CLEVELAND, Ohio – The defense didn't rest and because of it, the third-seeded Akron Zips suffocated the sixth-seeded Bowling Green Falcons in a 74-67 win Thursday night in the Mid-American Conference quarterfinals at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland.
 
Just 13 days after surrendering 83 points to the Falcons in a home loss at James A. Rhodes Arena, the Zips staged a dramatic reversal of fortunes as they held Bowling Green to 26 points in the first half and 39.7-percent shooting for the game. The win was a resounding welcome to the postseason for Akron one year after winning the MAC regular-season championship only to see the conference tournament and NCAA tournament canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Senior guard Loren Cristian Jackson (Chicago, Ill.) led all scorers with 31 points and added four assists, while junior guard Bryan Trimble, Jr. (Kansas City, Mo.) reached double figures with 12 points, sophomore forward Ali Ali (Kendallville, Ind.) contributed nine points and six rebounds and sophomore forward Enrique Freeman (Cleveland, Ohio) grabbed a game-high nine rebounds.
 
Sophomore forward Jermaine Marshall (Birmingham, Ala.) notched eight points and had the two biggest shots of the game as he laced back-to-back triples over the course of 51 seconds in the game's closing minutes.
 
His two deep makes turned a 63-all tie into a 69-63 Akron lead with 2:36 remaining and the Zips (15-7, 12-6 MAC) held on to score their second win over the Falcons this season in three matchups as Jackson and Trimble iced the win from the foul line.
 
Akron set the tone early, going on an 8-0 run to open the game and leading by as many as 12 points prior to intermission. Although the rims were unkind to both teams in the first few minutes, Jackson helped kick start the scoring by shooting 7-for-8 at the foul line on his way to 19 points in the half.
 
However, the Falcons (14-11, 10-8 MAC) weren't willing to let their season end so easily. They cut the deficit to four points (48-44) in the opening moments of the second half and took the lead for the first time with 5:46 remaining.
 
 The difference makers proved to be decisive edges in 3-point shooting and scoring from the foul line, as Akron tallied 21 points from beyond the arc to nine for the Falcons and held a 17-10 in points from free throws. Facing a relentless Akron defense, Bowling Green made just 3-of-23 attempts (13 percent) from 3-point range.
 
Both sides took care of the basketball throughout, with a combined eight turnovers in the game.
 
Senior forward Daeqwon Plowden led Bowling Green with 26 points and sophomore forward Chandler Turner added 12 in defeat.
 
With the win, the Zips advance to a semifinal contest against second-seeded Buffalo on Friday night at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. The game is set to tip off half an hour after the conclusion of the semifinal game between Toledo and Ohio, which begins at 5 p.m., and can be seen on CBS Sports Network and heard on WHLO 640-AM.