 AKRON 84, KENT STATE 75 ZIPS 4-1 IN FIRST TRIP TRIP THROUGH EAST
Akron (12-7, 4-1 MAC) picked up their ninth win in the last 11 games while improving to 4-1 at home, defeating their arch rival for the second consecutive time at home. It was the Zips third in the last four meetings overall, including that overtime thriller last March in the championship game of the 2011 FirstEnergy MAC Men’s Basketball Championship.
“That was a very strange game. “ Zips head coach Keith Dambrot said after Saturday’s contest. “At halftime we looked like we took a punch in the gut. We have shown an ability to come back all year. The crowd really got behind us and helped us tonight.”
HARNEY SETS NEW CAREER HIGH
Sophomore Nick Harney came off the bench to lead UA with a career-high 21 points, scoring 19 of them in the second half. Junior transfer Chauncey Gilliam added 11 and fellow transfer, sophomore Brian Walsh added 10.
“I go out there and play basketball and not worry what happened in the last game.” Harney said. “I love the game and just love to play and play hard.”
Kent State (12-6, 2-3 MAC) dropped consecutive games for the first time since falling to Texas-Arlington and Utah State at the Athletes In Action Classic. KSU has now lost three of its last four on the road.
'WE SCORED ENOUGH POINTS TO WIN' -- SENDEROFF
“I’m concerned with the play of a lot of guys right now.” Kent State head coach Rob Senderoff said afterward. “We scored enough points to win. I am concerned about our mental toughness, especially on the road.”
Junior guard Randal Holt led all scorers in the game with a career-best 27 points, along with three rebounds, three assists and four steals. Senior forward Justin Greene added 11 with seven rebounds and three steals.
The game was a must-win for both squads following losses on Wednesday night. UA fell at Buffalo, 82-70, while KSU lost at Ohio, 87-65.
The game started with both teams matching six-point runs. Both teams then exchanged the lead before UA opened their largest lead of the first half, 28-23, at the 6:06 mark on a driving layup by sophomore guard Alex Abreu.
Kent State then went on a 19-4 run to open its largest lead of the half, 42-32, when Holt connected on a three from the left arc with 29.5 seconds remaining. It was a 42-34 advantage at halftime.
Holt led the run with a pair of threes, senior guard Michael Porrini added five points, including a conventional three-point play, and Greene had four points
“We did a great job in the first half of forcing turnovers and limiting second chance points.” Senderoff said.
HOLT HOT IN FIRST HALF
Holt was the key man in the Flashes offense in the first half. He scored 14 points, hitting five-of-seven from the field, including a perfect three-for-three from beyond the arc with three assists and three steals
Both teams shot the ball well in the first 20 minutes as UA went 14-for-29 from the field (48.3 percent) and KSU 17-for-36 (47.2 percent). UA held a narrow rebounding edge, 19-16. Turnovers however, were again a problem for the Zips.
UA committed 11 of them in the first half and the Flashes converted them into 19 points.
At the start of the second half, both teams had mini-spurts with KSU pushing the lead back out to 10 on two occasions, the last being 53-43 when freshman Kris Brewer hit a three from the left side of the arc.
With KSU holding a 55-46 lead at the 13:24 mark on a pair of Brewer free-throws, UA started raining threes on the Golden Flashes.
BOMBS AWAY FOR UA
The Zips hit four consecutive three-pointers in a span of 1:59 to take the lead for good 58-55 the last one being from fifth-year senior Nikola Cvetinovic from the top of the key. The barrage started when senior guard Brett McClanahan connected from the right arc. Diggs then hit a pair also from the right arc, and Cvetinovic finished the three-ball run.
The three-point parade started a 28-6 run that shifted the momentum of the game squarely into UA’s favor and was another nightmare for the Flashes, who saw Ohio bust that game open with a 22-2 second half run on Wednesday night.
“In a game like this, it’s all about momentum.” Gilliam said. “Who can withstand the runs; it would be the team that wanted it more.”
While UA was making it rain threes, KSU misfired on four straight shots, two by Greene and two by Porrini, including a layup from right in front of the basket at the 11:44 mark. To add to their problems, Greene picked up three quick second half fouls, giving him four in the game and forcing him to sit at the 8:41 mark.
“Once the momentum shifts away from us, that has been a problem for us the last couple of games. We have had trouble making the run back.” Senderoff said.
The Flashes weathered the storm for a while and were still in the game, closing the deficit to one, 60-59, with 9:44 remaining when senior center Justin Manns scored on a layup. However, that would be the closest KSU could get.
AKRON PULLS AWAY
The Zips finished the game off with an 18-4 run to open a 78-63 lead with 3:37 remaining on a driving layup by Harney. He scored the last 10 points of the run and had 19 points in the second half, going 9-of-10 from the floor.
Kent State closed the deficit to nine twice on a pair of layups by Holt, but the game was decided. It was the most points scored against Kent State since scoring 85 in 2003 at Kent (85-70 win).
“We did a good job on Porrini, Guyton, and Greene and didn’t do a good job on Randal Holt. But that’s what makes them (KSU) difficult; they have a lot of players that played in big games.” Dambrot said.
The Zips won the rebound battle 20-14 in the second half (39-30 for the game) and committed just four turnovers. KSU turned the ball over eight times costing them 12 points.
“We could not give up that many points like we did in the first half.” Gilliam said. “Giving up 42 points was unacceptable and we had to kick (the defense) up a bit.”
ZIPS' BENCH CONTINUES TO SHINE
Once again, the bench was key to a UA victory, scoring 41 points (33 of them coming in the second half). Harney had 21, Diggs tallied eight, and sophomore forward Demetrius Treadwell added seven along with a team-high nine rebounds.
“I think we have a good bench. We had to use shorter intervals along with our bench and try to stay aggressive defensively to get at them more.” Dambrot said.
For the Flashes, they gave up over 80 points for the third consecutive game (87 both to Bowling Green and to Ohio)
“I may be the only person that still believes in our team, but I am not losing faith,” Senderoff said.
Both teams return to the hardwood on Wednesday as cross-division games begin. UA heads to Muncie to battle Jarrod Jones and Ball State while KSU returns home to battle Tim Toler and Northern Illinois.
GAMEBOOK:
KEY MOMENT: The Game turned midway through the second half when Akron connected on those four three-pointers and Kent State failed to score on their four possessions afterwards
PLAYER OF THE GAME: NICK HARNEY-AKRON. The sophomore from Cleveland scored a career high 21 points going 10-of-12 from the field. Earlier in the season, Harney sat out five games due to a suspension but has come back and has given UA a spark with double-digit games in four of his last five
KEY STATS OF THE GAME: 1) UA’s sizzling 61.8 percent shooting in the second half. 2) The Zips winning the battle of the boards 39-30. 3) Justin Greene-KSU scoring just 11 points
NOTEBOOK:
The game was the 133rd lifetime meeting between the two schools with Kent State holding a 69-64 advantage…The game was televised on SportsTime Ohio -- the 20th consecutive game in this series…UA has won eight of their last nine MAC games dating back to last year’s tournament…The first team to score 60 points has won 25 of the last 27 meetings, Akron was the first to 60 and won the game…Nick Harney-AKR had a previous career high of15 against Detroit on November 26. It was the third time this season he has led the Zips in scoring…Chauncey Gilliam-AKR posted his first double-digit game since 12 against Marshall on January 1st and first against a MAC opponent…Akron head coach Keith Dambrot moved into seventh place on the all-time MAC win list with 194, passing Central Michigan’s Dick Parfitt…Dambrot is 8-14 lifetime against Kent State (1-0 vs Rob Senderoff)…Randal Holt-KSU had a previous career-high of 22 on two occasions, the last being against Farifield in the second round of the NIT last March. It was the fifth time this season he has led the team in scoring…Justin Greene-KSU reached double-digits for the fifth consecutive game and has hit that mark in 15 of 18 games so far this season…Before the game, Nikola Cvetinovic (becoming the 39th player in UA history to score 1000 points) and Zeke Marshall (200 career blocked shots) were honored for their achievements…MAC Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher was in attendance |
