AKRON, Ohio – Despite leading for much of the game, the University of Akron men’s basketball team fell 54-50 to Dayton on Saturday before a crowd of 4,059 at Rhodes Arena.
    
The Zips (5-3) had an opportunity in the closing seconds to send the game into overtime. Down two, 52-50, a shot clock violation with 23.7 seconds to go gave the ball to UA, but a miss in the lane by Brett McKnight rattled off the rim with five seconds left. An earlier 3-pointer by McKnight gave UA the lead, 50-47, with 3:45 left, but Dayton (8-0) would score seven unanswered points to end the game. UD's Chris Johnson hit a pair of free throws with three ticks left for the final margin.  

Anthony "Humpty" Hitchens led all Akron scorers with a career-high 17 points, including 13 in the first half. Jimmy Conyers joined him as the only other Zip in double figures, contributing a career-high 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds. Nate Linhart and Mike Bardo added seven and six rebounds, respectively, for Akron.

The UA defense did an excellent job of shutting down the UD offense, allowing just 34 percent (17-of-50) shooting from the floor, including 1-of-16 from behind the arc. The Zips came into the game holding opponents to 38.1 percent from the field, and held the Flyers well below the 43.1 field goal percentage and 71.3 points-per-game they averaged entering the contest.

Dayton held a slight edge on the glass, 37-36, after averaging a +9.3 rebounding edge against its first seven opponents of the season. Akron outboarded the Flyers 20-16 in the first half and had 15 offensive rebounds for the game.

Akron‘s free-throw shooting contributed to the effort, as the Zips finished 16-of-18 (88.9 percent). Dayton also shot well from the charity stripe, making 82.6 (19-of-23) of its attempts. The UA bench, which topped 30 points in all but two of its first seven games this season, was outscored for the second-consecutive contest (18-11).

The back-and-forth battle saw seven ties and six lead changes. In the second half alone, the lead changed hands five times. That second 20 minutes began with a 10-5 run by the visitors, highlighted by a dunk by Dayton’s Chris Wright, off an alley-oop assist from Rob Lowery. Later, a Stephen Thomas 3-pointer gave the Flyers their first lead since 2-0, but Chris McKnight (five points) would answer with a jumper of his own to take back the lead, 41-39.

Wright led Dayton in scoring with a game-high 18 points, while Devin Searcy added five rebounds.

UA took a five-point advantage into halftime, never trailing after that early 2-0 deficit. Hitchens made the Zips’ first two baskets, both 3-pointers, adding a third triple later in scoring nine of the team’s first 14 points. Overall, UA was successful on 4-of-5 long-range jumpers to begin the game, good enough to secure an early eight-point lead. However, Dayton would close the gap, outscoring the home team 13-6 over the next 6:14, a run capped by two Paul Williams free throws.

The teams combined for 31 turnovers (16 for Akron). Each squad had seven miscues in the first half. Dayton had 11 steals and four blocks, while Akron had seven steals and zero blocked shots.

Despite the loss, the Zips own a 56-6 record at Rhodes Arena over the last five seasons (3-1 this year).

UA will play two of its next three games at home, hosting North Carolina A&T a week from today (Dec. 13). After a trip to VCU on Dec. 17, the Zips return to Rhodes Arena on Dec. 28 to take on St. Francis (N.Y.). Both home contests are slated for a 7 p.m. EST start.