Akron sports Jan. 27-Feb. 2 | Tavari Johnson, Nate Johnson lead Zips basketball to win

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Akron sports Jan. 27-Feb. 2 | Tavari Johnson, Nate Johnson lead Zips basketball to win

Michael Beaven, Akron Beacon Journal · Akron Beacon Journal

Sun, Feb 2, 2025 ·

6 min read

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Akron tops rival Kent State to remain Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings

The University of Akron men's basketball team maintained its spot atop the Mid-American Conference standings Friday night at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center.

Akron never trailed in its rivalry game against Kent State and headed back to Summit County with a 85-71 win in front of 6,327 spectators .

Redshirt junior Nate Johnson led reigning MAC Tournament champion Akron (16-5, 9-0) with 20 points, five rebounds, three assists and one block in over 36 minutes.

Akron Zips guard Nate Johnson (34) looks for a basket against Kent State Golden Flashes guard Cian Medley (11) during the second half Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Kent, Ohio. — Akron's Nate Johnson looks for a second-half basket as Kent State's Cian Medley defends Friday, Jan. 31, 2025.

"Great win for our program," Akron coach John Groce said. "This was a hard-fought game. We have a lot of respect for Kent and their players and their team. I thought our guys got off to a great start [with a 9-2 lead].

"You look at the stat sheet and we have six guys in double figures again. We have done that fairly regularly, and it could be a different six each night when we play. It makes us very blended and maybe hard to key on one guy. We had 19 assists on 29 field goals."

Akron junior Tavari Johnson contributed 15 points, five assists, three rebounds and one block in over 25 minutes.

"We were playing together," Tavari Johnson said. "We were playing the Akron way — trusting our teammates and trusting we would make the right pass."

Akron Zips guard Tavari Johnson (5) drives to the basket ahead of Kent State Golden Flashes guard Jalen Sullinger (13) during the first half Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Kent, Ohio.

Senior Jalen Sullinger paced Kent State (13-8, 4-5) with 23 points, two assists, a steal and a block in over 36 minutes. He shot 7 of 15 from the field and 8 of 8 from the free-throw line.

Akron senior James Okonkwo totaled 11 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks and an assist in over 28 minutes.

"It was pretty cool," Okonkwo said of playing in the rivalry game. "Coach told us to stay prepared and don't cheat any days. Treat this like any other game that we play, and make sure we are prepared."

Akron Zips guard Sharron Young (3) celebrates after a 3-pointer against Kent State during the first half Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Kent, Ohio. — Akron Zips guard Sharron Young celebrates after a first-half 3-pointer at Kent State, Jan. 31, 2025.

Zips senior Seth Wilson had 11 points and two assists, senior Isaiah Gray contributed 10 points, seven rebounds and two assists and freshman Sharron Young added 10 points, two assists and two steals.

Akron made 11 of 27 shots from beyond the 3-point arc and Kent made 6 of 25.

"We all played our roles and it was a team effort," said Nate Johnson, who shot 7 of 15 from the field and 5 of 8 from the free-throw line. "... You never know whose night it is going to be. Tonight, we had six players in double digits."

Seth Wilson made three 3s, Tavari Johnson, Scott and Young each made two and Nate Johnson and Gray made one apiece.

Akron Zips guard Isaiah Gray (13) guards against Kent State Golden Flashes guard Jalen Sullinger (13) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Kent, Ohio.

"We typically play 10 guys close to double-figure minutes," Groce said. "Occasionally, Marvin [Musiime-Kamali] will be under 10, and he accepts that role and embraces it. ... James had it going. Obviously, [both Johnsons] did. Seth made some big shots. Zay made plays. I thought we got contributions from everybody."

Flashes graduate senior Anthony Morales scored 10 points and redshirt sophomore Jamal Sumlin added nine points. Junior Delrecco Gillespie totaled eight points, eight rebounds and two steals and redshirt senior VonCameron Davis had six points, seven rebounds and two steals.

Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com .

Akron forward James Okonkwo (32) celebrates with guard Evan Wilson (20) during the first half against the Kent State Golden Flashes on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Kent, Ohio.

Akron wins by 10 points at to remain Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings

The University of Akron men's basketball team won 80-70 at Northern Illinois on Tuesday night in DeKalb.

Junior guard Tavari Johnson totaled 21 points and four assists in 25 minutes as Akron (15-5, 8-0) remained tied atop the Mid-American Conference standings. The 8-0 start is the best start in conference play under coach John Groce.

Johnson made 7 of 11 shots from the field, including 2 of 4 from beyond the 3-point arc, and 5 of 5 free throws.

Akron redshirt junior guard Nate Johnson totaled 19 points, six rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks in 35 minutes against NIU (5-15, 1-7).

Akron guard Tavari Johnson, attempting a layup against Kent State last season, scored 21 points Tuesday at Northern Illinois.

Zips senior guard Isaiah Gray contributed 12 points, 11 rebounds and three assists and senior guard Shammah Scott had 11 points and seven rebounds. Senior forward James Okonkwo had six points and four rebounds and senior guard Seth Wilson added six points and three assists.

Akron built a 17-5 lead with 15:23 remaining in the first half. NIU responded with a 15-0 run to lead 20-17 with 10:47 left in the first half.

The Zips led 37-33 at halftime and 72-58 with 3:28 to go in the second half.

"I thought the first five minutes, we were really good and I thought the next 35 minutes, we stunk," Akron coach John Groce said to Zips radio broadcasters David Skoczen and Joe Dunn after the win.

"I didn't think we played very well, but give them credit for finding a way to win. I thought we made some plays, but we were not a very smart basketball team. We had too many fouls that were unnecessary. I don't think I have coached a game in my career where we fouled four 3-point shooters. ... We made too many sloppy turnovers. I thought decision making wasn't great on either end of the floor. Obviously, we get a chance to learn from the win. That is certainly the one positive. We didn't play to our standard."

Akron shot 42.9% from the field, including 30.3% from 3-point range, and 76.2% from the foul line.

"We have a veteran group," Scott said to Skoczen and Dunn. "We have got a lot of guys who have played a lot of college basketball. The main thing I was saying in the huddle was, 'We don't have to worry. We have been in positions like this before.' Whether it was Bowling Green or bigger games during the non-conference, we were never worried. We knew we could not let up and we had to keep our foot on the gas."

Guards Quentin Jones and James Dent Jr. played the full 40 minutes for NIU. Jones paced the Huskies with 25 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Dent contributed 22 points, six rebounds and five assists.

"I thought Northern Illinois' kids battled," Groce said to Skoczen and Dunn. "They made some shots. ... Dent and Jones were good off the bounce, especially in what we call Chicago action."

Akron plays at Kent State at 7 p.m. Friday.

"We play with that type of undiscipline, with turnovers and sloppiness and fouls and all that, we will get ran out of the gym on Friday night point blank [at Kent State]," Groce told the postgame radio audience. "We gotta be a lot better. We can be better and we have played better, but we gotta do it."

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron basketball, Zips sports for the week of Jan. 27-Feb. 2, 2025

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