Story by
Kent State vs. Ohio basketball score, MAC Tournament live updates
- Story by
- Kent State vs. Ohio basketball score, MAC Tournament live updates
CLEVELAND — Kent State and Ohio will wrap up the first day of the Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Tournament by squaring off in a quarterfinal game on Thursday, March 12. Tip-off from Rocket Arena will be at approximately 6:30 p.m.
Kent State is the No. 3 seed in the tournament. The Flashes finished 14-4 in the MAC and are 23-8 overall.
Advertisement
Ohio (15-16, 9-9) is the No. 6 seed.
Click below throughout the game for live scoring updates and highlights.
Kent State holds off Ohio, advances to MAC Tournament semifinals
Ohio was able to get as close as five, but Kent State pulls away to an 86-75 win over the Bobcats.
Delrecco Gillespie scored 27 points and Morgan Safford finished with 24 for the Flashes, who will get their third shot at rival Akron in the semifinals. The Zips won both games during the regular season.
Ohio making final push against Kent State
The Bobcats have cut the Flashes' lead to 75-68 with 4:10 left. Kent State was up 73-58 less than two minutes ago.
Advertisement
Technical foul ends night for Ohio's Aidan Hadaway
Ohio's Aidan Hadaway is whistled for his fourth foul with 9:50 left and is whistled for a technical, finishing his night.
Hadaway ended up with 24 points. With the Bobcats down 67-52, their hole just got a lot deeper.
Kent State builds biggest lead midway through second half
The Flashes have their biggest lead at 61-47 with 11:38 to go. No lead has been safe today, but they're showing no signs of losing their grip on this advantage.
Morgan Safford helps Kent State get off to fast start in second half
Kent State opens the second half with a 13-7 run and leads Ohio 53-45.
Advertisement
Morgan Safford's third 3 of the night gives him a team-high 17 points. He's having a great MAC Tournament debut as a Flashes player.
Safford scored 21 points for Miami in a MAC Tournament quarterfinal loss to Toledo in 2023.
Kent State leads Ohio 40-38 at halftime
Kent State's Morgan Safford and Ohio's Aidan Hadaway exchange 3s in the final seconds of the first half, and the Flashes go into halftime leading 40-38.
Hadaway has a game-high 20 points. Safford leads the Flashes with 10.
Kent State ties game on fourth 3-pointer of first half
Kent State's fourth 3-pointer is courtesy of Jahari Williamson and ties the game at 26-26. The Flashes are shooting 50% from behind the arc.
Advertisement
Aidan Hadaway off to fast start for Ohio
Aidan Hadaway has scored 10 of Ohio's first 15 points. Kent State leads 16-15 at the 11:08 mark of the first half behind 6 from Rob Whaley Jr.
Cian Medley 3 ends Kent State shooting drought to start game
The Flashes missed their first five shots before Cian Medley fired in a 3 to break the drought. Ohio leads 6-5 at the first official timeout.
Kent State vs. Ohio men's basketball 2025-26 regular season series
Kent State beat Ohio 72-57 on Jan. 27 at the M.A.C. Center in the only regular season meeting between the teams.
Three Flashes finished with double-doubles. Morgan Safford led the way with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Delrecco Gillespie finished with 15 poinrs and 12 rebounds. Magnus Entenmann added 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Advertisement
Cian Medley also had 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists for Kent State.
Kent State vs. Ohio men's basketball all-time series
Ohio leads the all-time series 101-63. Kent State is 6-5 against the Bobcats in neutral site games.
Kent State’s Delrecco Gillespie (23) fights for room to shoot against Eastern Michigan, Feb. 11, 2026.
Kent State men's basketball MAC Tournament history
The Flashes have won a record-tying seven MAC tournament titles, their last coming in 2023. Kent State has appreared in the championship game 15 times.
Ohio men's basketball MAC Tournament history
The Bobcats have also won seven MAC Tournament titles, their last coming in 2021. Ohio has appeared in the championship game nine times.
Advertisement
Who will the Kent State-Ohio men's basketball winner play next?
The Kent State-Ohio winner will advance to the MAC Tournament semifinals against No. 2 seed Akron or No. 7 Buffalo on Friday, March 13. Tip-off time is approximately 7:30 p.m.
Reach Mike at mike.popovich@cantonrep.com
On X: @mpopovichREP | On Instagram: mike_popovich | On Snapchat: popovich_mike | On TikTok: mikepopovich
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Kent State men's basketball score vs Ohio, MAC Tournament live updates
