 KENT STATE 79, AKRON 68 With the victory, Kent State (21-10, 12-4 MAC) became the first team since the 1991-93 Miami RedHawks to win back-to-back MAC Regular Season Championships. In addition, the Golden Flashes became just the second team in the last 48 years to win consecutive outright MAC titles, joining the 1988-90 Ball State Cardinals.
NEXT STOP FOR FLASHES- CLEVELAND ON THURSDAY
KSU will go into the 2011 FirstEnergy MAC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena as the number one seed and will play its first tournament game at noon on Thursday against the winner of the eighth and nine seeds.
“It was two totally different halves,” KSU head coach Geno Ford said after the game. “It was a great game from a fan’s perspective.”
The Flashes were led by junior forward Justin Greene, who led all scorers in the contest with 18 points and 10 rebounds. It was his third consecutive game with a double-double and 11th of the season. Senior guard Rodriguez Sherman, playing his last home game, added 17. Junior guard Carlton Guyton came off the bench to score 16, and sophomore guard Randal Holt had 14.
For Akron (19-12, 9-7 MAC), it was their second consecutive loss after a seven-game winning streak that put them back into the Eastern Division race. Their MAC Tournament begins at home in Rhodes Arena on Tuesday as they will be either the fifth, sixth, or seventh seed, pending results from Saturday.
TYPICALLY TOUGH MATCHUP
“It was a typical Akron-Kent game.” Zips head man Keith Dambrot said afterward. “We had trouble guarding the ball when you have to make plays at crunch times, and we missed a free throw.”
Sophomore guard Quincy Diggs came off the bench to lead UA with 12 points. Seniors Brett McKnight and Darryl Roberts each added 11.
When these two teams meet, you can expect a sellout crowd at fever pitch, as well as a close basketball game. That is what was served up to both the fans in attendance and a national television audience (ESPN2).
The game was tied at 2-2, and 4-4, despite UA missing their first five shots from the floor. The Zips used a 10-0 run to open their largest lead of the half,14-8, fueled by a pair of three-pointers – one from freshman guard Alex Abreu from the right arc and the other by Roberts from the same area.
UA held the lead until a driving layup down the lane by Holt gave the lead back to Kent State, 17-16. Another three-pointer from the right arc by Roberts ignited an 8-2 run pushing Akron’s lead back out to six, 24-18, at the 5:38 mark on a layup by Diggs who scored seven first half points.
ADVANTAGE AKRON AT HALF
At the end of the first half, it was Akron who held the advantage, 31-27. Even though the Zips shot 43.3% from the field in the first 20 minutes (13-for-30), they held KSU to just 33.3% (11-for-33) and owned a narrow 21-20 rebound edge.
The second half would showcase some of the great talent in the MAC. UA held their four-point advantage early, the last being 39-35 on a layup by McKnight, who was held scoreless in the first half. A pair of layups by Greene tied the score, 39-39, at the 14:06 mark.
A pair of free throws by Abreu gave the Zips their last lead of the night, 41-39, at the 13:57 mark. A conventional three-point play by Greene ended his personal seven-point run and gave the Flashes the lead 42-41 with 13:22 remaining.
For a stretch of almost 10 minutes, it seemed like neither team missed a shot. When the Zips closed the deficit, the Flashes responded with a basket of their own. During the stretch, the widest KSU lead was six points, 64-58, with 5:17 remaining.
Akron showed its mettle and closed to within two 68-66 at the 3:51 mark when Abreu connected on a three. It was the closest UA could get for the remainder of the game.
FLASHES PUT IT AWAY
KSU started a decisive run with a short jumper in the lane by Greene. By the time Holt connected on a three from the left corner with 52 seconds remaining, KSU’s lead was nine at 75-66. The hosts went on to win by 11, avenging the 65-62 loss to the Zips back at the start of the MAC season at Rhodes Arena on January 8.
Stats reflected strong offensive games, especially in the second half, by both teams. KSU shot 68.8% (22-for-32) from the floor after intermission, while Akron shot 57.7% (15-for-26). Both teams finished the 40 minutes at over 50 percent from the floor (KSU 50.8% 33-for-65 and UA 50% 28-for-56). During one stretch, KSU scored baskets on seven consecutive possessions and had a decisive 17-5 rebound edge, winning the battle overall 37-26.
“‘Neither team could stop the other (in the second half)” Ford said. “Basketball is a tough game. Sometimes you have to outscore the other team to win. You have to find a way.”
After KSU lost a heartbreaker at home to Ohio in overtime last Saturday, its lead atop the East Division was shaky at best. Both UA and Miami were in the hunt. But Kent State bounced back Tuesday night with a six-point win at Bowling Green. A Miami loss at Buffalo Wednesday gave KSU at least a share of the title, and the Flashes then solidified a place in MAC history with their win over the Zips.
“We might be the toughest team in the league” Ford said. “We’ve had a lot of guys get better throughout the year, and our collective toughness won it (the MAC) for us.”
Toughness will be mandatory this week as the MAC tournament gets under way. A year ago, Kent State came into the tourney as the number one seed and was surprised by the Ohio in the second round. The Bobcats went on to win the whole ball of wax. Many of the players remember that loss and aim to prevent any kind of repeat.
UPON FURTHER REVIEW
KEY MOMENT: Kent State scored on seven consecutive possessions midway through the second half to thwart any Akron comeback.
STAR OF THE GAME: RODRIGUEZ SHERMAN-KENT STATE. The senior from Indianapolis, Indiana was playing his final home game, and he responded with 17 points, five rebounds and a steal. Twelve of his points came in the second half when he was 5-for-6 from the field and made three key baskets during the stretch of seven straight scoring possessions by the Flashes. Earlier this season Sherman passed the 1,000 point mark for this career
KEY STATS OF THE GAME: 1) Kent State’s 68.8% second half shooting (22-for-32). 2) KSU’s 17-5 rebounding edge in the second half. 3) Akron’s two forward players (Nikola Cvetinoovic and Zeke Marshall) held to a combined 16 points.
NOTES: Officials issued three technical fouls with 10 seconds remaining. Diggs was given two techincals and ejected from the game, while Guyton was given one …The game was the 131st lifetime meeting between the two schools with Kent State holding a 68-63 advantage winning four of the last five meetings…68th lifetime game at Kent (45-23 KSU)…The fifth consecutive season the two teams have ended the regular season against each other…Kent State finished the season 13-2 at home (7-1 in MAC play)…Justin Greene-KSU his first basket of the game made him the 28th player in KSU history to score 1,000 career points (along with teammate Rodriguez Sherman the first pair of teammates to hit the mark in the same year since Trevor Huffman & Kyreem Massey in 1998…KSU head coach Geno Ford is 5-2 lifetime against Akron and Keith Dambrot…Brett McKnight-AKR moved into31st place on UA’s all-time scoring list with 1,190 points and his fifth straight and seven in the last eight in double-figure scoring…Zeke Marshall-AKR had three blocked shots, moving his single-season mark to 71…Quincy Diggs-AKR just the third time this season in double figures and the first time this season he has led the team in scoring…UA head coach Keith Dambrot is 6-14 lifetime against Kent State.
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