Akron Zips edge Kent State for MAC Men's Basketball Tournament title, NCAA berth

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Akron Zips edge Kent State for MAC Men's Basketball Tournament title, NCAA berth

Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal · Akron Beacon Journal

Sun, Mar 17, 2024 ·

8 min read

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CLEVELAND — Hey, Akron Zips . It's time to dance.

When the Akron and Kent State men's basketball teams met Saturday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, there was much more at stake than Wagon Wheel rivalry bragging rights.

The second-seeded Zips triumphed 62-61 over the No. 8 Golden Flashes in the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship.

Akron's Enrique Freeman (25) whips the first piece of the net after the Zips defeated Kent State in the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship game Saturday in Cleveland.

Akron (24-10) captured its fifth MAC tourney title and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament .

Kent State (17-17) won the MAC Tournament crown in 2023 . Akron seized it in 2022 , the last time the Zips and Golden Flashes clashed in a title game.

Akron Zips men's basketball column: UA needed close group and some luck to reach March Madness

Tipoff occurred at 7:35 p.m. Here are our updates from throughout the game.

Akron's Ali Ali is defended by Kent State's Mike Bekelja in the first half of the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship game, Saturday, March 16, 2024, in Cleveland.

Below is some information about the second half.

Akron benefits from puzzling foul during wild finish

Junior center Cli'Ron Hornbeak made a putback dunk to give KSU a 61-60 lead with 6.2 seconds left.

But KSU sophomore guard Julius Rollins fouled UA senior guard Greg Tribble in the backcourt with 4.8 seconds left, even though the Golden Flashes were over the limit. Rollins apparently didn't realize his foul would be KSU's ninth of the half.

Facing a one-and-one situation, Tribble made two free throws to give Akron a 62-61 lead.

Kent State junior guard Jalen Sullinger got a shot off at the buzzer, contested by Akron senior forward Enrique Freeman , but missed as he faded to his left.

More on UA-KSU game's dramatic ending: Enrique Freeman, Ali Ali, Greg Tribble Jr. lead Akron to MAC men's basketball championship

Akron senior guard Ali Ali led the Zips with 18 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists.

Freeman compiled 17 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots. Freeman was named MAC Tournament Most Valuable Player.

Kent State junior forward VonCameron Davis scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed six rebounds. Sullinger finished with 19 points and eight rebounds.

"Tomorrow the sun will come up": Kent State's dream run ends in late loss to rival Akron in MAC men's basketball title game

Akron gains 60-59 lead with 1:22 left

Freeman split a pair of free throws to give the Zips a 60-59 edge and end KSU's 7-0 run.

Kent State ties score 59-59 with Julius Rollins' first points of the game

After KSU fell behind by seven points, the Golden Flashes went on a 7-0 run to tie the score late in the second half.

Rollins scored his first points of the game by making a layup and then a subsequent free throw. The three-point play tied the score with 1:47 left.

Freeman picked up his fourth foul of the game during the play.

Akron goes on 13-1 run to seize seven-point lead

Akron went ahead 59-52 with 3:31 left in the second half, compelling Kent State to use a timeout.

Ali made a layup to give the Zips the seven-point advantage amid a 13-1 run by UA.

Ali's basket occurred after Freeman blocked the shot of Kent State senior guard Giovanni Santiago . Tribble gathered the loose ball and dished out an assist to Ali.

Enrique Freeman's 3-pointer gives Akron Zips two-point edge with 4:48 left

Freeman got open on a pick-and-roll and made Kent State pay by making a 3-pointer with 4:48 left. The shot put Akron ahead 54-52, prompting KSU to call timeout with 4:38 remaining.

Nate Johnson's highlight play ties score 51-51

Coming out of a media timeout, Akron sophomore guard Nate Johnson caught a lob pass from senior wing Mikal Dawson and made a layup. Johnson was fouled by Hornbeak and made the free throw to complete a three-point play, tying the score 51-51 with 6:52 left.

Kent State pulls ahead 50-46 with a 13-4 run

Davis had nine points for Kent State during a 13-4 run. Akron fell behind 50-46 and called timeout with 10:35 left after Santiago made a jump shot.

During a media timeout with 6:59 left, Kent State led 51-48.

Akron leads 46-44 with 12 minutes left in the second half

Ali made two foul shots coming out of a media timeout, giving the Zips a 46-44 lead with 12 minutes remaining in the second half.

With 12:17 left, Sullinger made a jump shot to tie the score 44-44.

Davis scored KSU's previous five points, but the junior forward left the game after being shaken up with 12:54 remaining. Fortunately for KSU, Davis returned to the game at the 12-minute mark.

Kent State Golden Flashes guard Jalen Sullinger (13) shoots during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Friday, March 15, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Jalen Sullinger has scored Kent State's last 15 points

Sullinger scored 15 consecutive points for the Golden Flashes, including their first eight of the second half.

Yet, Akron led 42-37 during the first media timeout of the second half with 15:53 remaining.

At this checkpoint, Sullinger had 17 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the field (3 for 7 on 3-pointers).

Kent's Jalen Sullinger, left, and VonCameron Davis, right, go after a loose ball with Akron's Enrique Freeman in a MAC Tournament semifinal Friday, March 10, 2023, in Cleveland.

Below is some information about the first half.

Akron leads Kent State 34-29 at halftime

With Freeman on the bench, the Zips went on an 11-2 run late in the first half.

Tribble made a floater to give UA a 30-26 lead edge with 1:03 remaining before halftime.

Ali extended the Zips' lead to 34-26 by producing a four-point play with 26.7 seconds remaining.

Sullinger countered with a deep 3-pointer just before the buzzer, and KSU trailed Akron 34-29 at halftime.

Ali led all scorers in the first half with 14 points. Freeman had eight points.

Sullinger led Kent State with nine points before halftime.

Akron's Enrique Freeman (25) attempts to shoot over Kent State's Cli'Ron Hornbeak during the first half of the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship game, Saturday, March 16, 2024, in Cleveland.

Akron Zips star Enrique Freeman encounters foul trouble late in the first half

Dawson made a 3-pointer with 3:20 left in the first half to trim Akron's deficit to 24-21.

During the play, Freeman and Kent State sophomore forward Magnus Entenmann combined for a double foul. After a video review, Entenmann's foul was upgraded to a flagrant. Freeman made two free throws to reduce KSU's lead to 24-23.

UA retained possession, but Freeman was then called for a charge, his second of the game, with 3:04 left in the first half. Zips senior forward Sammy Hunter substituted for Freeman, the MAC Player of the Year.

Enrique Freeman becomes Akron's third all-time leading scorer in first half vs. Kent State

Freeman split a pair of free throws to cut Kent State's lead to 22-18 with 4:08 left in the first half.

With the point, Freeman moved into third place on UA's all-time career scoring list.

Freeman passed Eric McLaughlin with 1,811 career points in 131 games. McLaughlin scored 1,810 career points during his Akron career (115 games from 1985-89).

Akron head coach John Groce yells instructions to his team against Kent State during the first half of the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship game, Saturday, March 16, 2024, in Cleveland.

Kent State uses 8-0 run to build lead vs. Akron

Kent State went ahead 22-15 when Entenmann made a layup with 5:25 left in the first half. The basket extended the KSU run to 8-0 and prompted a UA timeout.

Kent State leads by one point with 7:26 remaining before halftime

Santiago made a layup with 7:54 left to put the Golden Flashes ahead 16-15. The score remained the same during the third media timeout with 7:26 remaining in the first half.

At this checkpoint, Ali led all scorers with seven points.

Kent State Golden Flashes guard Jalen Sullinger (13) attempts to pass against Akron Zips guard Greg Tribble (2) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, in Akron, Ohio.

Akron ties Kent State with 11:41 left in the first half

Kent State led 11-10 during the second media timeout with 11:41 remaining in the first half, but Akron Freeman split two free throws coming out of the stoppage to tie the score 11-11.

Kent State leads 7-5 during first media timeout

Davis scored Kent State's first five points, and the Golden Flashes led 7-5 during the first media timeout with 15:43 remaining in the first half. Davis had seven points at halftime.

Below is some pregame information.

How can I watch, stream or listen to the Akron vs. Kent State men's basketball championship game in the MAC Tournament?

The game was televised on ESPN2. It was broadcast locally on the Akron Sports Radio Network on WHLO (640-AM) and WKNR (850-AM).

Akron Zips men's basketball column: Greg Tribble talks UA out of letting its MAC Tournament title hopes die in semifinal round

What is the history between the Akron Zips and Kent State Golden Flashes in men's basketball?

UA is 7-4 against KSU in the MAC Tournament. The two schools have met in the championship round five times, with Akron holding a 3-2 edge.

The Zips have claimed five MAC tourney titles (2009, '11, '13, '22 and '24). The Golden Flashes have won seven (1999, '01, '02, '06, '08, '17 and '23).

Akron now leads its all-time series with Kent State 83-82.

Akron swept the 2023-24 regular-season series, triumphing 77-71 on Jan. 19 at the M.A.C. Center and 83-70 on Feb. 24 at Rhodes Arena.

How did Akron and Kent State advance to the MAC Tournament championship game?

Kent State earned the tournament's lowest seed but stunned No. 1 Toledo 67-59 in a quarterfinal Thursday and upset No. 5 Bowling Green 73-60 in a semifinal Friday.

Akron squandered a chance to secure the tournament's top seed by losing its final two regular-season-games. UA rebounded with a 75-63 win over No. 7 Miami in a quarterfinal Thursday and a 65-62 victory over No. 3 Ohio in a semifinal Friday.

More on Kent State's run to MAC final: Golden Flashes senior Giovanni Santiago 'going out firing' in comeback college basketball season

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Enrique Freeman leads Akron men's basketball to MAC title, NCAA berth

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