Akron rolled through the second wagon wheel game of the men’s basketball season with a sweep following their 77-72 win in the rubber city against Kent State.

The Golden Flashes came out strong, playing tough defense and shooting 53% from the field while bolstering a 39-32 lead going into half time. The bulk of the scoring came from senior guard Jalen Sullinger, who scored a team high 12 points leading into the final half.

Kent State controlled a vast majority of the game, leading for just over 29 minutes. With five minutes left in the contest, Akron took the lead, and the Flashes could not recover despite tying the game with three minutes to go. 

A series of three point fouls and costly turnovers by Kent State gave the Zips the opportunity to solidify the lead in the last remaining minutes.

Sullinger capped off the night with 19 points, and forwards Delrecco Gillespie and Marquis Barnett both tallied double digit scoring. This loss brings the Flashes record to 19-10 overall and fifth in the MAC standings. With the win, Akron improved to a conference best 15-1, which earned them the regular season MAC championship. 

This is Kent State’s fifth straight loss to Akron. The next game for the Golden Flashes is against the Western Michigan Broncos on Tuesday, March 4, in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Anthony Leonardi is sports content manager. Contact him at [email protected].