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Instant Reaction: Akron 65, Ohio 46
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Akron 65, Ohio 46
No. 1 Akron
Demetrius Treadwell: 13 points, 9 rebounds
Chauncey Gilliam: 13 points, 5-8 field goals
No. 2 Ohio
Reggie Keely: 19 points, 7-14 field goals
D.J. Cooper: 3 points, 0-8 field goals
Tale of Two Halves:
Ohio built a lead as large as 9 points early on by hitting the Zips hard inside. Reggie Keely scored 10 of Ohio's first 12 points and ended the first half with 14. However, the Zips made a run over the last seven minutes of the half to cut the lead down to one. T.J. Hall layed up at the buzzer to give Ohio a 29-26 halftime lead, but the momentum built up by Akron carried over into the second half. Akron orchestrated an early 9-0 run to take the lead before the first media timeout, then outmuscled and outscored Ohio 39-17 in the second half to earn the MAC Tournament Championship trophy.
Quiet Cooper:
Akron coach Keith Dambrot employed a strategy to contain D.J. Cooper and make Ohio find other ways to beat his team. Cooper finished the game with just 3 points and failed to connect on a single field goal as Akron forwards Zeke Marshall and Demetrius Treadwell often switched off of screens to disrupt his offensive rhythm. Cooper found his teammates for six assists but turned the ball over five times on a difficult night.
Second Chances:
Akron gouged Ohio on the offensive glass for 13 offensive rebounds leading to 12 second-chance points. Overall the Zips outrebounded Ohio, 44-27. Walter Offutt led Ohio on the boards for the second consecutive night with 11, but nobody else for the Bobcats grabbed more than three rebounds. Akron's edge on the glass defensively made a big difference as Ohio struggled from the floor in the second half.
Hot and Cold:
Ohio began the game making its first eight 2-point shot attempts as Keely was an instrumental part of the offense early on. But in the second half, Ohio lost its groove and made just five of 27 shot attempts. For the game, Ohio shot 1-for-20 from beyond the 3-point arc. Akron's defense combined with Ohio's frustration led to the Bobcats' lowest scoring night of the season.
Balancing Act:
Akron found ways to score from all over the court, as five different players dropped at least 8 points for the Zips. On the other end, Keely was the only Bobcat in double figures. Offutt had 9, and T.J. Hall scored 7, but no other Ohio player scored more than 4 points. Jim Christian got just 6 points from his bench.