Zips Get Back to Winning Ways, Beat Coppin State

Last week was one of the most trying weeks for the Zips basketball team in awhile. Akron lost three straight games after picking up a nice victory against Oregon State in Hawaii. Now, those three losses were all to power-conference competition, but the Zips hadn't lost three straight in two years.

Thank goodness for Coppin State.

The Zips didn't beat the Eagles as bad as they probably should have, but a win is a win regardless. Akron played great in the first half, building a fifteen point halftime lead behind the great three-point shooting of Jake Kretzer and Reggie McAdams. Another key point of reference was that only five turnovers were committed, a marked improvement over the last few games.

The second half was pretty much more of the same, but Coppin State started to claw back after Akron committed four turnovers in the opening minutes of the half. The Eagles got it down to seven at 58-51 but never got closer, as Akron kept a constant ten point lead.

McAdams led the way with sixteen points, twelve of which coming from beyond the arc. Kretzer also finished in double digits with thirteen. Demetrius Treadwell was just one rebound short of a double-double, scoring elevenpoints.

Michael Murray led the Eagles with nineteen points and seven rebounds.

The turnovers were still a little bit of a concern, as the Zips turned the ball over eleven times with Treadwell having six of them. However, the free throw shooting was much better as Akron hit 69% (20-29).

Akron has never had a four game losing streak during the Keith Dambrot tenure, so that stat nugget will continue. The Zips are also guaranteed a winning record going into conference play, something Dambrot has never not had while on the Akron sidelines.

Marshall comes to the JAR on Thursday for a 7:00 tip. The Thundering Herd are just 5-8 on the season and are coming off a 27-point loss at South Carolina.