The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Purdue Fort Wayne
Akron's First True Road Test at Purdue Fort Wayne
December 04 | Men's Basketball
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Akron Zips (6-2) MAC vs. Purdue Fort Wayne (5-5)Summit
Wednesday, Dec. 5 • Allen County War Memorial Coliseum • Fort Wayne, Ind. • 7 PM ET • CN81 or GoMastodons.com/Watch
Purdue Fort Wayne Head Coach
Jon Coffman (Washington & Lee '96)Â
Overall Record: 83-58 (5th Season)Â
Record at Fort Wayne: 83-58 (5th Season)
AKRON ZIPS Head Coach
John Groce (Taylor '94)
Career Record: 200-151 (11th Season)
Record at Akron: 20-20 (2nd Season)
MAC Record at Akron: 6-12 (2nd Season)
Overall MAC Record: 40-42 (at Ohio and Akron)
All-Time Series
Series tied: 1-1 Groce vs Purdue Fort Wayne: 1-0 at Akron (2-0 Overall)
Last Meeting: Akron 83, Purdue Fort Wayne 79 - December 6, 2017 at James A. Rhodes Arena
First Meeting: Purdue Fort Wayne 97 Akron 91 -Â March 19, 2014 at Gates Center
In Akron 1-0 - In Fort Wayne: 0-1
Broadcast
TV/Video: CN81 or GoMastodons.com/Watch – John Nolan (PxP), Jeff Parrish (Analyst)Â
Live Stats: GoZips.com/Schedule - Live Stats
Radio: Akron-IMG Sports Network - Steve French (PxP), Joe Dunn (Analyst) WARF 1350 AM (flagship), iHeart Radio, TuneIn.com/Akron Zips
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Quick Hits
• A win would give Akron its first true road win of the season (non-neutral site)
• Jimond Ivey is 25 points away from achieving 1,000 career points
• The Zips are ranked 12th in the NCAA for scoring defense only allowing 59.0 points per game
• Akron is ranked 23rd in th NCAA for 3-point FGs attempted (231), 31st in scoring margin (17.3), 33rd in turnovers/game (11.3), 45th in total 3-point FGs made (77) and in 3-pointers/game (9.6)
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What's Ahead
The Akron men's basketball program continues its 118th season of non-conference hoops by traveling to the first true road game of the season against Purdue Fort Wayne on Wednesday, Dec. 5, at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. Under second-year head coach John Groce, the Zips are 6-2 overall and riding a three-game winning streak. The Zips are coming off an 71-59 win over Detroit Mercy at James A. Rhodes Arena. Akron is 4-0 at Rhodes Arena and 2-2 in neutral site games this season.
The Broadcasts
The Zips road game is scheduled to air on Local Comcast Network or streamed at GoMastodons.com/watch for a $5.95 fee as John Nolan will call the action and Jeff Parrish provides analysis. Fans can also follow the action on GoZips.com via Live Stats or by Zips' radio. The Zips' radio broadcast will air on the Akron-IMG Sports Network SportsRadio 1350 AM (WARF) in Akron (flagship) with Steve French calling the action and Joe Dunn providing analysis. The pregame show starts 30 minutes prior to the contest. The free audio stream is available at SportsRadio1350.com, iHeart Radio, and TuneIn.com/Akron Zips.
Scouting the Mastodons
Purdue Fort Wayne enters the game winning two of the last three outings and a 5-5 overall record. The Mastodons defeated Cleveland State (82-79) and Eastern Illinois (104-60) before falling to Missouri - Kansas City (90-73). Fort Wayne. averages 83.2 points per outing on 47.4 percent shooting from the floor and a 37.5 percent effort from beyond the 3-point arc, draining 11.0 triples a game.
The 'Dons have three players scoring in double figures led by John Konchar, who nearly averages a double-double with 16.4 points and a team-high 8.7 rebounds per game. He shoots 55.2 percent from the floor and 36.7 percent from deep with 11 triples, while grabbing a team-best 87 rebounds and dishing out a team-high 52 assists. He is currently ranked in the Top 10 in the NCAA active career leaders for steals (3rd, 220), assist turnover ratio (5th, 235) and double-doubles (7th, 38).Â
Kason Harrell follows with 15 points per game and ranks second on the squad from 3-point range, knocking down 22-of-49 shots for a 44.9 shooting percentage from deep. He leads the team in steals (15), while Konchar is second (13). Leading the squad from beyond the 3-point arc and the third double-digit scorer is Matt Holba. Holba has buried a team-best 24-of-59 (.407) long distance shots en route to a 12.1 points per game average. In addition, the Mastodons have buried 110 triples as a team with six players clocking double-digit made 3-point buckets.
Defensively, Purdue Fort Wayne limits its opponents to 78.1 points per game on 46.6 percent shooting from the floor and 37.8 percent from 3-point range, allowing 8.5 long distance strikes per night. The Mastodons have caused 147 turnovers (14.7 to/g) with 84 steals (8.4 stl/g). Purdue Fort Wayne is slightly outrebounded by a -0.5 margin, grabbing 355 total boards while allowing the opposition to secure 360 rebounds.
The Akron-Purdue Fort Wayne Series
Wednesday's game marks the third meeting in series history between the Zips and the Mastodons. The all-time series is tied 1-1 as two teams met last season at James A. Rhodes Arena and in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) on March 19, 2014. Akron won last season's meeting 83-79 on Dec. 6, and the Mastodons advanced in the CIT with a 97-91 win over Akron.
The Last Meeting...
Behind a balanced offensive attack and solid marksmanship from beyond the arc, the Akron Zips overcame a slow start to hold off Fort Wayne 83-79 at James A. Rhodes Arena.
Forward Emmanuel Olojakpoke (Houston, Texas) tallied a career-best 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting in the win, along with seven rebounds and four blocks. Using his jump hook, Olojakpoke helped Akron close the first half strong - scoring 14 in the opening frame - and blocked three shots before intermission to steady the Zips on defense.
Six players scored eight points or more for Akron as Zips' guards Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio - 12 points and Daniel Utomi (Houston, Texas – 11 points) reached double digits. The visitors, who were led by John Konchar (23 points) and Kason Harrell (19 points).Â
Fort Wayne closed to within four points multiple times in the second half and narrowed the margin to two with 28.4 seconds remaining thanks to a deep triple from Harrell to make the score 81-79. Following the made shot, Akron made 2-of-4 free throws to close the game as Ivey provided the final charity bucket for the win.Â
Turnovers impeded Akron's offense, as 14 miscues slowed its scoring pace, especially in the second half. Ultimately, the Zips were able to overcome those turnovers thanks to their long-range shooting and a 40-28 rebounding edge that helped them to a 38-24 advantage on points in the paint. On the night, Akron shot 41.7 percent (10-of-24) from long range.
The Last Time Out
Akron used a second-half surge led by senior guard Jimond Ivey (Cleveland, Ohio) to pull away in a close game and down visiting Detroit Mercy 71-59 at James A. Rhodes Arena Saturday night. With the win, head coach John Groce secured his 200th career victory and 20th win at Akron as the Zips moved to 6-2 overall and Detroit Mercy fell to 3-5 this season.
Ivey played a stellar all-around game, leading the Zips with 25 points and adding a game-high 13 rebounds, five assists and a steal – It was Ivey's second double-double of the season. Junior forward Daniel Utomi (Houston, Texas) added 13 points and seven rebounds, while junior guard Channel Banks (Las Vegas, Nev.) had 10 points and six boards for the hosts. Guards Tyler Cheese (Jr., Albany, Ga.) and Loren Cristian Jackson (So., Chicago, Ill.) added eight points each.
A relentless defense kept the Titans mostly in check, although freshman guard Antonie Davis led all scorers with 27 points, despite needing 26 shots to do so. Detroit Mercy shot just 30.3 percent (20-of-66) for the game, including 9-of-35 (25.7 percent) from 3-point range.
The Zips were able to edge ahead early in the second half and built what was at that point their largest lead of the game, 34-29, on an alley-oop dunk by Ivey off a long-distance pass from Banks, but Detroit Mercy quickly climbed back into the game. It was a common trend in a contest with eight ties and eight lead changes as neither side could sustain momentum for long until the final few minutes.
Akron finally seized lasting control of the contest after the Titans took their last lead at 40-39. Ivey fueled a 14-2 run with nine points to push the Zips to a 53-42 edge, one they would never relinquish.
It was a game played at a slower pace for virtually the entire evening, as both teams elected to move the ball around in the half court in search of open 3-point looks. The first seven field goals of the game all came from beyond the arc and 30-of-50 points in the opening half were on triples.
Akron spread its deep-shooting wealth around, as four players made a three in the first 20 minutes. Detroit Mercy was a one-man attack much of the night as Davis had 13 of his team's 25 first-half points and the two sides went to the locker room deadlocked at 25-all.
Groce Reaches 200 Career Wins
Second-year head coach John Groce earned his 200th career victory on Saturday, Dec. 1 as the Akron men's basketball team defeated Detroit Mercy at James A. Rhodes Arena. In addition, it was Groce's 20th win at Akron. He collected 85 wins in four seasons at Ohio and 95 wins at Illinois.
Closing on 1,,000 Points
Senior guard Jimond Ivey is quickly approaching the 1,000-point career milestone. In 2018-19, Ivey has scored 107 points, averaging 13.4 points per game as Akron's second leading scorer. Over his four-year playing career at Akron, Ivey has accumulated 975 points, averaging 9.0 points per game. He appeared in 108 total games with 69 starting appearances. Last season, Ivey set Akron's single-game scoring record with a 48-point performance on the road at Ball State (1/27/18).
Pass the Cheese Tre
Junior Tyler Cheese set a career-high scoring mark against Alabama State with 19 points on 3-of-4 shooting from downtown and a 7-of-9 effort from the floor. He added a career best five assists. Cheese has scored in double figures 3-of-7 games with 13 points against Youngstown State and Clemson. Cheese currently ranks fourth in team scoring with 9.8 points per game.
Five Players Score Double Figures... AGAIN
Five Zips reached double digits in scoring against Youngstown State and again this season against Alabama State. Against Alabama State, Tyler Cheese led the way with 19 points followed by Jimond Ivey (13), Emmanuel Olojakpoke (12), Channel Banks (10) and Daniel Utomi (10). Against YSU, Utomi led all scorers with 25 points and Ivey followed with 18 points, while Loren Cristian Jackson (16), Deng Riak (14) and Cheese (13) all turned in career-high performances.
Cayman Islands All-Tournament Team
Sophomore Loren Cristian Jackson (Chicago, Ill.) earned All-Tournament team honors at the Cayman Islands Classic. In three games, Jackson averaged a career-high 16.3 points per game with 4.3 Assists and 2.3 rebounds. Jackson opened the tournament with a career-best 25-point performance against No. 16 ranked Clemson (L, 72-69). He buried a personal best five 3-pointers (5-of-12, .417) and grabbed a career-high four rebounds with three assists. In the second and third games, he paced the Zips with five assists per game. Jackson added 15 points to his weekly total against Illinois State (L, 73-68) and scored nine points in the win over St. Bonaventure. For the week, Jackson scored 49 points, dished out 13 assists, grabbed seven rebounds and had one steal. He shot 11-of-35 (.314) from the floor, 7-of-24 (.292) from deep, and 20-of-27 (.741) from the free throw line.
Jackson Drops 25 Points on No. 16 Clemson
Jackson opened the Cayman Islands Classic with a career-high 25-point performance against No. 16 Clemson. Jackson shot 7-of-17 from the floor (.412), including a 5-of-12 performance from deep (.417). He made eight trips to the free throw line and buried six charity buckets. In addition, Jackson had four rebounds and three assists.
Like Money in the Bank
Junior college transfer Channel Banks (Las Vegas, Nev.) has scored in double digits 3-of-7 games this season and is currently fifth on the team in scoring with 9.0 points per game. He is shooting a team-best 40.6 percent (13-of-32) from long distance. Those 13 made 3-point field goals ranks third on the team as Dan Utomi (20) and Loren Cristian Jackson (16) leads the way. Banks led the squad in scoring with 15 points (Cedarville) and 17 points (Chicago State), while adding a 10-point performance against Alabama State.
Olojakpoke Returns to Action
After having his 2017-18 campaign cut short due to season ending heart surgery, junior frontcourt specialist Emmanuel Olojakpoke returned to action. EMan played 13 minutes in Akron's season opener, scoring two points while causing havoc in the paint. Olojakpoke grabbed four rebounds, blocked two shots and had one steal.Â
Senior Leader Opens Season with a Double-Double
Senior guard/wing Jimond Ivey started the season off right by recording a double-double in Akron's first appearance of the season. Ivey scored 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. He lead the Zips on the glass, pulling down 10 defensive rebounds and grabbing one offensive board. From the floor, Ivey used a 4-of-6 performance from the floor and a 4-of-6 showing from the free throw line for the 12 points.
The LeBron James Shoe Deal and Nike Apparel
Since June 2008, the Akron men's basketball program has been partnered with Nike under which the Zips' shoes, game uniforms, warm ups and accessories are licensed under the Nike and LeBron James Trademarks.
The Zips are just one of three college programs in the country that are partnered with the LBJ line of Nike equipment, the others are Ohio State and Duquesne. Akron rocks six pairs of LBJ kicks in three different styles all customized to Akron Basketball.
The Akron Zips men's basketball team has six different uniforms, including four new looks for the 2018-19 season. Akron will continue to sport the grey set of uniforms modeled after the Team USA uniforms, which were new for 2017-18. The Grey uniforms feature the script Akron on the chest in blue outlined in the university gold. The numbers are depicted the same way which matches the blue piping that outlines the uniform. The shorts feature the Z-logo on both sides of the leg and are piped with the blue. Akron also had a new set of purple se uniforms last season that are worn as a tribute to former coach and director of operations Dan Peters.
For 2018-19, the Zips will showcase new home and away, whites and blues, with combinations that brings back the gold. Both sets feature the script Akron across the chest in gold with the white set accented by blue outlines and piping, while the  blues are outlined in white.The pants feature the Z-Logo on one leg and script Akron on the opposite side. Also, the Roo-Head debuts on the waistband.Speaking of Gold, Akron's "Gold Standard" uniforms are back. Yes, Akron will be rockin gold uniforms once again. The Team USA inspired uniforms feature the script Akron in blue across the chest with the Roo-Head on the sides of the shorts. The waistband features the Z-Logo.
The final uniform is a Fear The Roo uniform that is anthracite (dark grey) as the base color. Those are all the details we can divulge at this time.
UP NEXT
The Zips return to James A. Rhodes Arena on Saturday, Dec. 10 against Marshall at 2 p.m.
