A small Kent State student section showed out in the J.A.R at the final wagon wheel game this season for men’s basketball, but they left disappointed after the Golden Flashes 77-72 loss to Akron.
With that win, the Zips took home the regular season championship in the MAC conference.
“I’m hoping we get another chance to play them,” coach Rob Senderoff said. “But give them credit for making the plays down the stretch that great teams make.”
Kent State traded blows with Akron early in the game, but momentum started to favor the Flashes about halfway through the first half. Senior guard Jalen Sullinger led the charge, scoring multiple three pointers and totaling 12 points as Kent State went into the half with a 39-32 lead.
In the first half, the Flashes showed the toughness they were lacking in their first matchup with the Zips. Kent State outscored Akron in the paint 28-16 in the first half and dominated on the glass as they led the half in rebounds.
“We were getting punked,” said Akron guard Nate Johnson. “We just weren’t playing physical enough in that first half.”
Both teams came out of halftime with intensity, trading a series of fouls and three pointers to start the final twenty minutes. The Zips continued to battle back and outscored the Flashes 20-12 to take the lead with just over 12 minutes left in the game.
Kent State responded with a run of their own, scoring 11 points to retake the lead late in the game. The Flashes continued to trade blows with the Zips before tying the game at 68 points with about three minutes left to play.
Costly fouls and turnovers ultimately hurt the Golden Flashes down the stretch as they fell into a seven point deficit in the final seconds.
“We competed and were much better than we were in January, and we gave ourselves a chance to win,” Senderoff said.
Despite losing the game, Kent State held the lead for 29 minutes in this game, and they even shot better than Akron from the field.
Offensive rebounding proved to be the deciding factor, keeping Kent State from scoring late in the game.
With this loss, Kent State drops to a fourth place tie in the conference rankings with Toledo at a 9-7 record in the MAC. Up next for the Golden Flashes: take on the Western Michigan Broncos in Kalamazoo, Michigan, before coming back home to Kent for the final game of the regular season against Eastern Michigan.
With seeding implications, these next few games will be crucial for the Flashes as they prepare for the MAC tournament.
“I hope that we’re not in a position to play them on Thursday,” Senderoff said. “We’re going to have to beat somebody, or even two somebodies, to hopefully get another chance to play them again. I do think that if we have to play them again, that this game will at least give us the confidence to compete with them.”
Anthony Leonardi is sports content manager. Contact him at [email protected].