 AKRON 91, FLORIDA A&M 69
With the victory, Akron posted consecutive wins for the first time since the opening pair of this season afternoon. It was the second date on a five-game home stand to close out December and begin the new year. Akron (5-5) surged back to the .500 mark with its 12th consecutive home win, dating back to last season.
“We had some good stretches, but then in the second half we didn’t do much of anything.” Dambrot said after the game. “That first half was pretty good, but we have to get better. We have to be more consistent.”
Junior guard Quincy Diggs came off the bench to lead all scorers in the contest with 16 points. He was one of five UA players in double figures as junior forward Zeke Marshall added 13 with nine rebounds and three blocked shots. Fifth-year senior forward Nikola Cvetinovic had 12 points and 10 rebounds while sophomore forward Demetrius Treadwell and freshman guard Adedeji Ibitayo both had 11 off the bench.
“I thought Diggs was terrific. He gave great effort at both ends of the court. I thought Zeke was really good, and Nikola (Cvetinovic) was the old Nikola.” Dambrot said.
Florida A&M (2-9), playing the middle game of a three-game road trip, suffered its second consecutive loss after home wins against Allen University and Southeastern.
Freshman guard D’Andre Bulloard led four Rattlers in double figures with a season-high 13 points, all coming in the second half. Sophomore guard Avery Moore added 12 while senior forward Yannick Crowder and sophomore guard Reggie Lewis each scored 11.
Just like in its win against UAPB on Thursday, UA led from the first basket -- a conventional three-point play by Marshall.
The visitors from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference kept the game close for the first 6:25. But with the Zips leading 15-11 after a driving layup by senior guard Brandon Hosely, UA scored the next 13 points. It was part of a run that saw them outscore FAMU 26-4 to open a 41-15 lead at the 3;42 mark on a layup by Cvetinovic.
When the teams left the court at halftime, UA was in complete control leading 48-19. The Zips surged to that lead by shooting a sizzling 63.3 percent from the field (19-for-30) and were relatively efficient from the free throw line, as well, going 9-for-11.
In addition, the Zips defense held the Rattlers to just 7-for-32 from the floor (21.9%). That effort included holding FAMU’s leading scorer Lewis to just three-points -- a three-ball from the right corner early in the half
The catalyst to the first half, though, was Marshall. The center has improved his game offensively this season to go along with his defense and his shot-blocking ability. In the first 20 minutes he scored 11 points, going a perfect five-for-five from the floor with five rebounds and three blocks.
“He’s one of the most team oriented guys.” Dambrot said when asked about Marshall. ‘He doesn’t care if he scores, he just cares in being a good basketball player.”
To the Rattlers credit, they summoned a second-half response. Despite facing had a huge deficit, they came out at the start of the second half outscoring UA 10-5 in the first 3:25 to close the deficit to 24 points 51-27 on a driving layup by Lewis. It was the closest they would get to the Zips until Bullard’s three-pointer at the buzzer made the final margin 22 points.
The game was a homecoming of sorts for Lewis who played his high school ball in suburban Cleveland at Bedford High School. Coming into the game, Lewis had led FAMU in scoring in four of the last five games. With his performance against UA, he extended a streak of double-digit scoring games to seven.
The Zips largest lead in the game was 37 points 78-41 with 6:40 remaining on a free throw by sophomore guard Brian Walsh. However, UA did not play particularly well in the closing moments and FAMU finished strongly with Bullard hitting a trifecta of threes – the last coming at the buzzer.
UA did not shoot the ball well in the second half, going just 11-for-34 (32.4 percent) to finish the game at the respectable 46.9 percent (30-for-64). They dominated rebounds, 24-19, after intermission and 48-36 for the game. The Rattlers saved some face in the second half shooting 50 percent from the floor (18-for-36) and were 11-for-13 from the free throw line.
The Zips will stay busy with two games in the coming week, beginning on Monday night against Youngstown State. It is the fourth Horizon League opponent Akron has faced this season. The Aggies from North Carolina A&T come to Rhodes Arena Wednesday night.
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GAMEBOOK
KEY MOMENT: With Akron leading 15-11 at the 13:35 mark of the first half, the Zips went on a 26-4 run, effectively putting the game away with a 41-15 advantage.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: THE ZIPS BENCH. One major key this season for the Zips is the production coming off their bench. It was a force again in the win over FAMU with a 45-25 advantage, led by junior forward Quincy Diggs with 16, with Demetrius Treadwell and Adedeji Ibitayo each scoring 11
KEY STAT OF THE GAME: Akron shooting 63.3% in the first half en route to scoring 48 first half points
NOTES:
Reflective of the team’s record, head coach Keith Dambrot indicated this year’s UA team is a still and work in progress and hampered by inconsistencies. “This is the hardest team since I have been here.” Dambrot said of his own squad. “We have a lack of maturity and discipline, and I have to keep on top of them constantly. With this team you have to nurture them sometimes and then sometimes kick them in the butt” … The game was the first ever meeting between the two schools…Zips have won 11 consecutive home games in the month of December and are 24-2 at Rhodes Arena in December under Keith Dambrot…Zeke Marshall-AKR has scored in double figures in six of the last seven games…Nikola Cvetinovic-AKR collected the Zips first double-double of the season and his first since last season at Dayton…Brett McClanahan-AKR failed to score for the first time this season… Adedeji Ibitayo-AKR scored just nine points coming into the game; he scored a career best 11 against FAMU…The win was Akron’s ninth straight against the MEAC (their last loss coming to Hampton in November,2001 at the Hawaii Pacific Thanksgiving Classic)…Avery Moore-FAMU hit double digits for the seventh time this season…Yannick Crowder-FAMU has scored in double-digits in three of his last four games…Jeremy Dean-FAMU 10 rebounds the third time this season he has reached double-digits in rebounds..Akron’s 91 points was the second most this season (95 against Hiram on November 12)
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