Akron coasts past Western Illinois 73-49

AKRON, Ohio (AP) Kwan Cheatham Jr. scored 15 points, Pat Forsythe added 14 with four blocks and Akron coasted past Western Illinois 73-49 on Thursday night.

The Zips (6-2) sank 13 3-pointers, with Cheatham hitting five. Akron had 20 assists on 24 made field goals, shooting 43.6 percent from the field. Jake Kretzer chipped in 13 points, Deji Ibitayo had 11 and Nyles Evans dished out six assists.

Akron jumped out to an early 10-0 lead as Cheatham and Reggie McAdams each hit 3-pointers. A string of 3-pointers from Cheatham, Kretzer, Antino Jackson and McAdams pushed the lead to 34-9. The Zips opened the second half on a 16-3 run to make it 55-21 with 14:18 remaining.

The Leathernecks (2-4) were limited to 17-of-48 shooting and gave up 18 points off turnovers. Garret Covington led Western Illinois with 12 points and Remy Roberts-Burnett had 10.