WALDRON GRAIN & FUEL

02/16 03:23 CST Johnson leads Akron against Western Michigan after 23-point performance Johnson leads Akron against Western Michigan after 23-point performance By The Associated Press Akron Zips (20-5, 11-1 MAC) at Western Michigan Broncos (9-16, 3-9 MAC) Kalamazoo, Michigan; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Akron takes on Western Michigan after Tavari Johnson scored 23 points in Akron's 99-92 win against the UMass Minutemen. The Broncos are 7-5 in home games. Western Michigan is 3-14 against opponents with a winning record. The Zips are 11-1 in MAC play. Akron ranks third in the MAC shooting 37.2% from 3-point range. Western Michigan scores 74.8 points per game, 0.1 fewer points than the 74.9 Akron gives up. Akron has shot at a 50.4% rate from the field this season, 4.6 percentage points greater than the 45.8% shooting opponents of Western Michigan have averaged. The Broncos and Zips square off Tuesday for the first time in conference play this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Jalen Griffith is averaging 12.9 points and 3.7 assists for the Broncos. Justice Williams is averaging 14.9 points over the last 10 games. Johnson is shooting 52.9% and averaging 20.5 points for the Zips. Bowen Hardman is averaging 2.7 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Broncos: 3-7, averaging 73.3 points, 31.7 rebounds, 11.9 assists, 4.4 steals and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 43.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 79.3 points per game. Zips: 9-1, averaging 83.0 points, 33.8 rebounds, 17.0 assists, 6.3 steals and 2.8 blocks per game while shooting 46.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 72.9 points. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.