Akron’s 22-1 second-half run dooms Chippewas, ends winning streak
Just when the Central Michigan men’s basketball team seemed to have control, Friday, Akron stole the momentum. And vice versa.
A game littered with runs ended in favor of the Zips, as the top team in the Mid-American Conference held off the Chippewas 92-87 at Akron’s Rhodes Arena.
The Chippewas whittled down a 20-point deficit, with sophomore Josh Kozinski missing a 3-pointer with 24 seconds to play that would have brought CMU within two points. After a Fowler layup with 14 seconds to go cut the lead to five, CMU decided not to foul.
“We were trying to trap, trying to steal the ball rather than give a foul there," said Head Coach Keno Davis. "Then there were seven seconds left when they got the ball into the front court, so there wasn’t much point in extending the game.”
Akron maintains sole possession of first place with an 8-2 MAC record (19-4 overall). CMU loses its four-game winning streak and drops to 13-10 and 6-4 in MAC play. CMU finished last season 23-9.
“They’re arguably the best team," Davis said. "Yet, we understand that the difference between Akron, ourselves and seven or eight other teams in the MAC is really slim.”
The two teams entered Friday as the top two teams in the MAC in 3-point field goals per game. Akron averages 11.1 per contest, good for fourth in the country, while CMU’s 9.9 per game is 12th nationally.
The Zips hit 16-of-32 3-point attempts, using the long ball to spark numerous offensive runs. CMU hit 10-of-32.
The back-and-forth affair started with a CMU 12-2 run. Josh Wilson and Antino Jackson took control for the Zips, helping their team to a 32-12 run and a first-half-ending 10-2 run.
“We know that when you go on the road, teams are going to get runs on you," Davis said. "They just happened to pretty much make every shot that they took during that stretch.”
CMU used a 12-0 run early in the second half to take a one-point lead, but Akron immediately responded by scoring 22 of the game’s next 23 points. CMU would put together 9-0, 9-2 and 8-3 runs, but couldn’t make up the deficit.
Senior forward John Simons made his first 3-point attempt of the night, giving him the record for the most 3-pointers in program history. He finished the night with a double-double, scoring 13 points and gathering 10 rebounds.
Sophomore forward Luke Meyer scored seven of CMU’s first 15 points. He finished with 15, one point shy of his season high. Junior guard Braylon Rayson led CMU with 18 points, but was 6-of-17 from the field.
