Jackson with 22 points leads Akron past N. Illinois 67-65

Jan 27, 2020, 09:15 am

AKRON, Ohio -- Loren Cristian Jackson scored 22 points as Akron rallied in the second half to edge Northern Illinois 67-65 on Saturday night.

Jackson was 9 of 11 from the free throw line for the Zips (12-8, 4-3 Mid-American Conference), who have won three of the last four. Daniel Utomi added 14 points and Jimond Ivey had 11 points and eight rebounds.

Akron trailed 28-24 at the break but rallied early in the second half, using a 22-7 surge featuring 3-pointers by Ivey, Utomi, Jackson and Channel Banks to take a 46-35 lead with 9:34 to play. The Zips led the rest of the way, though Northern Illinois cut it to 65-64 with five seconds left before a pair of Jackson free throws sealed the win.

Eugene German scored 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Huskies (11-9, 4-3). Dante Thorpe added 16 points and Levi Bradley 14.