Akron Zips vs Buffalo Bulls Match Player Stats On Feb 26, 2019

Sixth man Nick Perkins had another big night with 25 points, and No. 21 Buffalo extended its winning streak to six games by grinding out a 77-64 win over visiting Akron on Tuesday.

Perkins scored a career-high 27 points against Kent State on Friday. The Bulls (25-3 overall, 13-2 Mid-American Conference) have won 25 straight at home.

The Bulls lead the East Division with three more games remaining prior to the conference tournament. The final score didn't tell the story, as the Zips led for a majority of the second half.

CJ Massinburg collected 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists while Jayvon Graves added 14 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three blocks.

Akron (15-13, 7-8) was led by Tyler Cheese, who had 20 points, five rebounds and six assists. Loren Cristian Jackson had 12 points but shot 2 of 12 from the field. Deng Riak added 11 points and eight rebounds.

The Bulls shot 42.9 percent from the field and held the Zips to 39.7 percent shooting. Buffalo also forced 16 turnovers and only committed eight.

Cheese made all four of his 3-point attempts in the first half, with the last coming on Akron's final possession to give it a 36-35 halftime edge.

Cheese led all scorers before halftime with 14 points. Perkins and Massinburg combined for 23 of the Bulls' points.

Buffalo was limited to 37.8 percent shooting while Akron made 40.7 percent of its attempts, though it also committed nine turnovers.

Cheese hit an elbow jumper early in the second half to give the Zips a 46-43 lead. A Riak layup nudged their lead to five points.

Akron couldn't build on that but Buffalo also couldn't regain the lead until Perkins powered for a three-point play with 7:02 left. That gave the Bulls a 61-59 lead.

Graves dunked in transition to make it a two-possession game. Massinburg drained two free throws with 3:16 remaining to get the lead to five at 67-62.

Dontay Caruthers made a layup with just over two minutes left for a 71-64 advantage and Akron couldn't answer.

The Bulls won the first meeting in Akron, 76-70.

--Field Level Media