The newest addition of the Wagon Wheel rivalry began with coach Rob Senderoff rushing onto the court in order to prevent his team from getting in any more extracurricular action than it already was. The Flashes and Zips tangled in a dog fight at mid-court for the first possession of the game, and the Zips claimed the ball on the ensuing tip. 

“Two teams, competitive teams,” Senderoff said. “50-50 ball, both guys diving on the floor, that’s what you want.”

Akron opened the game on a 10-2 run that ultimately propelled the Zips to a 69-52 victory. KSU could not overcome an absolutely woeful shooting performance from beyond the arc, going 1-for-23 on 3-point shots. 

“I give them (Akron) credit, they’re a good defensive team, and we didn’t shoot the ball well,” Senderoff said. “We’ve got to do a better job creating good shots for each other.”

The Flashes were also without Rob Whaley Jr., who missed his second-straight contest due to injury. Whaley Jr., who potentially could have made a huge difference against Akron, is expected to return to action soon. 

“He should be cleared tomorrow,” Senderoff said. “I don’t know for sure, but he should be playing on Tuesday.”

The home crowd inside James A. Rhodes Arena was absolutely raucous, as the Akron faithful were incredibly loud all night long. The energy provided from the fans certainly gave the Zips an edge in Friday’s contest. 

Delrecco Gillespie led the team in scoring with 17, but could not stay out of foul trouble as he picked up four personals. This marks another performance against a prominent conference opponent where Gillespie missed time due to fouls, as he also received four fouls against No. 24 Miami. 

After the shocking start from Akron to begin the game, the Flashes slowly crept in, as layups from Gillespie and Rayvon Griffith pulled KSU within seven with less than 10 minutes remaining in the first half. Although the Flashes struggled all night on offense, Griffith did provide sparks of life in moments, as he finished with a season-high 17 rebounds. 

“He did a good job giving us energy, for sure,” Senderoff said.

But the quick response from KSU was not enough, as the Zips went on another scoring run, out-scoring the Flashes 7-4 in a quick two-minute sequence. Down eight, Jahari Williamson shot and made KSU’s only 3-pointer of the night to cut the away team’s deficit down to five. 

The Zips kept their foot on the gas pedal, as two quick 3-point baskets from senior forward Amani Lyles and senior guard Tavari Johnson put Akron up 28-17 with a little under six minutes remaining in the half. Johnson led the Zips in scoring with 16 points on nine shots.

With 3:43 left to go in the first half, Cian Medley hit two free throws to once again inch the Flashes closer to tying the game, but another huge 3-pointer from Akron by way of senior guard Bowen Hardman kept the Zips up by multiple possessions. 

Down nine to begin the second half, the Flashes gained some momentum on a pair of baskets from Gillespie and Morgan Safford. Following Safford’s layup, Akron took all the traction gained by KSU when Johnson drove in for a layup and was fouled by Gillespie, setting up the Zips for a 3-point play. That foul was Gillespie’s third, and it forced Senderoff to pull him from the game. 

“To me, that was the turning point for us,” Senderoff said. “It was a scouting report deal that we screwed up, and it created his third foul.”

From there, the game completely spiraled out of control for the Flashes. Without both Whaley Jr. and Gillespie to set the tone on defense, the Zips embarked on a back-breaking 9-2 run that sealed the deal for the home team. 

Akron’s strong showing to open the second half secured a constant double-digit lead for the Zips that the Flashes could not shake. A turn-around jumper from graduate student guard Shammah Scott put Akron up by 20, and the Zips did not look back. 

Key Stats 

In the sport of basketball, games are not often decided by one thing, but the Flashes certainly did not help themselves by missing 22 3-point attempts. What really stung for KSU is that most of these shots came off good looks, with several players missing multiple wide-open 3-pointers. 

“I think we had more than our fair share of good looks,” Senderoff said. “Some of them we normally make, and some of them they (Akron) contested.” 

Despite the loss, Safford performed well, scoring 10 points and adding seven rebounds. 

For the Zips, Hardman was electric in the most important home game of the season for Akron. The senior finished with 15 points in 20 minutes, making five out of nine attempted 3-pointers. 

Looking ahead

The Flashes will stay on the road and pick up action on Tuesday when they travel to Toledo to take on the Rockets. In its last contest against the Rockets, KSU won 87-84. 

“Offense is where we lost the game,” Senderoff said. “We were just putrid.”

Gage Wellman is the sports editor. Contact him at [email protected].