CLEVELAND — When push came to shove for top-seed Akron on Friday night in its Mid-American Conference semifinal against Bowling Green, the Zips did the natural thing. They fed their big man, Isaiah Johnson, and he did the rest.
Johnson’s teammates call him the “Big Dog.” How big? He’s 6 feet 10 and “no comment,” Johnson said, smiling, when asked for his weight.
But the junior knows how to use it. His nine straight points in the midst of the second half took the Zips from a one-point lead to an eight-point advantage with 9:23 left. They cruised from there to an 80-66 win over 12th-seeded Bowling Green.