Matthew Balsinger

The Zips continued their sweep through the Mid-American Conference Wednesday night in Athens, as they defeated The Ohio University Bobcats 88-81, advancing their winning streak to 19 games. This is the first time that the Zips have swept Ohio in the regular season in six years, and the Zips have become the first team to go 13-0 in conference matchups in the MAC.

Demetrius Treadwell led the Zips in scoring on the night, with 20 points, two assists and seven rebounds.

Akron opened the evening with a 9-0 run in the first two minutes. This was the only highlight for the Zips in the first half, as they would succumb to a 17-0 run by the Bobcats.

Ohio led by as much as 16 in the first half, which was narrowed to an 11-point lead by halftime. Ohio went into the locker room with a slight advantage in stats, shooting 56 percent to Akron’s 52 percent. The Zips turned the ball over six times to the Bobcats’ three turnovers.

One of Akron’s greatest strengths, the ability to score more points off their bench than their opponents, was ineffective in the first half, as the Zips scored only six of their 30 first-half points from the bench.

The second half opened with a sloppy shot by Zeke Marshall, which led to the first Akron turnover of the second half. After Marshall’s initial slip, the Zips were able to turn things around and proceeded on a 14-0 point lead to strip the lead away from the Bobcats.

For the rest of the second half Akron and Ohio battled back and forth for the lead, with the second half ultimately ending in a 73-73 tie, forcing the game into overtime. Game statistics reversed in the second half, with Akron having the advantage over Ohio. In the second half, the Zips shot 52 percent to the Bobcat’s 34 percent. Ohio also turned the ball over seven times to the Zip’s three.

Jake Kretzer scored the first points of overtime on two free throws. After scoring the first points of overtime, Akron never looked back, outscoring the Bobcats 15-9 in overtime to win the game.

D.J. Cooper was the leading scorer for the Bobcats, scoring 26 points, one assist and nine rebounds on the evening. Cooper’s individual effort was commendable, but it was not enough to overcome the Zips. Akron defeated Ohio in front of over 10,000 fans at the Ohio University’s Convocation Center.