DEKALB, Ill. – Akron shot 50 percent (14-of-28) from the field in the second half as the Zips downed the Northern Illinois University men's basketball team, 80-70, on Tuesday night (Jan. 28) at the NIU Convocation Center. Quentin Jones (Chicago, Ill./Marian Catholic) scored a game-high 25 points and James Dent Jr. (Springfield, Ill./Springfield Southeast) added 22. 

"Getting down 17-5, then battling back, having a lead in the first half, we just fell short," said NIU head coach Rashon Burno. "Our lack of depth really played a huge part in that in the second half. We had two guys (Quentin Jones and James Dent Jr.) that played 40 minutes, it got into our legs. Akron has depth and they utilized it to take advantage of our lack of."

Kailon Nicholls (Toronto, Ontario/Hargrave Military Academy) chipped in 12 points to give the Huskies three double figure scorers. 

Akron (15-5, 8-0 MAC) raced out to an early 17-5 lead in the opening five minutes of the contest as the Zips made five of their first seven attempts from three-point range. 

NIU (5-15, 1-7 MAC) responded with a 9-0 run as the Huskies pulled within three. Jones opened the burst with a pair of free throws, Dent then made a triple before making a pair from the line and Jones added a layup to cut the Akron lead to 17-14 with 12:22 to play before the intermission. 

The Huskie run reached 15 as Dent knocked in back-to-back trifectas, giving NIU a 20-17 lead. The senior from Springfield, Ill., started the contest 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. 

Akron ended the 15-0 Huskie run with a 7-2 spurt as the Zips reclaimed the lead, 24-22, with a little over eight minutes left before halftime. 

Nasir Muhammad (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xaverian) evened the game with a pair of free throws before Akron used a 9-0 run to go in front 33-24 with 4:38 to play in the opening period. Nicholls knocked in a three to close the scoring in the first half as the Huskies trimmed the Akron advantage to four, 37-33. 

Dent led all scorers with 16 points in the opening 20 minutes, Isaiah Gray had nine to pace Akron. 

Five-straight points from Nicholls tied the game at 40 early in the second half, but Akron scored the next seven to go up 47-40 with 16:41 left. 

A pair of free throws by Dent brought the Huskies back within five, but Akron answered with the next five as the Zips doubled their lead to 52-42. NIU was back within five, 59-54, when Dent found Jones for a corner triple just before the midway point of the second stanza. 

The Zips led by a half-dozen after a layup from Jayden Mott (Midwest City, Okla./Edmond Santa Fe) with 6:44 to go, but Akron then used a 10-2 run to push its lead to 72-58 with under four minutes remaining, putting the game out of reach.

Tavari Johnson scored a team-high 21 points to lead the Zips, Nate Johnson added 19 points, Gray had 12 points and 11 rebounds while Shammah Scott chipped in 11 points. Akron outrebounded NIU, 48-31, in the contest. 

NIU will be on the road for the next two games as the Huskies travel Toledo (Feb. 1) and Bowling Green (Feb. 4).