AKRON, Ohio — Tahj Staveskie scored a game-high 28 points as the Akron Zips beat Youngstown State 92-76 in a men’s basketball exhibition on Tuesday, according to a game summary published by BVM Sports from University of Akron Athletics reporting.
Akron took control early, building a 43-32 lead by halftime, and then pulled away after a 9-0 run in the second half, BVM Sports reported. The Zips outrebounded the Penguins 37-30 and forced 13 turnovers in the win.
Staveskie added five assists and five steals to his 28 points, according to the BVM Sports summary. Evan Mahaffey scored 18 points for Akron, and reserve Kamrin Oriol also scored 18, giving the Zips three players in double figures.
The bench was a major part of the result. Akron’s reserves combined for 33 points, BVM Sports reported, a total that helped the Zips keep pressure on Youngstown State even when the starters rotated out of the game.
Because the game was an exhibition, it does not count in the regular-season standings for either team. It served instead as a final public test before Akron opens its 2026-27 schedule next week.
Akron opens the regular season on the road against Louisiana on Monday, Nov. 2, at 6 p.m. ET, according to BVM Sports. The game is part of the MAC-SBC Challenge and is scheduled to stream on ESPN+.
For Zips fans, the exhibition offered an encouraging first look: balanced scoring, active defense and depth from the bench, all against an in-state opponent from the Mahoning Valley. The regular-season opener in Louisiana will show how much of that form carries over when the games begin to count.
BVM Sports, summarizing the University of Akron Athletics reporting, called the performance a positive tone-setter for the Zips ahead of the regular season, pointing to the balanced scoring, the bench production and the defensive pressure that forced those 13 Youngstown State turnovers. Exhibition games do not affect seeding or standings, but coaches use them to settle rotations — and on Tuesday, Akron’s rotation produced points from the starters and the reserves alike.
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