The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
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Youngstown State (Exhibition)
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| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Youngstown St. | 32 | 44 | 76 |
| Akron | 43 | 49 | 92 |
October 27 | Men's Basketball
AKRON, OH --The Akron men's basketball team got a 33-point showing from the bench on the way to a 92-76 victory over the Youngstown State Penguins at James A. Rhodes Arena on Tuesday.
The Zips (0-0) had three players score in double figures, led by Tahj Staveskie, who had 28 points, five assists and five steals. Evan Mahaffey added 18 points and six rebounds and Kamrin Oriol chipped in as well with 18 points off of the bench.
Led by Buddy Hammer Jr.'s three offensive rebounds, Akron did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 12 boards that resulted in six second chance points.
Akron forced 13 Youngstown State turnovers while committing 10 themselves in Tuesday's game. The Zips turned those takeaways into 14 points on the offensive end of the floor. Staveskie's five steals led the way for Akron.
How It Happened
After falling behind 15-10, Akron went on a 6-0 run with 13:00 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Oriol, to take a 16-15 lead. The Zips then added 10 points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 43-32 advantage. Akron did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 26 of its 43 points close to the basket.
Akron kept its lead intact before going on a 9-0 run to grow the lead to 73-59 with 8:20 to go in the contest. The Zips kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 92-76 win. Akron got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 22 of its 49 total points.
Game Notes
» Akron lit it up from beyond the arc, knocking down nine treys in the game.» Akron never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» The Akron bench came alive by scoring 33 points to its scoring output.
» Akron had a 37-30 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Akron defense forced 13 turnovers.
» Akron cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 12 offensive boards in the game.
» Tahj Staveskie led the Zips with a game-high 28 points.
» Akron got a team-high eight rebounds from Buddy Hammer Jr.
UP Next
Akron opens the 2026-27 season on the road in Lafayette, La. as the Zips battle the Sun Belt Conference foe Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns for the MAC-SBC Challenge on Monday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. The game is scheduled for ESPN+.
