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MAC Basketball: Kent State ends Akron’s 30-game home winning streak

By Daniel Benjamin

Dec 3, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; Akron Zips forward Kwan Cheatham Jr. (2) and center Isaiah Johnson (23) and guard Josh Williams (1) and guard Jimond Ivey (0)and guard Antino Jackson (55) take the court against the Creighton Bluejays at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Creighton defeated Akron 82-70. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; Akron Zips forward Kwan Cheatham Jr. (2) and center Isaiah Johnson (23) and guard Josh Williams (1) and guard Jimond Ivey (0)and guard Antino Jackson (55) take the court against the Creighton Bluejays at CenturyLink Center Omaha. Creighton defeated Akron 82-70. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kent State earns important MAC basketball win in 70-67 upset victory over the Akron at James A. Rhodes Arena.

The Kent State Golden Flashes (15-12, 7-7 MAC) remained in the hunt for a top-four seed in the Mid-America Conference Tournament by tripping up the East division leading Akron Zips, 70-67, on Friday night.

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The Golden Flashes are currently fourth in the conference’s West division although they are in the mix with six other teams for the final spot that guarantees a first round bye. The Zips’ (22-5, 12-2) loss snaps a 30-game home winning streak.

“Great game, as it usually is with Kent State and Akron,” Kent State head coach Rob Senderoff said. “This is a great win for us. We have a ton of respect for Akron, but I’m proud of our group. Particularly our seniors, but everybody stepped up and contributed to help us get this win.”

Deon Edwin led three Golden Flashes in double-figures with 21 points, on 7-of-11 shooting, and seven rebounds. It was Edwin’s fourth 20-point game of the season. Jimmy Hall, the team’s leading scorer at 18.0 points a game, tallied 18 points while Jaylin Walker added 16 points and six boards.

Both teams started a little slow offensively. Kevin Zabo’s three-pointer gave the Golden Flashes a 12-7 lead with 12:29 remaining in the first half. Akron — ignited by an Isaiah Johnson dunk — finally got going offensively, scoring 11 of the next 12 points over a three-minute stretch to give the Zips a 18-13 advantage.

A three-pointer by Daniel Utomi pushed the Zips lead to 31-24 with under five minutes to go before halftime. Nearly two minutes later, Utomi sank a pair of free throws to give Akron its largest lead of the game 35-27. The Zips led 36-31 at the break.

Akron led Kent State in nearly every category at halftime as the Zips shot over 48 percent from the floor. Utomi, who came off the bench, scored 11 of his 16 points in the first half as he was 3-of-3 from beyond the arc. Johnson and Antino Jackson had 10 points apiece.

Kent State picked up its defense in the second half, which ended up being the difference in the game. The Golden Flashes opened the stanza on a 15-2 run to regain the lead 46-38 as they forced the Zips to miss 11 straight shots. Hall and Walker had six points apiece during the spurt.

Akron responded with a 9-0 spurt capped by a Johnson dunk that gave the Zips their final lead of the game at 47-46. But Edwin scored five straight points to give the Golden Flashes the lead for good with 9:19 to go.

While Akron tied the game twice more at 61 and 63, the Golden Flashes held the Zips without a field goal over the final 3:41 of the game. Kent State also made 5-of-6 free throws in the final 23 seconds to secure the win.

Kent State limited Akron to 34.1 percent shooting in the second half and 41.5 percent for the game. The Golden Flashes shot 43.1 percent from the field. They also converted 10 of the Zips’ 10 turnovers into 10 points, while committing just five turnovers themselves.

Johnson led the way for Akron with 18 points as he made 8-of-11 free throws, although he missed a key one late in the game. Johnson also had seven rebounds along with three assists. However, he fouled out late in the game and had four turnovers. Jackson didn’t score in the second half. And Kwan Cheatham Jr. finished with seven points, on 3-of-12 shooting.

Akron can wrap up the No. 1 seed in the MAC by winning one of their last four games. Three of the four games are on the road. The Zips close the regular season at Kent State on March 3.

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Kent State will likely have to win out to garner a first-round bye in the conference tournament. The Golden Flashes don’t have an easy schedule, starting with a game in Buffalo (14-12, 8-5) on Tuesday. The Flashes also have games against Ohio and Bowling Green before closing the campaign against the Zips.