Roberts scores 18, Akron uses late first-half surge to pull away from Northern Illinois 90-76

Roberts leads Akron past Northern Illinois 90-76

AKRON, Ohio — Darryl Roberts had 18 points and eight rebounds and Akron had its highest-scoring game of the season to defeat Northern Illinois 90-76 on Wednesday night.

Chris McKnight added 16 points and five assists and Anthony Hitchens had 15 points for the Zips (16-7, 6-3 Mid-American Conference), who have won three of their last four games.

The Huskies (8-13, 4-5), who have lost five straight, stayed close the first 15 minutes, trailing 26-21 with 5:09 to go before halftime. Akron then used an 18-6 run to break the game open.

The Zips’ greatest lead was 86-59 with 5:02 left, then Northern Illinois closed out the game with a 17-4 run.

Each team made 18 free throws, but the Zips were 8-for-18 from long range while the Huskies were 4-for-16 from beyond the arc.

Xavier Silas led Northern Illinois with 15 points. Darion Anderson, Tony Nixon and Sean Kowal had 12 each.