Story Courtesy of Akron Athletic Communications

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Akron men's basketball team advanced to the Mid-American Conference Tournament Semifinals after defeating Bowling Green 96-67 at Rocket Arena on Thursday.

With the 29-point margin of victory, Akron set a new personal MAC Tournament record for largest margin of victory. The Zips also set a new program MAC Tournament record for most 3-pointers made with 16 falling against the Falcons. Akron's previous high (14) was set against Northern Illinois in the 2015 tournament.

Six Zips put up double-digit points in the win. Akron was led by Bowen Hardman, who had 17 points. Seth Wilson added 15 points and two steals and Tavari Johnson chipped in as well with 14 points, seven assists and two steals.

James Okonkwo pulled down three offensive rebounds to lead the Akron offense which grabbed 10 boards and turned them into 13 second chance points.

The Akron defense caused its share of mistakes in Thursday's game, forcing 22 Bowling Green turnovers while committing nine. Those takeaways turned into 32 points on the other end of the floor. Sharron Young led the way individually for the Zips with four steals.

How It Happened
After jumping out to a 9-6 advantage, Akron went on a 9-0 run with 16:46 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Hardman, to increase its lead to 18-6. The Zips then maintained that lead and entered halftime with a 42-30 advantage. Akron relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down 11 shots to account for 33 of its 42 points.

Following intermission, Akron kept widening that lead, expanding it to 77-49 before going on an 8-0 run, finished off by Shammah Scott's layup, to grow the lead to 85-49 with 7:06 to go in the contest. The Falcons narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Zips still cruised the rest of the way for the 96-67 win. Akron took care of business in the paint, recording 30 of its 54 points in the lane.