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Top-seeded Kent State failed to catch Ohio after falling behind early. Below, Kenneth Van Kempen pulls down one of his eight rebounds. Photos by Mike Smith.

Ohio (19-14) advanced to the semi-finals for the first time since 2006 as it defeated Kent State for the first time this season after two heartbreaking losses in which the Bobcats had the lead well into the second half.

Junior guard Armon Bassett led all scorers with 38 points, going 9-for-17 from the field and a perfect 16-for-16 from the free throw line.  Bassett, a transfer from Indiana finished the regular season leading the Bobcats in scoring both overall (15.5), and in conference games (16.4).

"I have been coaching a long timeand this was certainly one of the most dynamic performances that I have been a part of," Bobcats head coach John Groce said  after the game.

Forward DeVean Washington came off the bench to score 19 points, going a perfect 8-for-8 from the field. He also led the Bobcats with eight rebounds.

“I’m really proud of our guys….We were really locked in and focused,” Groce said.. “We were able to make plays on offense.”

Kent State (23-9) became the first No. 1 seed to lose in the quarterfinals since Miami defeated Bowling Green in overtime in 2000. The MAC East Division champions do know that they have an invitation to the National Invitational Tournament if they do not receive an at-large berth on Selection Sunday.

“It was a disappointing end to a great year," KSU head coach Geno Ford said afterwards. “We were not very good tonight, and give them a lot of credit, they were fantastic tonight.”

Senior guard Chris Singletary, playing his final game for KSU, scored 19 points before fouling out with 2:49 remaining in the game. Rodriguez Sherman and Anthony Simpson added 12 points, while Simpson pulled down eight rebounds.

With the game tied early at 8-8 and MAC Freshman of the Year D.J. Cooper on the bench after two quick fouls, Ohio went on a 13-2 run to open a 21-10 lead at the 10:40 mark on a layup by Bassett high off the glass.

The Bobcats increased their margin to 17 points, 34-17, at the 3:58 mark on a layup by Washington and took 40-24 lead into halftime.

Over the first 20 minutes, Ohio shot the ball exceptionally well. The Bobcats went 15-for-27 from the field, including going 5-for-10 from three-point range. Bassett had 18 points while Singletary had 12 for a Kent State team that shot just 25 percent from the field (8 for 32) and was outrebounded 24-16.

At the start of the second half, Ohio maintained its double-digit lead until Kent State went on a 11-2 run to close the deficit to five 49-44 with 11:53 remaining on a layup by freshman guard Randal Holt.

But that would be as close as the Golden Flashes could get as Ohio ended the game with a 17-4 run to pick up their second win of this 2010 MAC Tournament after beating Ball State in overtime on Sunday.

“We weathered the storm ... (with) our resilience out there, and we pulled away for the win,” Bassett said.

NOTES: The game was the 129th lifetime meeting between the two schools with the Bobcats holding a 86-43 edge…It was Ohio’s first win over Kent State since  January 11, 2009 at Athens 71-65 …It was the eighth time they have met in MAC Tournament play (first since 2005)…Kent State has a lifetime record  of 20-9 at Quicken Loans Arena…KSU has a 30-23 lifetime MAC Tournament record…KSU head coach Geno Ford is 1-2 in MAC Tournament  play and 3-2 against Ohio head coach John Groce.