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Akron men's basketball score, recap vs. Ohio | Zips top Bobcats in MAC showdown
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- Akron men's basketball score, recap vs. Ohio | Zips top Bobcats in MAC showdown
The University of Akron Zips defeated the Ohio Bobcats 92-80 Friday night in a matchup between Mid-American Conference men's basketball powers at Rhodes Arena.
Reigning MAC Tournament champion Akron improved to 12-5 overall and 5-0 in the MAC. Ohio is 10-7 overall and 4-1 in the MAC.
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Akron , Ohio and Miami of Ohio (12-4, 4-0) entered Friday tied atop the MAC standings.
Here is how the game between Akron and Ohio unfolded through our updates:
Akron guard Nate Johnson looks to make a move against Northern Kentucky guard Trey Robinson, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024.
Isaiah Gray, Amani Lyles, Nate Johnson guide Akron to men's basketball win over Ohio
Senior guard Isaiah Gray scored a career-high 22 points and also had five rebounds, three assists and two steals in over 29 minutes to lead Akron to a 92-80 win over Ohio before a crowd of 2,830 at Rhodes Arena.
"I was getting down hill from the start at an efficient clip," Gray said. "That is what I needed to do to get going. Make or miss, if I could get to my spots I felt pretty confident. Shoutout our game-plan for the team and our coaches. They put us in a position to attack. ... It was overall a good win and I think we executed our game-plan really well."
University of Akron's Isaiah Gray brings the ball up court against Central Michigan on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Akron, Ohio, at James A. Rhodes Arena.
Akron junior forward Amani Lyles finished with 17 points, six assists, four rebounds and three blocks in over 29 minutes. He set a career-high in points, assists and blocks, and said he "takes pride in defense" and relies on "hustle plays and out-running the opponent."
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"I saw the assists [for Lyles], and I was like 'Damn,'" Gray said with a smile. "Six assists with zero turns."
Redshirt junior guard Nate Johnson totaled 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks in over 34 minutes.
"We saw [Amani] put the work in in the summer and his confidence keeps getting better each game," Johnson said. "He is putting up numbers and that is what we need."
Akron's Amani Lyles blocks a shot at the rim by Toledo's Isaiah Adams on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.
Zips coach John Groce played 10 once again and nine scored. Senior guard Seth Wilson, senior guard Shammah Scott and freshman guard Sharron Young scored eight points apiece. Scott's line also featured five rebounds and four assists and Young contributed five assists.
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Junior guards Tavari Johnson (seven points, two assists, two blocks) and Bowen Hardman (six points) were also active.
"This is the deepest team we have had and the most guys we have played [in eight seasons]," Groce said. "... We are playing a different style. We are shooting more 3s, we are playing faster and we have got more activity on the offensive glass. It is designed that way. It took us awhile to get to this point."
Ohio graduate senior guard Shereef Mitchell scored a career-high 27 points and also had five rebounds, two assists and two steals in almost 35 minutes. Redshirt sophomore guard AJ Brown finished with 15 points and junior forward Aidan Hadaway had nine points and seven rebounds before leaving the game with a lower leg injury with 16:05 to go in the second half and Akron ahead 52-38.
The Bobcats also received eight points apiece from senior forward AJ Clayton, junior guard Jackson Paveletzke and freshman guard Elijah Elliott.
Akron Zips coach John Groce talks with Seth Wilson during a game against Toledo on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, in Akron.
Akron led 39-22 with 3:52 to go in the first half courtesy of a 17-4 run. Nate Johnson started the run with a layup and also contributed a right-hand slam dunk and a 3-pointer during the surge. Gray made a 3-pointer and two free throws, Scott made a layup and Hardman added a 3-pointer.
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"I thought we came out with a lot of energy," Groce said. "The crowd tonight was incredible. I thought we fed off the crowd early and guys were locked in. I thought the first half, aside from the fouling, was about as well as we have played all year offensively and defensively."
Akron led 44-29 at halftime and increased their advantage to 83-61 with 6:11 remaining in the second half. The Zps built the 22-point lead with a 17-7 run that included two Gray layups, a layup apiece from Tavari Johnson, Lyles, Scott and Young, a 3-pointer by Scott and a left-handed slam dunk by Lyles.
"We were really unselfish with a high assist rate again tonight [with 24 assists on 35 made field goals to nine turnovers]," Groce said. "... Isaiah's a stud. He's physical, he's tough, he cares about winning and he cares about other people."
Akron Zips coach John Groce calls in a play during a game against Toledo on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, in Akron.
Akron and Ohio players and coaches wear T-shirts to honor Wadsworth student
All Akron and Ohio players and coaches were wearing black T-shirts Friday night that had a capital C, a bearpaw and the words "Colin's Crew" to honor a Wadsworth student who has aggressive leukemia.
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"Thanks to Jeff [Boals] and Ohio for participating in this," Groce said. "Coach Tim Campbell was the strength and conditioning coach here for a longtime in the athletic department. Jeff knew him from his time as an assistant here at Akron under coach [Keith] Dambrot. Tim worked with those teams, he worked with our teams, he worked a lot with soccer as well as other teams over the course of his career here.
"He and his wife, Kelly, have three boys, Liam, Mason and Colin. Colin was diagnosed at age 12 with aggressive leukemia. Obviously, we have been thinking about him and praying for him. Thinking about Tim, Kelly and the entire family. ... I hope we put a smile on Colin's face, who is in the hospital tonight watching. We all, obviously, have been affected by cancer to some degree. I lost my father [Larry] in May to cancer. My mother [Barbara] is a breast cancer survivor."
Tim Campbell is in his first year as Wadsworth's athletic director.
Akron closing in on a men's college basketball win over Ohio
Akron leads Ohio 89-76 with 1:48 remaining in the second half. Isaiah Gray made two free throws and Amani Lyles scored a bucket in the paint in the past two minutes.
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Ohio making a run at Akron in the second half of men's college basketball game
Akron leads Ohio 85-74 with 3:26 to go in the second half. The Bobcats are on an 13-2 run, but are running out of time.
Akron's Shammah Scott and Sharron Young made layups to give Akron an 83-61 lead.
AJ Brown made a 3-pointer and two free throws during Ohio's current surge, AJ Clayton has four points and Elijah Elliott and Shereef Mitchell each have two points.
Isaiah Gray, Shammah Scott and Amani Lyles propel Akron to larger lead against Ohio in men's college basketball game
Akron is on a 11-3 run and leads Ohio 77-56 with 7:20 to go in the second half.
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Isaiah Gray has two layups during the run, Tavari Johnson has one layup, Shammah Scott made a 3-pointer and Amani Lyles tossed down a left-handed slam dunk following a pass from Scott.
Gray has a collegiate carrer-high 20 points.
Akron guard Sharron Young shoots against Northern Kentucky on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Akron.
Akron gets hot beyond 3-point arc against Ohio in men's college basketball game
Akron leads Ohio 66-49 with 11:42 to go in the second half.
Sharron Young made two 3-pointers, Amani Lyles made a layup and free throw and Seth Wilson contributed one 3-pointer as Akron stretched its lead to 66-47.
Isaiah Gray leads Akron with 16 points, Nate Johnson has 12 points, Amani Lyles has nine points and Seth Wilson is at eight points. Sharron Young and Bowen Hardman both have six points.
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Shereef Mitchell is at 16 points for Ohio, Aidan Hadaway has nine points and Jackson Paveletzke is at eight points. Hadaway left the game with an injury earlier in the second half.
Ohio's Aidan Hadaway leaves the court with an injury against Akron in a men's college basketball game
Ohio's Aidan Hadaway leaves the court with an apparent lower leg injury with 16:05 to go in the second half. Akron leads Ohio 52-38.
Hadaway and Shereef Mitchell have nine points for Ohio.
Ali Ali in attendance at Akron vs. Ohio men's college basketball game
Former Akron star Ali Ali is in attendance for tonight's game. A fan is also wearing a Indiana Pacers Enrique Freeman at tonight's game.
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Freeman and Ali helped Akron win one MAC regular season championship and two MAC tournament titles.
Central Michigan's Ugnius Jarusevicius and University of Akron's James Okonkwo scramble after a loose ball on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Akron, Ohio, at James A. Rhodes Arena.
Akron maintains lead over Ohio in second half of men's college basketball game
Akron increased its lead to 48-29 and 50-31, but Ohio has scored the past seven points and trail 50-38 with 16:25 to go in the second half.
James Okonkwo and Tavari Johnson each made a layup and Isaiah Gray added two free throws in the opening moments of the second half to give Akron a 50-31 lead.
Ohio's Elijah Elliott made a layup and Shereef Mitchell made 1 of 2 free throws and a 3-pointer to cut Akron's lead to 50-38.
Akron guard Bowen Hardman dives for the ball asNorthern Kentucky guard Hubertas Pivorius starts heading down court during the game at the James A. Rhodes Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024.
Akron leads Ohio at halftime of men's college basketball game
Akron leads Ohio 44-29 at halftime.
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Isaiah Gray leads Akron with 14 points, Nate Johnson has 12 points, Bowen Hardman has six points and Seth Wilson has five points.
Ohio's Aidan Hadaway has nine points, Jackson Paveletzke has eight points and AJ Brown has six points.
Isaiah Gray, Nate Johnson and Bowen Hardman extend Akron's lead over Ohio in first half of men's college basketball game
Akron is on a 12-2 run and leads Ohio 39-22 with 3:36 to go in the first half.
Shammah Scott started the run with a layup, Nate Johnson contributed a right-hand slam dunk and a 3-pointer, Isaiah Gray made two free throws and Bowen Hardman swished a 3-pointer. Hardman's 3 came with 3:52 remaining in the first half.
Toledo's Grgur Brcic has his shot blocked by University of Akron's Shammah Scott on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, in Akron, Ohio, at James A. Rhodes Arena.
Shammah Scott and Nate Johnson extend Akron's lead over Ohio in first half of men's college basketball game
Shammah Scott and Nate Johnson extended Akron's lead to 31-20 over Ohio. Bobcats coach Jeff Boals calls a timeout with 5:27 to go in the first half.
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Scott received a pass from Amani Lyles and finished with a layup. Sharron Young stole the ball and dished it off to Johnson for a right-hand slam dunk.
Akron maintains lead over Ohio in first half of men's college basketball game
Tavari Johnson makes a layup and a free throw and Nate Johnson contributed a jumper to give Akron a 22-16 lead. Timeout on the court with 7:45 to go in the first half.
Isaiah Gray lead Akron with nine points and Aidan Hadaway has seven points for Ohio.
Akron guard Isaiah Gray secures a rebound against Northern Kentucky guard Trey Robinson, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024.
Isaiah Gray continues fast start as Akron leads Ohio in first half of men's college basketball game
Isaiah Gray made three layups in the first five minutes and added a layup and a free throw to give Akron a 17-9 lead over Ohio with 13:24 to go in the first half.
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Akron's Bowen Hardman swished a 3-pointer prior to Gray's three-point play.
Ohio's Ajay Sheldon made a 3-pointer to cut Ohio's deficit to 17-12 before the under-12-minute media timeout.
Aidan Hadaway has five points for Ohio.
Akron's Seth Wilson puts up a 3-point shot as Toledo's Javan Simmons defends on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025, in Akron.
Isaiah Gray and Seth Wilson guide Akron to lead over Ohio in first half of men's college basketball game
Isaiah Gray made three layups and Seth Wilson dropped in a layup and swished a 3-pointer to help Akron build a 11-7 lead over Ohio. Timeout on the floor with 15:09 to go in the first half.
Aidan Hadaway made a 3-pointer for Ohio in the opening five minutes of the game.
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Here is some pregame information:
Who are the starters for the University of Akron and Ohio University men's basketball teams?
Ohio is starting AJ Brown, Shereef Mitchell, Aidan Hadaway, Jackson Paveletzke and AJ Clayton.
Akron is starting Tavari Johnson, Nate Johnson, Isaiah Gray, Seth Wilson and James Okonkwo.
Akron's Nate Johnson puts up a shot over Toledo's Sam Lewis on Jan. 14, 2015, in Akron.
Who are the statistical leaders for the University of Akron men's basketball team?
Junior guard Nate Johnson leads Akron in scoring (12.7 points per game) and junior guard Tavari Johnson is second on the team in points (11.8 a game).
Zips senior guard Isaiah Gray (9.7 points per game) and freshman guard Sharron Young (8.8 points per game) rank third and fourth in scoring for the Zips. Senior guard Shammah Scott is fifth at 8.7 points and senior forward James Okonkwo is fifth at 7.7 points. Okonkwo leads Akron at 8.2 rebounds per game.
Akron guard Tavari Johnson drives past Northern Kentucky guard Trey Robinson on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, in Akron.
What is the history between the University of Akron and Ohio University in men's basketball?
Akron leads 49-44 in its all-time series with Ohio. Zips coach John Groce is 8-6 as Akron's coach against Ohio, who he previously coached before moving to Illinois.
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Last season, host Akron beat Ohio 67-58, lost 74-67 in Athens and then topped Ohio 65-62 in a MAC Tournament semifinal game in Cleveland .
Akron guard Isaiah Gray shoots over a Northern Kentucky defender, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024.
Zips broadcast information. How can I watch on TV, listen on radio or stream the Akron, Ohio game?
The Akron-Ohio game can be watched on the CBS Sports Network and can be heard on local radio via WHLO (640-AM).
Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron Zips men's basketball score vs. Ohio recap, highlights
