Sports
Ohio Men’s Basketball falters to rival Akron, 92-80, no longer undefeated in conference
By: Shane Scalfaro
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AKRON, Ohio (WOUB) — The Ohio Bobcats (10-7, 4-1) looked to continue their undefeated streak in the conference on the road against the Akron Zips (12-5, 5-0), who were on the same mission. Only one team could achieve that goal, that team being the Zips, beating the Bobcats 92-80.
Both teams came out with a fast start, but the Zips’ defense soon started to run a full-court press and put pressure on Ohio’s offense. They began forcing missed shots from the Bobcats, while continuing to put up points of their own.
The defensive attack from the Zips continued throughout the entire first half, with Isaiah Gray being Akron’s leading scorer in the first with 14 points. Ohio only held a lead for 44 seconds, leading to the Zips winning 44-29 going into the locker room.
The Bobcats offense started hitting their stride to start the second half. Shereef Mitchell started to find his stride and the defense started holding Akron’s offense. This wouldn’t last forever as the Zips’, behind Isaiah Gray and Nate Johnson, got back on track and put the pressure once again on Ohio.
Shereef Mitchell continued to help move the offense forward, ending the night with 27 points. The Bobcats began closing the gap, even bringing their deficit to 11 points late in the half. Ohio couldn’t make up the ground they needed, falling to Akron 92-80 and ending their perfect record in the conference.
Akron will travel to Buffalo to play the Buffalo Bulls (5-11, 0-4) on January 21 at 7:00 p.m. Meanwhile, the Ohio Bobcats will look to get back on track against Eastern Michigan on January 21 at 6:30 p.m.