Akron beats Ohio 86-72 in MAC leaders’ showdown

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Alex Abreu had 21 points and nine assists to lead Akron past Ohio 86-72 Saturday night in a meeting of the Mid-American Conference’s two unbeaten teams.

The Zips (17-4, 8-0), the defending MAC regular-season champion, won their 13th consecutive game, the longest streak in Division I after Kansas lost Saturday to Oklahoma State.

Zeke Marshall and Demetrius Treadwell contributed double-doubles for Akron. Marshall had 17 points and 12 rebounds, Treadwell 15 points and 10 rebounds.

The Bobcats (15-6, 6-1), who had won seven straight, beat Akron in their last meeting, last season’s MAC tournament final.

Abreu’s 10 points in the final 10 minutes before halftime helped the Zips outscore the Bobcats 31-13 after trailing 23-10.

Nick Kellogg scored 15 points for Ohio and D.J. Cooper had 14 points and six assists. Cooper passed Grayson Marshall (Clemson, 1984-88) for 19th on the all-time Division I assists list and now has 861.