The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
4-1
Air Force
5-1
Zips Attack Air Force in Second Half for an 84-75 Win at Savannah Invitational
November 26 | Men's Basketball
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Savannah. Ga. – The Akron Zips outscored Air Force 51-36 in the second half en route to an 84-75 victory at the Savannah Civic Center on Friday night.
The Zips (4-1) handed the Falcons (5-1) their first loss and have won four consecutive games this season, including three straight at the Savannah Invitational. As a result, the Zips will play for the Savannah Invitational Championship tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. against Mercer.
Air Force opened the game firing on all cylinders. The Falcons knocked down four of their first six shots, including two out of three from beyond the 3-point arc for a 10-7 advantage at the first media timeout.
The Falcons pushed the lead to as many as 10 points with 3:24 left in the initial half behind 11 points from Frank Toohey, shooting 4-of-8 from the floor which included a 3-of-4 effort from behind the 3-point arc.
During that span, Akron shot just 6-of-21 from the floor and 2-of-14 from deep, until freshman wing Daniel Utomi (Houston, Texas) provided a much needed spark. Utomi hit back-to-back 3-pointers to sway the game's momentum to the Zips' bench. Sophomore guard Josh Williams (Akron, Ohio) followed with a long-distance bucket, while freshman Tavian Dunn-Martin (Huntington, W.Va.) cut the Falcons' lead to three points, 35-32, with an offensive rebound and put-back.
Air Force ended the Zips' 7-0 scoring outburst with two free throws and added a layin as time expired to take a 39-33 halftime lead.
During the break, 13th-year head coach Keith Dambrot rallied his troops, and the Zips were a completely different team during the final 20 minutes of play.
Senior center Isaiah Johnson (Cincinnati, Ohio) led the charge with 12 second-half points as Akron went straight to Big Dog for the first two points. Senior forward Kwan Cheatham, Jr. (Cincinnati, Ohio) followed with a triple, and the Zips' were on their way to a 19-6 run to open the half.
The run lasted seven-and-a-half minutes, as Williams buried a triple from the corner, Cheatham followed with a layup, and junior guard Noah Robotham (Las Vegas, Nev.) buried a triple at the top of the key. Next, the Zips utilized the big fella for three consecutive possessions, Johnson scored six-unanswered points, while Antino Jackson and junior wing Aaron Jackson (Gahanna, Ohio) added two points apiece from the charity stripe.
By the 12:20 mark, Akron built a 55-45 advantage before Air Force recorded its eighth point of the half. The Zips immediately regained the double-digit lead as Dunn-Martin connected from long distance.
Air Force made one final attempt to regain control of the scoreboard with an 8-0 run, but the attempt was stalled by a pair of free throws from Williams, Robotham, and Antino Jackson.
Johnson led Akron's scoring efforts with 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor and a 5-of-8 showing from the free throw line. In addition, Johnson added a career-best five assists. Williams followed with 16 points, and Antino Jackson added 15 points.
Akron will be back in action on Saturday, Nov. 26, at 7:30 p.m., playing in the Savannah Invitational title game against Mercer. Fans can follow the action at GoZips.com or by the Akron-IMG Radio Network.
