Akron Basketball Hosts Southern on Saturday Night at The JAR

Akron Basketball Hosts Southern on Saturday Night at The JAR
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Game 8 Notes: Akron vs Southern (PDF)

Akron Zips (4-3) vs Southern (3-4)
Saturday, Dec. 4 • James A Rhodes Arena • Akron, OH • 7 PM • ESPN+

Akron Head Coach
John Groce (Taylor '94)
Career Record: 255-184 (13th Season)
Record at Akron: 74-52 (4th Season)
MAC Record at Akron: 40-32 (4th Season)
Overall MAC Record: 74-62 (at Ohio and Akron)

Southern Head Coach
Sean Woods (Kentucky '05)
Overall Record: 173-214 (13th Season)
Record at Southern: 35-55 (4th Season)
SWAC Record: 27-23 (4th Season)

All-Time Series
Zips lead: 1-0 • Groce vs Marshall: 1-0 at Akron (1-0 Overall)
Last Meeting: Akron 72, Marshall 57 • Dec. 8, 2019 at James A. Rhodes Arena • Akron, Ohio
First Meeting: Same

Broadcast
TV/Video: ESPN+ - Jim Clark (PxP) and Jacki Windon (Analyst)
Radio: Akron Sports Network-Dave Skoczen (PxP), Joe Dunn (Analyst)-WHLO 640 AM (iHeart Radio)
Live Stats: GoZips.com/Schedule - Live Stats

What's Ahead
The Akron Zips return to James A. Rhodes Arena for a non-conference showdown against Southern on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 7 PM. Fans can follow the action on ESPN+ with Jim Clark calling the action and Jacki Windon providing analysis or listen to Akron Sports Radio Network on WHLO 640 AM with Dave Skoczen (PxP) and Joe Dunn (analyst). Live stats are also available on GoZips.com.

The Akron-Southern Series
Saturday's game marks the second meeting in series history between the Zips and the Jaguars. Akron won the lone meeting 72-57 on Dec. 8, 2019 at James A. Rhodes Arena. The game also marked the only meeting for Akron head coach John Groce.

Scouting The Jaguars
Southern enters the game with a 3-4 overall record, and 2-4 on the road. The Jaguars average 73.4 points per outing on 44.0 percent shooting from the floor and a 39.1 percent effort from beyond the 3-point arc, draining 7.4 triples a game.

Southern is riding a two-game winning streak, defeating Ecclesia (109-53) and Tennessee State (82-80). The Jaguars also posted a win over Tulane (73-70), but fell to Louisville (72-60), Rice (81-63), South Dakota (71-68) and Nebraska (82-59).

Southern has three players scoring in double figures led by Brion Whitley with 14.6 points per game on 49.3 percent shooting from the field while leading the squad from beyond the 3-point arc with 19 triples at a 40.4 percent clip. Tyrone Lyons closely follows with 14.4 points per game and shoots a team-best 51.5 percent from the field, while draining a second-best 11 trifectas. Lyons also secured a second-best 33 rebounds, trailing the leader Damien Sears, who averages 6.6 rebounds per game for a 46 total boards. Jayden Saddler rounds out the double-digit scoring with 10.3 points per game. Lyons and Saddler lead the squad with 13 steals apiece.

Defensively, Southern limits its opponents to scoring 72.7 points per game on 46.3 percent shooting from the floor and 29.3 percent from 3-point range, allowing only 6.3 long distance strikes per night. The Jaguars have caused 143 turnovers (20.4 to/g) with 75 steals (10.7 stl/g). Southern is outrebounded by the opponent by a -6.4 margin, allowing the opponent to grab 263 total boards (37.6 rebs/g) compared to the 218 total rebounds secured by the Jaguars (31.1 rebs/g).

The Last Meeting
The Akron Zips downed the visiting Southern Jaguars 72-57 at James A. Rhodes Arena. Four Zips scored in double figures. Earning a third straight win was no easy task for Akron, which got a battle from opening tip-off to final buzzer from the visiting Jaguars. The game saw five ties and five lead changes and the Zips (7-2) weren't able to take full control until an extended 23-6 run over a span of 11:08 put them nine points clear of the visitors.

It was a game that saw Akron win on the strength of its 3-point and free-throw shooting early and its defense down the stretch. The Zips sank nine shots from beyond the arc to the Jaguars' four and posted a 19-5 scoring advantage at the charity stripe. After intermission, Akron held Southern (3-6) to 22 points, no made 3-pointers and 36-percent shooting from the field.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair that saw the visitors edge ahead multiple times, only for the Zips to fight back behind 3-pointers and transition hoops. The 35-34 halftime score in favor of Southern, perfectly encapsulated an opening 20 minutes that saw the two teams dead even in multiple statistical categories, including offensive rebounds (4-4), defensive rebounds (14-14), assists (8-8) and points off turnovers (5-5).

UP NEXT
Akron is scheduled to host Florida A&M on Sunday, Dec. 12 at James A. Rhodes Arena. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. before the Akron women's basketball team tips against Cleveland State at 5 p.m. Fans can follow the action on ESPN+ with Michael Reghi calling the action and Jacki Windon providing analysis or listen to Akron Sports Radio Network on WHLO 640 AM with Dave Skoczen (PxP) and Joe Dunn (analyst). Live stats are also available on GoZips.com.

The University of Akron Athletics

Akron Basketball Hosts Southern on Saturday Night at The JAR

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