Story by
Mid-American Conference Tournament | Kent State upsets Bowling Green, will play for title
- Story by
- Mid-American Conference Tournament | Kent State upsets Bowling Green, will play for title
CLEVELAND— The Kent State Golden Flashes delivered the upset of the Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Tournament out of the gate Thursday. The eighth-seeded Flashes, a sub-.500 team in MAC play, knocked off top-seeded Toledo in the opening quarterfinal to advance to the semifinals Friday night against fifth-seeded Bowling Green .
Kent State Golden Flashes forward VonCameron Davis (1) and guard Julius Rollins (0) celebrate after beating the Bowling Green Falcons in 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.
Kent State wins 73-60
Two days, two upsets for defending tournament champion Kent State.
Advertisement
At 17-16, the Flashes will play for an NCAA Tournament berth Saturday night against Akron or Ohio .
Jalen Sullinger scored 22 points and Giovanni Santiago finished with 20 for Kent State. They were a combined 11 of 15 from 3-point range.
Bowling Green's NCAA Tournament drought dating back to 1968 will continue.
Kent State guard Giovanni Santiago celebrates after hitting a 3-pointer during Friday's MAC Tournament semifinal game against Bowling Green.
Giovanni Santiago hits the dagger
A Giovanni Santiago 3-pointer is likely the final blow for Bowling Green.
Kent State leads 70-57 with 1:30 left. The Flashes are 12 of 17 from 3-point range.
Flashes closing in on championship game
Two more Jalen Sullinger 3-pointers increase Kent State's lead to 63-51 with 3:38 left. He has five 3s and a game-high 19 points.
Advertisement
The Flashes, as a No. 8 seed, are on the brink of another championship game.
Kent State Golden Flashes guard Jalen Sullinger (13) celebrates after a three during the second 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.
Kent State leads 55-47 with 7:33 left
Kent State led by 11 a moment ago, but a Rashaun Agee and-1 cuts Bowling Green's deficit to single digits. It's still anyone's game.
VonCameron Davis scores first points of the night
VonCameron Davis with 11:33 left puts Kent State ahead 49-42.
It was Davis' first points of the night. He had 26 in Thursday's quarterfinal win over No. 1 seed Toledo.
Marcus Hill helps Falcons fly back in it
Where would Bowling Green be with out Marcus Hill? The junior guard's 3-pointer cuts Kent State's lead to 45-42 with 12:30 left.
Advertisement
Hill has a game-high 20 points and six rebounds.
Flashes lead 34-28 at halftime
Giovanni Santiago's alley-oop pass Tyem Freeman for a dunk caps another good half for Kent State at the MAC Tournament.
The Flashes hit 7 of 10 3-pointers in the first half. Giovanni Santiago and Jalen Sullinger are both 3 of 4 from beyond the arc.
Sullinger leads Kent State with 11 points.
Giovanni Santiago helps Kent State grab biggest lead
A 5-0 run has increased the Flashes' lead to 29-22, their biggest advantage of the game.
Giovanni Santiago leads the way with 9 points on three 3s.
If the Flashes' 3-point drought over?
After going 5 of 20 from 3-point range in their semifinal upset of No. 1 seed Toledo, the Flashes are already 5 of 7 from outside the arc.
Advertisement
Kent State leads 24-22.
Is Jalen Sullinger's drought over?
After missing his first eight 3-pointers in the tournament, Kent State guard Jalen Sullinger finally hit one. In fact, he buried two in a row early in the first half.
The Flashes lead 14-13.
How can I watch, stream or listen to the Kent State vs. Bowling Green men's basketball semifinal in the MAC Tournament?
The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network, starting at 5 p.m.
What did the Kent State Golden Flashes and Bowling Green Falcons do in the opening round of the MAC Tournament?
Kent State center Cli'Ron Hornbeak looks to block a first-half shot by Toledo guard Sonny Wilson in a Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinal March 14 in Cleveland. The Flashes are looking for Hornbeak to provide size and physicality this season.
Here's a look at Thursday's quarterfinals:
Advertisement
-
No. 3 Ohio blew out No. 6 Western Michigan 82-55
-
No. 5 Bowling Green beat No. 4 Central Michigan 66-56
Kent State guard Jalen Sullinger drives against Toledo's Tyler Cochran during a Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinal March 14 in Cleveland.
When is the Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Tournament championship game?
The winner of the No. 8 Kent State (16-16) and No. 5 Bowling Green (20-12) semifinal advances to the tournament championship game at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The game will be televised by ESPN2. A trip to the NCAA Tournament will be on the line. The opponent will be the winner of the second semifinal between No. 2 Akron (22-10) and No. 3 Ohio (20-12).
When did Kent State, Bowling Green each last win a MAC Men's Basketball Tournament championship?
Kent State won last year's MAC Tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament where it lost to Indiana . It was the seventh MAC Tournament title all-time for the Flashes. Bowling Green has never won a MAC Tournament title. The Falcons have not qualified for the NCAA Tournament since 1968.
Advertisement
Reach Mike at mike.popovich@cantonrep.com
On X: @mpopovichREP
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Jalen Sullinger leads Kent State over Bowling Green in MAC semifinal
