The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
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Alabama State
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Zips Go 3-0 at the Akron Basketball Classic With 97-78 Win Over Alabama State
November 24 | Men's Basketball
AKRON, Ohio - The Akron men's basketball team concluded the Akron Basketball Classic with a 3-0 record after defeating Alabama State 97-78 at James A. Rhodes Arena on Sunday.
Nate Johnson was named the MVP of the tournament while Amani Lyles and Isaiah Gray were named to the All-Tournament team.
Akron (4-2) had four players finish in double figures in scoring, led by a career-high 25 points from Johnson. Bowen Hardman collected a career-high 19 points after going 6-of-7 from 3-point range. Gray added 11 points while Sharron Young gave the Zips 10 points in the win.
James Okonkwo and Josiah Harris powered the Zips' rebounding performance with 10 boards each while Lyles and Marvin Musiime-Kamali each had six.
Akron collected 53 rebounds in Sunday's game compared to Alabama State's 32. The Zips also put in work on the offensive glass, turning 18 rebounds into 19 second chance points.
How It Happened
After falling behind 8-6, Akron went on a 10-0 run with 16:34 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Bowen Hardman, to take a 16-8 lead. The Zips then added one point to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 50-41 advantage. Akron relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down nine shots to account for 27 of its 50 points.
Following intermission, Akron kept widening that lead, expanding it to 77-67 before going on a 12-0 run, finished off by Shammah Scott's three, to grow the lead to 89-67 with 7:16 to go in the contest. The Hornets narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Zips still cruised the rest of the way for the 97-78 win. Akron got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 21 of its 47 total points.
Game Notes
» The Zips shot well from three point range, knocking down 15 of 35 long range attempts.» Akron never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» Akron tallied 21 total assists in the game.
» The Akron bench came alive by adding 45 points to its scoring output.
» Bowen Hardman and Sharron Young came off the bench to score 19 and 10 points, respectively.
» Akron had a 53-32 edge on the boards in the win.
» Akron cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 18 offensive boards in the game.
» Nate Johnson led the Zips with a game-high 25 points.
» James Okonkwo and Josiah Harris led Akron with a game-high 10 rebounds apiece.
What's Next?
The Zips stay home for their next contest when the Northern Kentucky Norse visit the JAR on December 3 for a 7 p.m. start.
Tournament MVP – Nate Johnson (Akron)
All-Tournament Team
Isaiah Gray (Akron)
Amani Lyles (Akron)
TJ Madlock (Alabama State)
CJ Hines (Alabama State)
Marquell Sutton (Nebraska Omaha)
Tony Osburn (Nebraska Omaha)
Alexis Marmolejos (Lamar)
