Mount Union College’s men’s basketball team (0-1) lost its season opener, 77-47, to Division I opponent the University of Akron (1-1) on Tuesday, November 23 at the James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, Ohio.
The Raiders took an early 6-4 lead after three-pointers from forward Brett Hershberger and guard Brad Gerard. The Zips responded by going on a 9-0 run capped a center Nick Meyers’ layup. Mount Union cut the lead to 24-17 with 3:52 left, before Akron closed out the half leading 31-20.
Akron opened the second half on an 8-0 run before center Kyle Karpinski threw down a jumper with 17:23 left in the stanza to make the score 39-22 Zips. However, the Raiders could get no closer as Akron outscored the Purple & White 46-27 en route to winning their eighth consecutive home opener.
The Purple Raiders were led by Hershberger and Gerard, who each totaled 14 points. Chris Blakely grabbed a team-high seven boards. The Zips were paced by forward Jeremiah Wood’s game-high 16 points and eight rebounds. Forward Darryl Peterson and guard Cedrick Middleton added 11 and 10 points respectively.
The Zips had a 50-30 rebounding edge and shot .465 from the field compared to .347 for the Raiders. Akron had 14 turnovers while the Purple Raiders committed 24 turnovers in the contest.
“We stayed close in the first half, and had we made some free throws and hit a couple more open shots, we would have been in an even better position at the half,” said Raider head coach Lee Hood. “However, when Chris Blakely picked up his third foul and Kyle Karpinski also got in foul trouble, we had trouble handling their size inside. We need those players out on the floor to be successful. However, I was pleased with the effort our players gave. They competed from beginning to end.”
The Raiders will next play in the NCAC vs. OAC Challenge against Wooster on Saturday, November 27 at Capital University in Bexley, Ohio. Tip-off scheduled for 4 p.m. On Sunday, the Raiders play at Ohio Wesleyan at 6 p.m.