The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
9-4,1-0MAC
Northern Illinois
6-7,0-1MAC
Zips Begin MAC Play With 73-51 Win At NIU
January 02 | Men's Basketball
DEKALB, Ill. --Enrique Freeman notched a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds to help the Akron men's basketball team beat the Northern Illinois Huskies 73-51 on the road Tuesday.
The Zips (9-4, 1-0) had four players score in double figures, led by Freeman. Ali Ali tacked on 16 points and six rebounds and Nate Johnson chipped in as well with 13 points and six rebounds.
The Akron offense was very productive from beyond the arc, knocking down eight threes on 19 attempts. Johnson was the most prolific shooter for the Zips, draining three treys in the contest.
The Akron defense held Northern Illinois shooters to just 32.1 percent from the field, including 18.2 percent from three-point range. The Zips also kept Zarique Nutter to 3-of-14 shooting and nine points in the game. The Huskies did not get many second opportunities on the offensive end, as they grabbed only eight offensive rebounds and scored 11 second chance points while Akron pulled down 30 defensive rebounds.
How It Happened
After jumping out to an 11-8 advantage, Akron went on a 10-0 run with 10:53 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Johnson, to increase its lead to 21-8. The Zips then added six points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 35-16 advantage.
Following intermission, Akron kept widening that lead, expanding it to 51-31 before going on a 5-0 run, finished off by Kaleb Thornton's three, to grow the lead to 56-31 with 11:02 to go in the contest. The Huskies narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Zips still cruised the rest of the way for the 73-51 win.
Game Notes
» Enrique Freeman notched an impressive double-double for the Zips with 21 points and 10 rebounds.» The Zips shot well from three point range, knocking down eight of 19 long range attempts.
» The Zips held the Huskies to only 32.1 percent shooting from the field.
» Akron never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» Akron had a stellar day defensively, holding Northern Illinois to 18 percent from beyond the arc on 22 attempts.
» Akron had a 40-27 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Akron defense forced 14 turnovers.
» Akron cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 10 offensive boards in the game.
» Enrique Freeman led the Zips with 21 points.
» Akron got a game-high 10 rebounds from Enrique Freeman.
What's Next?
The Zips return to Akron to host Bowling Green on Friday, January 5 for a 9 pm start.
