Enrique Freeman, Sammy Hunter lead Akron men's basketball to road win vs. Bowling Green
The University of Akron men’s basketball team notched its first road victory of the season Tuesday, beating the Bowling Green Falcons at the Stroh Center 74-70.
Zips forward Enrique Freeman scored a game-high 21 points and also was the game’s leading rebounder with 16. Sammy Hunter added a career-high 19 points for Akron (10-6, 2-1 in Mid-American Conference).
Leon Ayers III led Bowling Green with 19 points.
Despite the loss, the Falcons (8-8, 2-1 in MAC) outshot the Zips 49% (26-of-53) to 40% (25-of-62). The Zips won the rebound battle, 35-33.
Ole Miss transfer Sammy Hunter shows up for the Zips
From fall camp on, Akron coach John Groce talked about the impact Hunter could make at forward. That confidence was rewarded Tuesday as Hunter looked comfortable taking shots and seeing them fall on a consistent basis. His night included going 4-of-6 on 3-pointers. In a game where Freeman struggled offensively early (six first-half points) due to being consistently double-teamed, Hunter's shooting was much needed.
Hunter, who entered the game shooting just 31%, went 7-of-9 from the field. Afterward he said it takes time for anyone to reach a comfort level in a new environment.
“I don't care where you play. For some it's faster than others. Everyone's different, but for me it took me some time to get comfortable, but now I am,” he said. “And conference play, it's starting to get rolling, so I feel like I'm in a good spot right now.”
Groce agreed.
“Sometimes, it's just the way it goes. New coach, new system, new terminology, new teammates, new setting, new environment, new school,” he said. “But we've seen Sammy have days like he had today in practice on many occasions and to see it come to fruition and today in a game, [I’m] just really happy for him.”
It would certainly help build scoring depth if Hunter can continue to shoot the ball consistently, even if expecting 19 per game is unrealistic.
“I think in terms of his comfortability, learning the defensive system, what we expect from him offensively, what we're running offensively I think he's starting to develop more consistency with his habits,” Groce said.
Xavier Castaneda returns to make an impact
The Zips missed point guard Xavier Castaneda in their first two MAC games with offense being a premium in their loss to Ball State. He returned to score 13 points and gave the Zips another offensive threat. Castaneda wasn't efficient shooting (5-of-15), but he was clutch, delivering a 3-pointer to give the Zips a 71-68 lead with 2:08 left.
Groce saw an intangible as a benefit of having the conference’s second-leading scorer (19.5 points) back on the floor.
“I just think the biggest thing is obviously his experience level,” Groce said.
Groce said the lineup of Castaneda, Freeman, Hunter, Greg Tribble and Trendon Hankerson – a graduate transfer from Northern Illinois and the player with with the most experience – proved most effective.
“I thought they didn't make every play perfectly,” Groce said, “but you could tell that their experience served them well tonight and certainly served our team well.”
Akron men's basketball earns its first road win
Groce will tell anyone any win is a good win. Still, the Zips walked into the Stroh Center with an 0-3 road record and they got their first win away from their home court in a hotly contested game. The Zips have played a grueling schedule so far away from home, including neutral court games against SEC schools Mississippi State and LSU.
“Obviously, tonight's a good win for us, especially the way they were playing,” Groce said. “They'd won four in a row, two league games in a row. Good win for our guys.”
The Akron Zips won despite their defense
Bowling Green came into the game third in the MAC in scoring (77.7 points) and fourth (44%) in field goal percentage. The Falcons hit shots inside and outside the arc, creating problems for the Zips' defense.
The Falcons shot 49% from the floor Tuesday and 48% from the 3-point line. Those aren’t normal numbers for a UA defense which entered the game allowing opponents to shoot just 41% from the field and 34% from three.
“They've been playing great offensively. I think they're really good in transition,” Groce said. “They're really good on the glass and they got it going from three. Obviously, we gave up too many threes, so give them credit.”
Reach George M. Thomas at gthomas@thebeaconjournal.com
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron men's basketball gets first road win, beats Bowling Green
