Zips celebrate return home with 80-33 rout of Muskingum

Sunday, December 4

Akron, Ohio

2 PM

University of Akron

4-4,0-0MAC

Muskingum

0-6,0-1OAC

Muskingum

Akron

Zips celebrate return home with 80-33 rout of Muskingum

December 04 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

AKRON, Ohio – The Akron Zips overpowered the visiting Muskingum Muskies 80-33 on Sunday afternoon in their first game at James A. Rhodes Arena in nearly three weeks.

A blend of strong outside shooting and relentless defense allowed the Zips to build a big early lead and coast to their fourth win of the season. For the afternoon, they held the Muskies to 13-of-52 shooting and forced 17 turnovers, cashing in those miscues for 19 points on the other end.

Senior guard Xavier Castaneda led Akron with 17 points, graduate transfer guard Trendon Hankerson added 10 and sophomore guard Nate Johnson tallied nine in the victory.

After shaking off a slow start, the Zips (4-4) built a double-digit lead midway through the first half and closed the frame out with a 10-0 burst over the final 5:05 as they forced Muskingum into 0-of-5 shooting during the span and took a 34-12 lead to the locker room.

With 11 assists on 13 first-half baskets, good ball movement and passing were key to Akron's success. A 15-2 first-half edge in bench points underscored the effectiveness of the second unit, which also helped in limiting the Muskies (0-6) to five made field goals before intermission.

The dominance continued after halftime as Akron extended its lead to as many as 49. Eleven different Zips scored in the game and nine players grabbed a rebound to fuel a 48-29 rebounding edge. With only 13 made field goals and seven offensive rebounds, Muskingum couldn't keep pace with an Akron attack that drained 15 3-pointers.

It was the first home game since Nov. 15 for the Zips and kicked off a December that will see them play five of six contests at home.

Sophomore guard D.J. Donnell topped Muskingum with 11 points and freshman forward Kaelan Pulliam contributed seven in defeat.

The win kicks off a four-game homestand for the Zips, who return to action on Dec. 11 for a 2 p.m. tilt with Jackson State. Stream the radio broadcast of the contest live on GoZips.com.