University of Akron men's basketball: Zips pull away late to beat Western Michigan (2024)

Two of the Mid-American Conference's hottest men's basketball teams met Tuesday night at Rhodes Arena on the University of Akron campus. The Akron Zips and Western Michigan Broncos both entered 4-0 in the MAC, joining Toledo in a three-way tie for first in the league.

The Zips won 77-66, their fifth straight win, improving them to 13-4 overall and 5-0 in the MAC. Led by double-double machine Enrique Freeman, Akron is now 8-0 at home this season. The Broncos were winners of five in a row overall, which had been the longest active streak by a MAC team. They drop to 7-10 overall.

Here's how the game unfolded through our live updates:

Enrique Freeman, Sammy Hunter, Ali Ali lead Akron men's basketball to win over Western Michigan

Akron wins 77-66, as Enrique Freeman finishes with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Sammy Hunter added 19 points and Ali Ali scored 18. Hunter and Ali were huge throughout the second half. No other Akron player scored more than six points.

Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro scored 17 to lead Western Michigan.

Sammy Hunter leading Akron men's basketball down stretch against Western Michigan

Akron's Sammy Hunter with a two-hand slam dunk and two 3-pointers to give the Zips a 73-62 lead with 1:33 to go.

Ali Ali, Enrique Freeman power Akron men's basketball to lead over Western Michigan

Three jumpers and three free throws by Ali Ali and a two-hand slam dunk by Enrique Freeman give Akron a 65-58 lead over Western Michigan.

There is 3:35 to go in the second half.

Akron men's basketball gets hot from 3-point range to lead Western Michigan

Akron leads Western Michigan 54-50 with 7:52 to go in the second half after Ali Ali swishes two free throws. Tavari Johnson has made two 3-pointers for Akron. The Zips are now 5-of-14 from beyond the 3-point arc after starting the game 0-for-9 from long range. Akron's Enrique Freeman has 16 points and 13 rebounds.

Western Michigan is pesky. Seth Hubbard recently made a 3 and Javonte Brown dropped in a layup.

Akron men's basketball takes lead in second half against Western Michigan

Akron opens second half with a 3-pointer by Sammy Hunter and the offense continues to impress. Enrique Freeman is flashing his footwork and scoring prowess with eight points in the second half. Ali Ali, Mikal Dawson and Kaleb Thornton have also made a 3, and Shammah Scott converted a layup after a Freeman block and pass.

Zips lead Broncos 49-43 with less than 12 minutes to go.

Enrqiue Freeman passes Romeo Travis on Akron men's basketball career scoring list, breaks a Joe Jakubick school record

Enrique Freeman threw down a powerful two-hand slam dunk with 17:14 remaining in the second half to give him 10 points tonight and 1,493 career points. Freeman passed Romeo Travis (1,491 points) for eighth on the Akron men's basketball career scoring chart.

He also broke a 40-year-old school record for more consecutive double-figure scoring games. Freeman has scored 10 or more points in 31 straight games, breaking Joe Jakubick's school record set in 1984.

Freeman's dunk came after Sammy Hunter made Akron's first 3-pointer of the night with 18:01 to go. The Zips started the night 0-for-9 from beyond the 3-point arc.

Ali Ali and Mikal Dawson added 3s after WMU ran off five points to give Akron a 38-35 lead with less than 16 minutes to go.

Western Michigan men's basketball leads Akron 29-27 at halftime

Western Michigan closed the first half on a 10-3 run to lead Akron 29-27 at halftime. WMU's JaVaughn Hannah and Owen Lobsinger each made a 3-pointer to start the spurt. Hannah proceeded to convert a layup and a jumper as the Broncos erased the Zips 24-19 lead. Hannah has seven points at halftime and Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro has six points.

Shammah Scott threw down a powerful right-handed slam dunk to give Akron a 20-15 lead. Enrique Freeman has eight points at halftime to give him 1,491 career points. Freeman is tied with Romeo Travis for eighth on the Akron men's basketball career scoring chart.

Akron's Sammy Hunter also has eight points at halftime. UA is 0-for-8 on 3-point shots. WMU is 5-of-12 on 3-point shots.

Akron men's basketball maintains lead over Western Michigan in the first half

Sammy Hunter has scored six points and Akron leads WMU 18-15 with 6:23 to go in the first half.

Neither team shooting very well. Good defense on both sides.

Enrique Freeman, Sammy Hunter guide Akron men's basketball to lead over Western Michigan in the first half

Enrique Freeman and Sammy Hunter have each scored four points and Akron leads WMU 10-6 with 12:00 to go in the first half. Greg Tribble Jr. has two points.

Akron men's basketball leads Western Michigan early in the first half

Akron leads WMU 6-3 with 14:54 to go in the first half. Enrique Freeman, Greg Tribble Jr. and Sammy Hunter each have two points.

Mikal Dawson steps into Akron men's basketball starting lineup with Nate Johnson out with a broken hand

The Akron Zips and Western Michigan Broncos are underway after tipping off at 7:07 p.m.

Akron coach John Groce said on a radio interview before tonight's game that Nate Johnson is out with a broken hand. Groce expects Johnson to be able to return to playing before the season is over.

Here's some pregame info on the game:

Is the Akron vs. Western Michigan college basketball game on TV or streaming?

The game is not on TV, but is streaming on ESPN+, which requires a subscription.

Does Akron's Enrique Freeman lead the nation in rebounding?

According to NCAA Division I stat leaders, through games played Monday, 6-foot-7 Akron senior forward Enrique Freeman leads the country in rebounds per game at 13.1. He's grabbed 210 rebounds in UA's 16 games. Freeman's 14 double-doubles also are tops in the country, though, he's tied with Vonterius Woolbright of Western Carolina. Freeman's .592 shooting percentage from the field ranks him 35th in the nation. Freeman's scoring average of 18.2 points per game, ties him for 70th in the nation.

NCAA Division I men's basketball rebounding leaders

Here's a look at the nation's top five rebounders, according to the NCAA stats, heading into Tuesday:

Akron men's basketball's expected starting five vs. Western Michigan

• No., Name, Ht., Pos.

• 2, Greg Tribble Jr., 6-3, G

• 11, Sammy Hunter, 6-9, F

• 24, Ali Ali, 6-8 F

• 25, Enrique Freeman, 6-7, F

• 34, Nate Johnson, 6-3, G ... NOTE: Mikal Dawson steps into the lineup with Johnson out with a broken hand.

Western Michigan men's basketball's expected starting five vs. Akron

• No., Name, Ht., Pos.

• 2, Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro, 6-4, G

• 3, B. Artis White, 5-10, G

• 12, Seth Hubbard, 6-4, G

• 20, Owen Lobsinger, 6-9, F

• 22, Titus Wright, 6-8, C

Akron men's basketball team's leading scorers

In addition to Enrique Freeman scoring 18.3 points per game, Akron's other key scorers are Ali Ali (15.5), Greg Tribble Jr. (10.1), Sammy Hunter (9.6), Nate Johnson (8.4), Mikal Dawson (6.8), Shammah Scott (6.0) and Kaleb Thornton (4.6).

Western Michigan men's basketball team's leading scorers

Seth Hubbard is Western Michigan's leading scorer at 16.8 points per game. WMU's other key scorers are Javonte Brown (13.7), B. Artis White (10.4), Owen Lobsinger (8.7), Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro (8.4), JaVaughn Hannah (8.2), Titus Wright (6.6) and Anthony Crump (5.7).

Mid-American Conference men's basketball standings

Here's a look at the MAC standings, entering playing Tuesday night:

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Akron Zips basketball vs. Western Michigan: Live game score, updates