The Akron Zips kept the nation’s longest win streak alive as they held off a hot Western Michigan Broncos team, 105-92.
John Groce’s Akron (19-5, 11-0 MAC) squad came into a Tuesday night MAC game with much more pressure than usual. The Zips had won 11 straight games, and with Auburn and Duke losing on Saturday, they were now in sole possession of the nation’s longest streak. Groce brings a strong mentality of “one game at a time” to his roster, but being No. 1 in the country at anything is hard to ignore.
On paper, this was a very favorable matchup for the Zips. Western Michigan (7-17, 4-7 MAC) was one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the MAC, with only one player shooting above 30%. They also struggled to defend the 3. Akron is shooting the third most 3s per game in the country, a stark difference from Western Michigan. Akron quickly found out games are not played on paper.
Akron started the game strong, opening with an 11-3 run. Nate Johnson and Amani Lyles opened the game strong for the Zips. Lyles led the Zips in scoring for the first half with 11 points and a strong performance on the defensive end. Most expected the Zips to put away the Broncos by now, but they remained in the game thanks to Chansey Wills Jr. He finished the first half with 15 points and looked unstoppable. Despite his efforts, Akron went into the half up 52-42.
Coming out of the half, Western Michigan started strong and chipped into the Zips’ lead, shorting it down to six multiple times. The Broncos got the lead down to five before Akron exploded the lead back out to 11. Both teams exploded from 3 down the stretch, with Brandon Muntu of the Broncos scoring nine points and Akron 3-point specialist Bowen Hardman having several makes.
As the clock got closer to zeroes, Akron expanded its lead to a point that Western Michigan could not match. Nate Johnson led the Zips in scoring, especially down the stretch. He finished with 22 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Chansey Willis made a strong name for himself with 28 points, seven rebounds and five steals. The Broncos shot a lot better than their season average, with 36.7 from beyond the arc, helping to keep them in the game against the dominant Zips. The Broncos’ defense could not keep up and allowed Akron to reach their season-high points.
Akron will face a tough road test against Central Michigan (11-13, 4-7 MAC) on Saturday. They have kept their nation-leading win streak alive with 12 and hope to extend to 13 against the Chippewas. John Groce wants his team to move one game at a time, but the pressure weighed on them last night. The lights will stay bright as long as the winning continues, and the Zips wouldn’t want it any other way.
