AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Steve McNees scored 16 points and Akron defeated Ball State for the seventh consecutive time, 75-60 Saturday night.
McNees got 11 of his points in the second half, when the Zips (15-10, 6-5 Mid-American Conference) scored 16 second-chance points to none for the Cardinals (14-10, 6-5). They also scored 14 points off seven Ball State turnovers in the second half, while the Cardinals scored just two points off two Akron turnovers.
Those advantages helped Akron overcome the Cardinals’ 57.1 percent shooting (12 of 21) in the second half.
McNees scored five points during a 14-0 Akron run early in the second half that turned a 37-35 lead into a 51-35 margin with 12:52 remaining.
Nikola Cvetinovic added 13 points for the Zips, Brett McKnight had 12, Alex Abreu 11 and Brett McClanahan 10.
Jarrod Jones scored 19 points and was the only Ball State player in double figures.
