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AKRON, Ohio -- Redshirt junior guard Jaaron Simmons (Dayton, Ohio) scored a game-high 19 points and distributed a game-high five assists, but the Ohio men's basketball (11-5, 3-2 MAC) suffered its second-straight Mid-American Conference defeat, falling to East Division rival Akron (15-3, 5-0 MAC), 83-68 on Tuesday (Jan. 17) at James A. Rhodes Arena.

The Bobcats trailed by just three points at the halftime break, but the Zips shot 60 percent (18-of-30) in the second half en route to outscoring Ohio by a 45-33 count over the final 20 minutes of play.

Akron shot 47.4 percent (9-of-19) from three-point range and 85.7 percent (12-of-14) from the free throw line while Ohio managed just 31.3 percent (5-of-16) from beyond the arc and 53.8 percent (7-of-13) from the charity stripe.

"We didn't defend anywhere near well enough tonight," said third-year head coach Saul Phillips.

Simmons played all 40 minutes for the Bobcats, shooting 8-of-13 from the field. He also added four rebounds and a steal.

Sophomore guard Jordan Dartis (Newark, Ohio) finished with 14 points and also contributed two assists, a rebound and a steal in 36 minutes.

Sophomore guard/forward Gavin Block (Lincoln, Ill.) converted five of his seven field goal attempts en route to 10 points in 21 minutes. He also chipped in two rebounds.

Redshirt senior forward Kenny Kaminski (Medina, Ohio) gave the Bobcats nine points and two rebounds over 34 minutes.

Freshman forward Jason Carter (Johnstown, Ohio) contributed a team-high eight rebounds in the absence of injured senior forward Antonio Campbell (Cincinnati, Ohio) as well as six points, three assists and a steal in 17 minutes of work off of the bench.

Sophomore forward Doug Taylor (Columbus, Ohio) made his second career start in place of Campbell, tallying six points, six boards and a steal in 24 minutes of action.

Senior forward Kwan Cheatham, Jr. lead Akron with 17 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. He also logged three assists, a block and a steal in 33 minutes.

Senior center Isaiah Johnson nearly produced a second double-double for the Zips, compiling 15 points and nine rebounds. He also had four assists, a game-high two steals and a block over 34 minutes.

Junior guard Jimond Ivey finished with 15 points for Akron, shooting 7-of-10 from the field. He also added five rebounds, three assists and a block in 34 minutes.

Junior guard Antino Jackson drilled three treys en route to 11 points. He also chipped in three assists and a rebound in 29 minutes of action.

Akron led by a half-high nine points with 12 minutes to go in the first half after a layup by redshirt freshman wing/forward Daniel Utomi made it 20-11 in favor of the hosts. Cheatham and Jackson each knocked down a pair of threes to help the Zips build up the early advantage.

Ohio climbed out of the hole, though, going on an 18-4 run that was punctuated by a layup by Kaminski, giving the Bobcats a half-high five-point lead at 29-24. Treys by Simmons and Laster helped power the Ohio rally.

The Zips utilized an 11-0 run to go back up by six with just over two minutes remaining in the half, with Jackson and Cheatham each sinking threes during the stretch to put Akron back in front. A layup off of a steal by Simmons and a dunk by Taylor allowed the Bobcats to enter halftime trailing by just three, though.

Block nailed a jumper a minute into the second half to make it a one-point game, but that's as close as the Bobcats got to overtaking the Zips. Akron went on a 34-13 tear over the ensuing 11:31 to take a game-high 22-point lead at 72-50 with 7:31 remaining. The Zips' surge was highlighted by a pair of dunks by both Ivey and redshirt freshman forward Emmanuel Olojakpoke and treys by freshman guard Tavian Dunn-Martin and Utomi.

Ohio used a three by Kaminski, a layup by Carter and a jumper by Simmons to help trim their deficit back down to 12 at 74-62 with just over four minutes to go, but that's as close as Akron allowed the Bobcats to get on the way to a 15-point victory.

Ohio makes the trek to DeKalb, Ill., to battle Northern Illinois (12-6, 4-1 MAC) on Saturday (Jan. 21). The contest, which is scheduled to tip at 4:30 p.m. ET, will be broadcast on ESPN3 and streamed live nationally on WatchESPN and the ESPN app.

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