ATHENS, Ohio -- Ohio University snapped the Akron Zips' 12-game winning streak with an 85-70 victory Saturday afternoon in the Convocation Center.
Akron senior forward Kwan Cheatham was cold from the field, and senior Isaiah Johnson was in second-half foul trouble. Small ball came to the rescue for awhile, but in the end it was too much for the Zips to overcome.
"We battled without those guys,'' Akron coach Keith Dambrot said of three Zips fouling out. "Then at the end we just got tired."
Akron's leading scorer, rebounder and assist leader, Isaiah Johnson (18 points), only played 21 minutes due to foul trouble, missing the bulk of the second half on the bench.
"Him getting four fouls helped us,'' Bobcat guard Jaaron Simmons said. "With him out of the game, they've got to play a different way."
Another problem for Akron was Kwan Cheatham suffering from food poisoning. He finished with just nine points, going 3-for-18 from the field.
Simmons scored a career-high 38 points to lead the Bobcats, who were aided generously by a 30-of-38 advantage at the free throw line. Simmons alone was 13-of-16. Akron was 11-of-16 at the line and had three players foul out. One player fouled out for the Bobcats.
The victory lifted the Bobcats to 14-7, 6-4 on the season while the Zips are now 19-4, 9-1 and still sitting comfortably first in the MAC standings, with a three game lead over the field. But at least one team has shown it can stand toe-to-toe with Akron.
"This shows we're not just another team in the MAC,'' Ohio's Gavin Block said after the game.
The first half: Early noon starts make for sluggish basketball, and this game was another example. The Bobcats took a 32-27 halftime lead behind 9-of-14 shooting at the free throw line as the Zips were whistled for 11 fouls in the opening half.
No Zip had more than two fouls against him until Isaiah Johnson and OU's Doug Taylor were whistled for a double-technical as they walked off the court jawing to each other. That gave Johnson three fouls to start the second half and Taylor two.
OU had no answer for Johnson inside as he had 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting at the break. Jaaron Simmons was the catalyst for the Bobcats as both teams were shooting below 38 percent at that point for the game.
Game stats.
By the numbers: OU entered the game against Akron 29th in the nation in 3-point shooting, making 39.1 percent behind the arc on the season. In conference play the Bobcats are making 39.7 percent, with Akron close behind at 38.8 percent. The Bobcats have made 10 or more 3-pointers nine times this season and are 8-1 when they do.
Interestingly, for teams that shoot so well from long range, both struggle at the free throw line. The Bobcats are 11th in the league shooting free throws at 62.9 percent. Akron is at 64.3 percent. They are the bottom two teams in the league. On the opposite end of the court, defensively, OU holds the opposition to 29.0 percent shooting on 3-pointers while Akron allows 40.1 percent.
Next up: The Bobcats welcome Central Michigan, 7 p.m. Tuesday night in the Convocation Center. The Zips return home to defend the third-longest home court winning streak in the nation, 7 p.m. Tuesday in Rhodes Arena against Ball State, the team closest to them in the conference standings.
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