Story by
Akron men's basketball score vs. Princeton. Zips roll to win over Tigers
- Story by
- Akron men's basketball score vs. Princeton. Zips roll to win over Tigers
The University of Akron men's basketball team hosted Princeton on Saturday, Nov. 8 at Rhodes Arena.
Akron spoiled Princeton's opening game of the season, winning 104-69. The trio of Amani Lyles, Shammah Scott and Tavari Johnson , who led Akron to an 85-71 win over James Madison on Nov. 3, helped the Zips dominate the Tigers throughout Saturday's game.
Advertisement
The Zips separated from the Tigers with a 19-0 run in the first half.
Here's how the game unfolded through our live updates and highlights as Akron defeated Princeton .
Akron tops Princeton 104-69 in an NCAA basketball game
Akron wins 104-69 over Princeton. The Zips are 2-0. The Tigers are 0-1.
Tavari Johnson led Akron with 21 points and six assists in just over 23 minutes. Johnson made 7 of 13 shots from the field, including 5 of 8 from beyond the 3-point arc, and 2 of 3 free throws.
Akron's Amani Lyles finished with 16 points, six rebounds and two steals. Lyles made 4 of 5 shots from the field and 8 of 9 free throws in just over 20 minutes.
Advertisement
Akron's Eric Mahaffey contributed 14 points and nine rebounds, his brother, Evan Mahaffey totaled 14 points, five rebounds and four assists. Sharron Young scored nine points, Shammah Scott chipped in eight points and five assists, Zach Halligan scored seven points and Bowen Hardman added six points.
Jackson Hicke paced Princeton with 15 points and two assists in just over 25 minutes. Dalen Davis finishd with 11 points and two assists and Jack Stanton totaled eight points and six rebounds.
Akron leads Princeton 104-67 in second half of NCAA basketball game
Akron leads Princeton 104-67 in the final two minutes of the second half.
Advertisement
Conner Groce with a layup off of a pass from Zach Halligan with 2:27 to go in the game. Halligan makes two free throws with 1:22 to go.
Akron leads Princeton 100-63 in second half of NCAA basketball game
Akron leads Princeton 100-63 with 3:53 remaining in the second half following a layup and free throw by Shammah Scott. Zach Halligan made a 3-pointer and a layup on previous possessions for Akron.
Akron leads Princeton 86-51 in second half of NCAA basketball game
Akron leads Princeton 86-51 with 8:10 remaining in the second half following a layup by Chabi Barre.
Akron increases lead to 81-46 over Princeton in second half of NCAA basketball game
Akron leads Princeton 81-46 with 9:55 remaining in the second half after a 3-pointer by Sharron Young.
Advertisement
Akron is on an 18-5 run. Young has two 3-pointers during the surge, and Tavari Johnson and Eric Mahaffey each have one 3.
Akron extends lead to 69-41 over Princeton in second half of NCAA basketball game
Akron leads Princeton 69-41 with 11:50 remaining in the second half after 3-pointers by Sharron Young and Tavari Johnson at 12:52 and 12:24, respectively.
Tavari Johnson has 21 points.
Akron leads Princeton 61-33 in second half of NCAA basketball game
Akron leads Princeton 61-33 with 15:07 to go in the second half. The Zips have outscored the Tigers 14-6 in the first five minutes of the second half.
Advertisement
Akron's Tavari Johnson has a 3-pointer and two layups in the second half to give him 18 points.
Akron's Eric Mahaffey has contributed a 3-pointer and a right-handed slam dunk. His brother, Evan Mahaffey threw down a two-hand slam dunk to give the Zips their 28-point lead.
Akron leads Princeton 47-27 at halftime of NCAA basketball game
Akron leads Princeton 47-27 at halftime after Shammah Scott made 3-pointer with two seconds on the clock.
Amani Lyles leads Akron with 12 points and five rebounds. Tavari Johnson has 11 points and three assists. Bowen Hardman has made two 3-pointers for six points. Shammah Scott has five points and three assists. Evan Mahaffey has five points and two assists. Eric Mahaffey and Marvin Musiime-Kamali each have four points.
Advertisement
Jackson Hicke has 10 points for Princeton and Jack Stanton is at eight points.
Akron's scoring run continues, Zips lead Princeton Tigers 32-13 in first half of NCAA basketball game
Tavari Johnson makes two free throws to give Akron a 32-13 lead over Princeton with 7:28 to go in the first half.
The Zips are on a 19-0 run that started with a Amani Lyles two-hand slam dunk. Lyles also had a 3-point play (layup and free throw) during the surge.
The run also included two 3-pointers by Tavari Johnson, one 3-pointer by Bowen Hardman and an Evan Maffey free throw and two-hand slam dunk.
Akron increases lead to 30-13 over Princeton in first half of NCAA basketball game
Akron leads Princeton 30-13 with 8:25 remaining in the first half after Evan Mahaffey grabbed an offensive rebounds and threw down a two-hand slam dunk.
Advertisement
The Zips are on a 17-0 run.
Akron extends lead to 18-13 over Princeton in first half of NCAA basketball game
Akron leads Princeton 18-13 with 12:44 remaining in the first half. Amani Lyles converted a layup and free throw to give the Zips the five-point advantage. Lyles had a two-hand dunk prior to that off of a pass from Sharron Young.
Akron leads Princeton 9-5 in first half of NCAA basketball game
Akron leads Princeton 9-5 early in the first half. Amani Lyles opened the scoring for the Zips with a steal and left-handed dunk after Jackson Hicke of the Tigers made a jumper.
Evan Mahaffey and Marvin Musiime-Kamali each made layups and Tavari Johnson swished a 3-pointer after Lyles' dunk.
Advertisement
Below is some pregame information.
Akron men's basketball starters vs. Princeton
The Zips started the following players:
-
Guard Tavari Johnson
-
Guard Shammah Scott
-
Guard Eric Mahaffey
-
Wing Evan Mahaffey
-
Forward Amani Lyles
Akron’s Amani Lyles dunks against Western Michigan on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025.
How can I watch or listen to the Akron Zips vs. Princeton Tigers basketball game today?
Akron vs. Princeton can be viewed on ESPN+ with Jeff Phelps working as the play-by-play announcer and Dave Bacon as the analyst. It can be heard on the Akron Sports Radio Network on WHLO (640-AM) with Dave Skoczen serving as the play-by-play announcer and Joe Dunn as the analyst.
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 men's basketball score vs Princeton recap, Zips win big
