Akron used their strength to muscle there way down low, as Isaiah Johnson scored 33 points and grabbed nine rebounds as Akron was able to hold on and defeat the Central Michigan Chippewas, 89-85, in Mount Pleasant on Tuesday night. Akron stays undefeated in MAC play, and moves to 13-3 (3-0 MAC). Central Michigan has dropped three straight and falls to 10-6 (0-3 MAC) on the season, and has lost their first home game on the season.
Kwan Cheatham Jr. scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, while dishing out six assists to go along with Johnson’s spectacular night for the Zips. Josh Williams added 14 points of his own, and Jimond Ivey grabbed nine rebounds and scored six points as well.
Marcus Keene led the way for Central Michigan, as he scored 33 points and dished out seven assists. Braylon Rayson added 27 points and grabbed six rebounds, and Cecil Williams grabbed eight rebounds and scored four points for the Chippewas.
Fast forward to the second half with the score 78-77 with 3:51 left in this game, after Central Michigan had come back from an 11 point loss, Keene was heading to line. He converted both, giving Central the lead for the first time since early in the first half. The two teams would continue to trade layups, until Antino Jackson hit a big 3-pointer to make the score 88-83 with :21 seconds left and Central just couldn’t come back.
Akron shot 31 of 68 from the field, good for a 45.6% clip on the night. The Zips were able to convert on 15 out of 35 three-pointers, good for a 42.9% clip. Central Michigan shot 30 of 60 on the night, right in the middle for a 50% clip. The Chippewas shot 12 of 27 from beyond the arc, good for 44.4% clip. Akron was able to out rebound Central Michigan, 41-34, and force 12 CMU turnovers and give the Chippewas more then they could ask for on their home court.
Akron will look to continue their win streak, as they travel to Oxford, Ohio to take on the Miami (OH) RedHawks on Saturday, January 14th. Tip is set for 3:30 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN3.
Central Michigan will look to break this losing streak, as they host the Toledo Rockets on Friday, January 13th. Tip is set for 7 p.m. and will be aired on CBS Sports Network.