Akron finishes the season 23-13 under Keith Dambrot
PORTLAND, OR – Thirteenth-seeded Akron held 10th-ranked and fourth-seeded Gonzaga in check for over 30 minutes, but a late cold spell by the Zips led to a 77-64 Bulldogs' victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Rose Garden on Thursday.
Akron (23-13) took its largest lead of the second half, 49-43, after an Anthony "Humpty" Hitchens 3-pointer with 15 minutes to go. Later, a 3-pointer from Steven Gray with 13 minutes on the clock put the Bulldogs in front 50-49, their first lead since 7:33 in the first half. Brett McKnight sank a free throw with 9:43 remaining, giving the Zips a 52-51 lead, but Gonzaga (27-5) would score six-straight points, forcing a UA timeout with 8:14 remaining and the Zags up 57-52. From that point Akron went cold from the field, allowing the Bulldogs to pull away.
Akron started slow until Darryl Roberts drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key and Nate Linhart followed with a layup for a 5-4 early advantage. The back and forth game, featuring 11 lead changes in the first 20 minutes, continued until Gonzaga got a dunk from Austin Daye and a 3-pointer from Jeremy Pargo for a 22-18 lead, forcing an Akron timeout with nine minutes to go before the half.
Down two with 7:33 remaining the first period, Linhart drained a 3-pointer, putting the Zips in front for good in the opening stanza. With just under three minutes, Nikola Cvetinovic made a layup to give the Zips a five-point cushion, their largest lead of the half (33-28).
Up two points, the Zips got a 3-pointer from Linhart with 23 seconds to go in the half, giving him 13 for the first 20 minutes and putting Akron up 38-33. Pargo answered with a layup as the period drew to a close for a 38-35 scored at the break.
Roberts led the way for Akron with a career-high 19 points, while Linhart and Chris McKnight added 15 and 11 points, respectively. Linhart ends his career as Akron’s winningest player over a four-year span and with 1,023 points, 628 rebounds, 176 assists and 53 blocked shots. The Zips were able to stay in the game by committing a season-low eight turnovers, also the fewest committed by a Gonzaga opponent this season.
Akron ends the 2008-09 season with a 23-13 record and Mid-American Conference Tournament championship while making its first NCAA appearance since 1986.
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