Johnson's 21 help Akron down Northern Illinois 80-70

Published Jan. 28, 2025 9:54 p.m. ET

Associated Press

DEKALB, Ill. (AP) — Tavari Johnson scored 21 points and Akron defeated Northern Illinois 80-70 on Tuesday night for its eighth win in a row.

Johnson shot 7 of 11 from the field, including 2 for 4 from 3-point range, and went 5 for 5 from the line for the Zips (15-5, 8-0 Mid-American Conference). Nate Johnson added 19 points while shooting 6 for 12 (1 for 4 from 3-point range) and 6 of 8 from the free-throw line while he also had six rebounds and three steals. Isaiah Gray went 4 of 8 from the field (2 for 5 from 3-point range) to finish with 12 points.

Quentin Jones led the Huskies (5-15, 1-7) in scoring, finishing with 25 points, six rebounds and two steals. James Dent Jr. added 22 points, six rebounds and five assists. Kailon Nicholls finished with 12 points and four steals.

Akron led Northern Illinois at the half, 37-33, with Gray (nine points) its high scorer before the break. Akron used a 7-0 second-half run to take the lead at 47-40 with 16:42 left in the half. Tavari Johnson scored 15 second-half points.

Akron plays Friday against Kent State on the road, and Northern Illinois visits Toledo on Saturday.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.