Kent State men's basketball survives Western Michigan, advances to MAC semifinals

Story by

Story by
Kent State men's basketball survives Western Michigan, advances to MAC semifinals

Kent State Golden Flashes forward VonCameron Davis (1) shoots over Western Michigan Broncos guard Donovan Williams (0) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Rocket Arena on Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Mike Popovich, Canton Repository · Akron Beacon Journal

Thu, Mar 13, 2025 ·

6 min read

About Our Ads

CLEVELAND — Kent State's apparent clear path toward the Mid-American Conference Tournament semifinals quickly was jamming up.

A 19-point lead over underdog Western Michigan shrank to two midway through the second half. The thought of a short weekend at Rocket Arena this season was becoming real.

The Flashes are alive and well today. Survive and advance is all that matters in March.

Kent State held off Western Michigan 73-66 on Thursday to earn a semifinal date with Miami. The Flashes and RedHawks will square off Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Kent State Golden Flashes guard Marquis Barnett (2) celebrates with teammate Jalen Sullinger (13) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Rocket Arena on Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Third-seeded Kent State (22-10) is a team very capable of winning the MAC Tournament. Some would not have been surprised if the Flashes were knocked out by the Broncos , who beat them by 11 at the MAC Center in January.

In the face of adversity, the Flashes fought back.

"It's win-or-go home," guard Marquis Barnett said. "I'm a senior. I don't have a next year. All the seniors, we have a completely different mindset. Kent State is a March team. We have to keep that thing rolling."

Barnett hit four 3s and scored all 18 of his points in the first half off the bench. Cian Medley and Jalen Sullinger finished with 13 apiece. Delrecco Gillespie scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Kent State Golden Flashes guard Jalen Sullinger (13) looks for a layup ahead of Western Michigan Broncos guard Markhi Strickland (22) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Rocket Arena on Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio. — Kent State Golden Flashes guard Jalen Sullinger (13) goes up for a layup as Western Michigan Broncos guard Markhi Strickland looks on during a Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinal March 13, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.

A Medley jumper and two Gillespie free throws in the final 28 seconds closed out the sixth-seeded Broncos (12-20).

"The game got tight, but give Western Michigan a lot of credit," Flashes head coach Rob Senderoff said. "They have good players and competed really hard.

"I'm proud of our guys for getting a win here. It's always hard to win these games in the conference tournament. It takes a 40-minute effort.

"At the end when we needed to get a few stops, I think we did and we get to play again. It's an awesome feeling."

Kent State Golden Flashes guard Mike Bekelja (15) and Western Michigan Broncos guard EJ Ryans (3) fight for the ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Rocket Arena on Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Owen Lobsinger hit four 3s and finished with 16 points to lead Western Michigan. Back-to-back Lobsinger 3s cut Kent State's lead to 55-53 with 9:28 left.

Cli'Ron Hornbeak's dunk tipped off a 10-0 Flashes run that restored their double-digit lead. The Broncos responded with an 11-0 run that helped make it a one-possession game again. It didn't faze Kent State.

"They played well in transition tonight," Sullinger said. "We emphasized that before the game, getting back in transition. Every time we came back in the huddle, we just tried to stay together and get our defense right. Once our defense is right, we can beat anybody"

Barnett's explosive first half proved to be significant. His four 3s and 18 points helped the Flashes build a valuable cushion. They led 43-25 at halftime.

Kent State Golden Flashes head coach Rob Senderoff calls out to his men during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Rocket Arena on Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.

When did Barnett realize he was on and in rhythm?

"Before the game started," Barnett said. "I do a lot of mental preparation before the game starts. I think every shot is going to go in."

Here's how the game unfolded through our live updates.

Kent State Golden Flashes guard Cian Medley (11) celebrates after a three during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against the Western Michigan Broncos in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Rocket Arena on Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Kent State men's basketball survives, advances to MAC Tournament semifinal

Kent State beats Western Michigan 73-66. The Flashes will face Miami in Friday's second semifinal.

Kent State-Western Michigan MAC Tournament quarterfinal still up for grabs

A Chansey Willis layup gets Western Michigan to within 69-66 with 54.8 seconds left. Kent State ball coming out of this timeout.

Western Michigan men's basketball making one final push

The Flashes built their lead up to 14, but the Broncos have responded with seven straight points to get within 69-62 with 3:28 left. They just won't go away.

Kent State Golden Flashes forward VonCameron Davis (1) looks to pass around a pair of Western Michigan defenders during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Rocket Arena on Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Kent State men's basketball answers Western Michigan run

Western Michigan cut Kent State's lead to 55-53 on Owen Lobsinger's fourth 3 of the night.

The Flashes responded with a Cli'ron Hornbeak dunk and a Jamal Sumlin 3. It's 60-53 with 8:18 left.

Western Michigan men's basketball gets as close as six

Western Michigan is on a 16-8 run in the second half and trails Kent State 51-43 with 11:54 remaining. The Broncos have been as close as six.

The Flashes are shooting just 25% (3 of 12) in the second half.

Western Michigan men's basketball starts to make things interesting

The Broncos looked like they were in a heap of trouble late in the first half when they were down by 19.

Western Michigan has cut Kent State's lead to 47-37 with 14:50 remaining. The Broncos are 5 of 8 from the field in the second half.

Marquis Barnett powers Kent State men's basketball to halftime lead

It was all Kent State over the final half of the first half. Marquis Barnett is a big reason why that's the case.

Barnett scored 18 points in the first half to give the Flashes a 43-25 lead over Western Michigan. He hit 4 of 5 3-pointers and was 7 of 8 from the field overall.

Barnett scored 28 points in a win over Central Michigan to match a career high.

Kent State men's basketball uses 13-0 run to take big lead

A 13-0 run over a five-minute stretch has helped stretch Kent State's lead out to 34-21.

Marquis Barnett has hit 3 of 4 3s and 5 of 6 field goals off the bench. He leads the Flashes with 13 points.

Kent State men's basketball increases lead after Western Michigan ties game

Kent State is back on top 26-19 thanks to a 7-0 run in the last 1:27.

Marquis Barnett has come off the bench and hit all three of his 3-pointers. He leads the Flashes with nine points.

Markhi Strickland punctuates Western Michigan possession with massive dunk

Kent State built an eight-point lead early in the game. Western Michigan kept it close and closed to within 16-12 on a huge dunk from Markhi Strickland.

Kent State Golden Flashes guard Cian Medley (11) attempts to block Western Michigan Broncos guard Chansey Willis Jr. (2) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Rocket Arena on Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Kent State men's basketball grabs early lead over Western Michigan

Kent State spotted Western Michigan a quick 4-0 lead. Then Mike Bekelja and Cian Medley hit 3s to put the Flashes up. They lead 9-4 at the first media timeout.

Who won the Kent State-Western Michigan men's basketball regular-season series?

Kent State and Western Michigan split the two games during the regular season.

The Broncos beat the Flashes 77-76 at the MAC Center on Jan. 14 . Western Michigan won despite a Kent State career-high 32 points from Jalen Sullinger . He hit eight 3-pointers.

Kent State won at Western Michigan 77-76 on March 4. Cian Medley hit two free throws with four seconds left to give the Flashes the win. Sullinger finished with 31 points.

What to know about MAC tournament: Mid-American Conference tournament bracket: Full TV schedule, scores for 2025 championship

Kent State's Jalen Sullinger on tear heading into MAC Tournament

Kent State senior guard Jalen Sullinger is entering the MAC Tournament with a lot of momentum.

Sullinger is coming off a week that saw him earn co-player of the week honors in the conference. He averaged 24.5 points in wins over Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan.

This is Sullinger's first MAC weekly honor.

Reach Mike at mike.popovich@cantonrep.com

On X: @mpopovichREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Kent State men's basketball vs Western Michigan, MAC Tournament recap

Mobilize your Website

View Site in Mobile | Classic

Share by: