Akron wins lone matchup against men's basketball, 69-63
Central Michigan Men's Basketball head coach Keno Davis yells during the game on Jan. 30 at McGuirk Arena.
In the only Mid-American Conference battle of the season between the Central Michigan men’s basketball team and Akron, the Zips were victorious.
The Chippewas (15-10, 4-8 MAC) fell to the Zips (11-13, 4-8 MAC) on the road, 69-63, at James A. Rhodes Arena on Feb. 10. The loss was CMU’s second-straight.
“Our guys are obviously upset we didn’t get the win,” said CMU head coach Keno Davis. “It’s more important we turn the page and learn to get better than it is to feel like we missed an opportunity.”
Just over a minute into the game, the Chippewas got on the board first, 2-0, on a fade away layup from senior forward Luke Meyer.
Sophomore guard Kevin McKay checked in for CMU just moments into the game and responded by scoring six points in his first four minutes on the floor, pushing CMU’s lead to 8-3 over Akron.
McKay finished the game with a double-double, logging 14 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.
Akron jumped on an 8-0 run, capped off by a 3-pointer from sophomore forward Daniel Utomi, giving the Zips an 11-8 lead. Moments later, CMU junior guard Shawn Roundtree Jr. tied the game, 11-11, with a 3-pointer of his own.
Utomi put up 20 points and eight rebounds for Akron in the victory, which snapped a four-game losing streak.
During Akron’s 8-0 run, the Chippewas were held scoreless for six minutes of play and missed seven-straight shots from the field.
CMU and Akron went back-and-forth in the first half, but a 14-4 run for the Zips earned head coach John Groce’s team a 31-27 edge at halftime. In the first half, Akron shot 6-of-13 from downtown.
Throughout the course of the game, CMU converted on 5-of-22 shots from 3-point range and 10-of-21 attempts from the free throw line.
“Those aren’t good numbers to be able to win on the road,” Davis said. “If we shot normal from the free throw line and normal from the three, it might have been a different outcome. We talked about it in the locker room, but we can’t be talking about excuses.”
To start the second half, the Chippewas and Zips struggled to find success on the offensive end, as the game of runs continued.
“We missed our share of open looks, but cut down on the quantity of bad 3-point looks we had,” Davis said. “I think the 3-point shots were a step in the right direction, even though we didn’t make them.”
After CMU went on a short run, Akron pushed its edge to 45-42 on a layup by freshman guard Eric Parrish, who attacked and scored at the tin with 9:33 left in the game.
The Zips jumped out to a 7-0 run, but it was silenced by a bucket from Roundtree, cutting CMU’s deficit to seven points, 54-47, with 5:49 left.
Missing his first three 3-pointers, senior Josh Kozinski made his first at the perfect time. His 3-pointer with 4:55 remaining dropped Akron’s lead to six points, giving CMU hope for a win.
Awhile later, Davis called a timeout with 55 seconds remaining after a layup from Roundtree. Following the full timeout, Akron had the ball with a 65-61 edge.
Following a forced turnover, senior forward Cecil Williams missed a layup with 27 seconds left, giving Akron the rock with a 65-53 lead. An ensuing foul allowed Parrish to make both shots at the free throw line.
Parrish led all scorers with 21 points. He added nine rebounds, one assist, two steals and one block.
In spite of missing in the clutch, Williams was able to put up 12 points, eight rebounds and one assist in the loss.
CMU had the ball with nine seconds left, but a missed 3-pointer by Kozinski closed out the game with Akron winning 69-63.
The Chippewas will finish out their short two-game road stretch against Northern Illinois at 8 p.m. on Feb. 13 at the Convocation Center. Then, CMU will return home for a date with Eastern Michigan at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 17.
“Tomorrow we will put the scouting report and get a little skill work,” Davis said. “Those guys that might not play need to be ready because you never know when your number is going to be called. We will try to get some reps for those guys.
“We have to have energy and legs to play and shoot the way we want to.”
