Johnson's 24 lead Akron past Ohio 86-65

Updated: Jan 24, 2026, 12:04 pm

ATHENS, Ohio -- — Tavari Johnson had 24 points in Akron's 86-65 victory against Ohio on Friday.

Johnson shot 10 of 13 from the field and 4 for 5 from the line for the Zips (16-4, 7-1 Mid-American Conference). Shammah Scott scored 19 points while shooting 5 for 12 (3 for 6 from 3-point range) and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line. Amani Lyles shot 4 of 8 from the field and 4 for 6 from the line to finish with 13 points.

It was the sixth victory in a row for the Zips.

Javan Simmons and Jackson Paveletzke each finished with 16 points for the Bobcats (11-10, 5-4). JJ Kelly also had 12 points, three steals and four blocks.

Akron took the lead with 19:40 left in the first half and did not trail again. Johnson led his team in scoring with 16 points in the first half to help put them up 48-26 at the break. Akron pulled away with a 7-0 run in the second half to lead by 21 points. Scott led the way with a team-high 14 second-half points.

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