Box Score
AKRON, OHIO, December 19, 2007  – Akron would not let the North Carolina A&T men’s basketball team rebound from Monday’s loss by rebounding.

The Zips out-rebounded N.C. A&T 24-9 in the first half and hit eight first-half 3-pointers to earn an 88-70 win over the Aggies Wednesday night at Rhodes Arena. It was the Aggies (5-6) fourth loss in five games.

Steven Rush led the Aggies with 18 points, while backcourt mate Austin Ewing added 14 points, four rebounds and three assists. Ewing was 3-for-4 from 3-point range.

The Zips went on to out-rebound the Aggies 36-27 and had a 24-10 advantage in second-chance points. Akron was 13-for-31 from 3-point range, but what may have helped the Zips the most, however, is the fact that they turned the ball over just 10 times against the aggressive Aggies pressure. Nick Dials led the Zips with 21 points, while Jeremiah Wood added nine points and 15 rebounds.

Akron jumped out to an 11-3 lead before the Aggies closed the gap to 16-12 with 11:48 remaining in the first half. But the Zips pulled away with a 16-4 run over the next 4 ½ minutes to increased their lead to 32-16. The Aggies never recovered despite shooting 52 percent from the floor. Wednesday’s loss marked the first time the Aggies have lost a game when shooting better than 50 percent.

The Aggies continue their road trip when they travel to Miami to take on the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla., at 1 p.m.