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Akron basketball score, recap vs. Kent State in MAC tournament
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- Akron basketball score, recap vs. Kent State in MAC tournament
CLEVELAND — Archrivals Akron and Kent State met for the third time this men's basketball season on Friday, March 13, and the Zips prevailed 75-68 to secure a sweep.
The stakes were significantly different than the previous two Wagon Wheel rivalry encounters, though, because the latest one was a Mid-American Conference tournament semifinal. By defeating No. 3 Kent State , No. 2 Akron advanced to face No. 4 Toledo in the MAC tourney title game at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 14.
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Akron is the two-time defending MAC tourney champion. Kent State most recently won the tournament crown in 2023. UA won both of its 2025-26 regular-season games against KSU, plus their tournament showdown.
Here is how Akron (28-5, 17-1) versus Kent State (24-9, 14-4) unfolded through our updates at Rocket Arena:
Akron defeats Kent State 75-68. How the final moments unfolded
Akron wing Evan Mahaffey threw down an alley-oop dunk on a pass from forward Amani Lyles , giving the Zips a 70-63 advantage with 1:07 left in the second half.
Then Zips point guard Tavari Johnson grabbed a rebound on a miss by Kent State counterpart Cian Medley , and KSU forward Delrecco Gillespie fouled Johnson with 51.3 second left. It was Gillespie's fifth foul, so he fouled out. Johnson split two free throws, and Kent State guard Quinn Woidke made a 3-pointer with 38.8 seconds remaining to cut KSU's deficit to 71-66.
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Medley also fouled out with 37.7 seconds left, and Lyles made two free throws to boost Akron's cushion to 73-66.
Zips column: Shammah Scott gives Akron star off bench and MAC title shot | Opinion
Kent State guard Morgan Safford made a layup with 30 seconds left to make it 73-68 in favor of Akron. Zips guard Shammah Scott split two free throws with 29.4 seconds remaining, giving Akron a 74-68 lead. Scott then blocked a 3-point shot by Woidke with 19 seconds left.
With 12.4 second left, Johnson split two foul shots, giving Akron a 75-68 lead. Woidke missed a desperation 3-pointer, and Akron secured the rebound to end the game.
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Johnson and Scott led Akron with 18 points apiece. Mahaffey had 16 points and seven rebounds. Lyles compiled eight points and nine rebounds. Guard Bowen Hardman finished with nine points.
Kent State basketball news: KSU can't capitalize on best chance to beat rival Akron
Center Rob Whaley Jr. led Kent State with 15 points. Woidke had 12 points, followed by Gillespie and guard Jahari Williamson with 10 points apiece. Gillespie also grabbed 14 rebounds.
Kent State outscored Akron 40-33 in the second half, but UA never surrendered the lead after it held a 14-point advantage at halftime.
Toledo is 19-14 and went 11-7 in the MAC during the regular season. In the only matchup between the two teams this season, Akron beat Toledo 91-81 on Jan. 27 at UA.
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Akron Zips extend lead to 68-61 against Kent State with Shammah Scott's clutch shot
Akron guard Shammah Scott made a clutch 3-pointer with 1:50 left in the second half, boosting UA's lead to 68-61 against Kent State.
KSU took a timeout with 1:30 remaining.
Akron leads 64-59 vs. Kent State with 4:22 left in the second half
Akron has led by as many as 16 points. UA had its lead cut to a point in the second half, but the Zips have yet to relinquish the lead after halftime.
Akron forward Amani Lyles missed two foul shots with 4:42 left, and Kent State center Rob Whaley Jr. made two free throws with 4:22 remaining, slicing KSU's deficit to five points.
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Akron clinging to 59-55 lead vs. Kent State
Akron led Kent State 59-55 with 7:58 left in the second half.
Among UA's second-half woes is free-throw shooting. Forward Amani Lyles made two foul shots with 8:22 left, giving the Zips a 59-55 edge. It was the first time Akron made two free throws in the second half.
After going 8 of 8 on foul shots in the first half, Akron made three of its first seven in the second half.
At this stage, Akron point guard Tavari Johnson had a game-high 16 points, including three in the second half.
Akron leads Kent State 52-48 with 11:35 left in the second half
Akron led Kent State 52-48 with 11:35 left in the second half.
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The game has become more intense and physical since Kent State rallied coming out of halftime.
Kent State starting point guard Cian Medley picked up his third and fourth fouls of the game with 12:42 and 12:35 left.
Akron forward Amani Lyles had a chance to give the Zips a bit more cushion, yet he missed a pair of foul shots with 12:19 remaining.
Zips point guard Tavari Johnson has yet to score in the second half after producing 13 points in the first half.
Kent State trails Akron 47-45 with 15:54 left in the second half
After trailing by 14 points at halftime, Kent State outscored Akron 18-5 in the first 4:06 of the second half.
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KSU big men Delrecco Gillespie and Rob Whaley Jr. have turned it on. Whaley had two points at halftime and seven points in the first 4:06 of the second half. Gillespie's three-point play with 15:54 remaining cut Akron's lead to two points.
Kent State begins second half with 8-0 run and cuts its deficit to 42-36 vs. Akron Zips
Kent State coach Rob Senderoff must have delivered a helluva halftime speech.
KSU went on an 8-0 run to begin the second half and cut Akron's lead to 42-36 when guard Jahari Williamson drained a 3-pointer with 18:16 left.
Guard Morgan Safford secured a steal and turned it into a fast-break dunk, and center Rob Whaley Jr. produced a three-point play to get Kent State's run going.
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Akron leads Kent State 42-28 at halftime
All Akron in the first half as the Zips find themselves in a favorable postion to play in the MAC Tournament championship game against Toledo.
Akron's Tavari Johnson gets a shot at the buzzer to rattle in. He has 13 points for the Zips, who shot 55.6% from the field in the first half.
Kent State was held to 8 points in the final five minutes of the half and shot 25.9% from the field Cian Medley leads the Flashes with 6 points on a couple of 3s. Leading scorer Delrecco Gillespie has been held to 5 ... all on free throws.
Cian Medley tries to spark Kent State run, Akron answers
A couple of Cian Medley 3s appeared to give Kent State, but Akron quickly pushed the lead out to 33-22 with 3:51 left in the first half.
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The Zips are shooting 57.1% from the field. The Flashes are shooting 30.4%. Being 4 of 8 from 3-point range has kept Kent State this close.
Akron increasing first half lead
The Zips are on a 13-3 run and lead 21-14 at the 8-minute mark. Tavari Johnson has 9 points for Akron, which is shooting 50% from the field. Kent State is shooting 23.5%.
Akron regains lead on Tavari Johnson 3-pointer
Tavari Johnson's 3-pointer gives the Zips a 13-11 lead. Akron is on a 9-2 run.
Kent State's Delrecco Gillespie hit with Flagrant 1 foul
A foul on Kent State's Delrecco Gillespie at the 14:35 mark us upgraded to a Flagrant 1. Akron's Sharron Young hits two free throws and the Zips get the ball. The Flashes lead 9-8.
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Kent State grabs early lead against Akron
Kent State leads Akron 8-4 at the first media timeout. Dezmon Briscoe will try to complete an and-1 after the break.
Kent State Golden Flashes forward Delrecco Gillespie (23) flexes after a shot against Ohio during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the MAC Basketball Tournament at Rocket Arena, March 12, 2026, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Here is some pregame information:
Akron vs. Kent State tip-off set for about 7:42 p.m.
After Toledo defeated UMass 77-67 in the first semifinal on March 13, the countdown to tip-off for Akron and Kent State began at 7:12 p.m. with 30 minutes on the clock. In other words, tip-off is tentatively set for 7:42 p.m.
MAC men's basketball tournament scores, schedule
Here are the results from the MAC tournament quarterfinals on Thursday, March 12:
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(8) UMass 87, (1) Miami 83 | FINAL | Recap
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(4) Toledo 77, (5) Bowling Green 76 | FINAL
Here are the results from the MAC tournament semifinals on Friday, March 13:
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(4) Toledo 77, (8) UMass 67
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(2) Akron 75, (3) Kent State 68
Akron Zips guard Tavari Johnson (5) is fouled by Kent State Golden Flashes guard Morgan Safford (8) on his way to the basket during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game at the M.A.C. Center, Feb. 27, 2026, in Kent, Ohio.
Akron vs. Kent State basketball history
Akron leads the all-time series 87-82 and has emerged victorious from the past seven clashes. Earlier this season, the Zips beat the Golden Flashes 92-70 on Feb. 27 at the M.A.C. Center and 69-52 on Jan. 30 at Rhodes Arena.
Kent State hasn't triumphed in the series since March 10, 2023, when the Golden Flashes won 79-73 in a MAC tournament semifinal in Cleveland .
Zips coverage: Akron men's basketball set for another Kent State showdown in MAC Tournament
Zips coach John Groce is 14-7 against Kent State during his UA tenure. Groce is 18-12 overall versus KSU, including his time at Ohio.
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Akron is 7-3 in the MAC tournament against Kent State.
The Akron-Kent State basketball series began during the 1915-16 season.
Kent State Golden Flashes forward Rob Whaley Jr. (2) looks to make a pass over Akron Zips wing Evan Mahaffey (12) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game at the M.A.C. Center, Feb. 27, 2026, in Kent, Ohio.
Akron Zips men's basketball starters vs. Kent State
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Forward Amani Lyles
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Point guard Tavari Johnson
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Wing Evan Mahaffey
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Guard Bowen Hardman
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Wing Zach Halligan
Kent State basketball news: 'Composed' Golden Flashes hold off Ohio in MAC Tournament quarterfinal
Kent State's starters vs. Akron
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Point guard Cian Medley
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Guard Jahari Williamson
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Guard Morgan Safford
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Forward Delrecco Gillespie
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Center Rob Whaley Jr.
How can I watch, listen, stream Akron Zips vs. Kent State Golden Flashes tonight in MAC tournament semifinal?
The Akron-Kent State game will be broadcast nationally by CBS Sports Network. The Akron radio broadcast can be heard locally on WHLO (640-AM). The Kent State radio broadcast can be heard locally on Fox Sports 1350 the Gambler (1350-AM).
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The Akron Beacon Journal sports department can be contacted via email at bjsports@thebeaconjournal.com . The Canton Repository sports department can be contacted via email at sports@cantonrep.com .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron men's basketball score vs Kent State recap, stats. Zips advance
