McKnight scores 16, Conyers grabs 19 rebounds as Akron pulls away from Illinois-Chicago 77-65

McKnight paces Akron over Illinois-Chicago 77-65

AKRON, Ohio — Brett McKnight scored 16 points and Jimmy Conyers grabbed 19 rebounds to help power Akron to its fourth straight victory, 77-65 over Illinois-Chicago on Tuesday night.

Conyers also scored 10 points while helping the Zips (8-3) pile up a 38-23 advantage on the boards and outscore the Flames (3-7) 34-24 in the paint.

Akron led throughout the second half after taking a 36-27 halftime lead with a 13-3 run over the final 5:14. The Zips outshot the Flames in the second half 53.8 percent (14-for-26) to 40.6 percent (13-for-32) while building their lead to as much as 15 points.

Darryl Roberts added 13 points for Akron, which has won eight of its last nine games, and Chris McKnight had 10 off the bench. The Zips’ reserves outscored their UIC counterparts 26-14.

Zavion Neely scored 16 points to pace the Flames and Robo Kreps added 13.