Box Score LAS VEGAS - Akron (6-4) hit 11 three pointers and had four players score in double figures on its way to a 75-61 victory over the UALR men's basketball team (6-6) at South Point Arena. Senior Solomon Bozeman went 4-of-6 from three-point range on his way to a game-high 21 points, but the Trojans were unable to overcome a 15-point halftime deficit.
Zeke Marshall put together a 14-point, 14-rebound double-double to lead the way for Akron, and Darryl Roberts poured in a team-high 16 points off the bench by going 4-for-6 from three-point range. The Zips shot 48.3 percent from the field in the game, including an 11-of-23 effort from three-point range, and forced the Trojans into a season-high 20 turnovers.
UALR was held to a .383 field goal percentage in the game and finished with just nine assists on its 18 field goals. UALR's starting lineup accounted for 52 of its 61 points, as the Trojan bench was outscored 27-to-9 by the Zips. Senior Alex Garcia-Mendoza chipped in 10 points for the Trojans, followed by nine points from junior D'Andre Williams and eight from junior Courtney Jackson.
Akron shot 50.0 percent from the field and made 9-of-18 three-point attempts over the first 20 minutes to take a 46-31 lead into the break. The Zips broke open an 18-18 tie game with a 12-0 run and never looked back.
Garcia-Mendoza made 1-of-2 foul shots at the 7:52 mark to tie things up at 18-all, but the Zips responded with 12-unanswered points, capped off by a three-point play from Brett McClanahan to take a 30-18 lead with 5:08 left in the half.
Akron's lead reached as high as 17 points in the first half, 43-26, after back-to-back three pointers by Alex Abreu and Quincy Diggs. A layup by Jackson and a three pointer by Garcia-Mendoza allowed UALR to cut its deficit to 12 points, 43-31, but Abreu sank a three pointer at the buzzer to give the Zips a 15-point lead at the break.
UALR trailed by 12, 56-44, with 13:53 left in the game following a three pointer by Garcia-Mendoza, but Akron ripped off an 11-3 run to extend its lead to 20 points, 67-47. UALR was unable to get back in the game from that point on, as the Trojans made just 7-of-21 from the field in the second half.
UALR returns to action tomorrow afternoon when it takes on Oral Roberts at 6:30 p.m. (CT).
