter and near the hoop. The junior forward made a game-high five 3-pointers, but also shot 50 percent from inside the arc.
Akron is back in action to kick off the new year and Mid-American Conference play as Western Michigan comes to town on Saturday, Jan. 5. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 2 p.m.
(Courtesy of UA Athletics)