The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Middle Tennessee
Men's Basketball Falls 62-61 to Middle Tennessee
December 13 | Men's Basketball
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AKRON, Ohio – The Akron Zips overcame a double-digit deficit in the second half, but could not get a game-winning shot off in the final seconds to fall 62-61 to Middle Tennessee on Saturday night at James A. Rhodes Arena.
Akron (6-3), down by as many as 10 points in the second half, battled back to tie the game a 61-all with 2:08 to go thanks to two Pat Forsythe free throws. Middle Tennessee (5-4) would regain the lead, 62-61, on its next possession at the free throw line.
After a missed 3-pointer by Kwan Cheatham, Jr., and two missed free throws by Forsythe, the Zips would get a defensive stop with 49 seconds left. Jake Kretzer and Cheatham would both miss 3-point attempts and MTSU would not convert the front-end of a 1-and-1, setting up Akron with the ball and 11 seconds to play. However, the Blue Raiders would not allow the Zips to get off a shot in the final 11 seconds.
Forsythe led all Akron players with 14 points to go with five rebounds and one blocked shot. Cheatham followed with 12 points, five rebounds and one blocked shot, while Antino Jackson helped out with a career-high 10 points.
Akron closed the game shooting 40.4 percent from the floor (19-of-47) and 38.1 percent from long range (8-of-21). The Zips out-rebounded MTSU, 28-26, while the Blue Raiders shot a season high 55.0 percent from the field (22-of-40).
Reggie Upshaw led the scoring with 17 points and had eight rebounds for Middle Tennessee.
Akron opened the game up strong on an 8-0 run after Cheatham connected on a pair of 3-pointers. Middle Tennessee immediately answered, going on a 7-0 run of their own.
The Blue Raiders took their first lead of the game (23-22) with 6:36 minutes remaining in the first half after Edward Simpson made his third 3-pointer of the opening 20 minutes.
The Zips would miss five-straight baskets while MTSU went on a 11-0 run to give the Blue Raiders their largest lead of the half, 31-23, with 2:45 on the first-half clock. Middle Tennessee would lead 37-32 at the intermission.
Nyles Evans scored his first two baskets of the game and the Zips first five points in the second half. Cheatham followed with another 3-pointer that cut MTSU lead to one (41-40).
MTSU would push its advantage to a game-high 10 points (60-50) with 5:09 to go before Jackson's five-straight points sparked a 9-0 Akron run. A Forsythe lay-up off a Noah Robotham assist, with 2:46 remaining capped off the run and closed the game to 60-59. The one-point deficit would be the closest the Zips would get in the final minutes.
The Zips hit the road for one game when they Face North Dakota State in Fargo, N.D., on Tuesday, Dec. 16. Tip off is set for 8 p.m. ET.
Zips Notebook: The loss snapped a three-game winning streak overall and a seven-game winning streak at Rhodes Arena dating back to last season ... the loss at home is just the sixth in the last 59 games for Akron at the JAR ... the Zips have turned the ball over fewer times than their opponents in 8-of-9 games this season ... the one-point loss is the first for Akron since a 64-63 loss to Ohio in the 2012 Mid-American Conference Championship game.
