Akron Beats Kent, 79-76, Wins MAC Championship Outright and Secures No. 1 Seed

Friday, March 6

Akron, Ohio

6:30 PM

University of Akron

24-7,14-4MAC

Kent State

19-12,9-9MAC

Kent St.

Akron

Akron Beats Kent, 79-76, Wins MAC Championship Outright and Secures No. 1 Seed

March 06 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

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AKRON, Ohio – The Akron Zips secured the No. 1 seed for the upcoming Mid-American Conference Tournament with a 79-76 win over rival Kent State on Friday.

The Zips finished the regular season 24-7 overall and 14-4 in Mac play to earn top honors and a first-round bye. The Zips are slated to play the winner between the eighth-seeded Ohio Bobcats and the ninth-seeded Central Michigan Chippewas at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Thursday, March 12 at noon.

Akron had four players score in double figures, and needed every bit to win the intense a rivalry game. Senior Xeyrius Williams (Springfield, Ohio) had another monster double-double for the Zips, leading all scorers with 22 points and all rebounders with 12 rebounds – it marks his 12^th double-double of the season. Junior guard Loren Cristian Jackson (Chicago, Ill.), senior Channel Banks (Las Vegas, Nev.) senior Tyler Cheese (Albany, Ga.) also reached double figures with 16, 14 and 10 points, respectively.

It was Jackson's two free throws with 10.5 seconds left that put Akron ahead 77-74. A foul on the ensuing possession sent Kent State freshman guard Giovanni Santiago to the line, where he hit both charity tosses before two more free throws by Banks with 3.7 seconds left carved out the final margin of victory for the Zips. Kent State missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

The clutch moments came fast and furious down the stretch, from Cheese's 3-pointer with 2:21 remaining to numerous counterpunches by Kent State to tie the game after Akron edged ahead. However, it was the frequent whistles by the officials that had as big an impact on the game, with the Zips scoring six key points in the closing minutes from the line and Kent State (19-12, 9-9 MAC) notched two of its own after a foul call on Jackson with 30.2 seconds left, following the junior guard's layup to put his team ahead by four, 73-69, with 36.9 seconds left.

The Zips actually clinched the top seed in the MAC Tournament before the final buzzer thanks to Buffalo's win over Bowling Green. Akron also wion the league's regular season title outright.

The dramatic finale came after Kent State managed to edge ahead early in the second half using a 6-0 run, but the game remained close in the ensuing moments thanks to several big plays by the Zips, including a thunderous driving dunk by freshman guard Greg Tribble (Cincinnati, Ohio), who sprinted along the baseline before elevating and posterizing Kent State forward Mitch Peterson despite Peterson's four-inch height advantage and closed the Akron deficit to 53-50.

That set up a thrilling stretch in which Williams drilled consecutive, very different 3-pointers to erase a 55-50 Kent State lead and put his team ahead by one with 8:12 remaining. The first triple came from several feet beyond the top of the arc, banking in cleanly as Williams shrugged his shoulders and smiled. Seconds later, he shed a Kent State defender on the fast break with a pump fake, then calmly swished another deep shot for a 56-55 Akron edge.

The first half was a similarly back-and-forth affair that saw the two rivals trade leads, big shots, defensive stands and game-turning plays.

With the Zips' seniors suiting up in front of their home crowd for the final time, it was those seniors who fittingly spearheaded the strong start. Williams scored from inside and outside on his way to a game-high 11 points before the break. He also dominated on the glass, leading all rebounders with seven caroms in the half.

Banks was also money before intermission, notching 10 points, including conversions on both of his 3-pointers. Overall, the Akron attack was operating at peak efficiency, turning the ball over just four times in the first 20 minutes and shooting 46.4 percent from the field, along with perfect 8-of-8 foul shooting.

Sophomore guard Anthony Roberts led Kent State with 17 points in the loss.

Neither team could build a lead bigger than six points in the first half and the arch rivals were nearly even in multiple statistical categories, including rebounding, assists, steals and blocked shots, all of which saw the Zips and Flashes within two of each other.

Before the game the Akron basketball program recognized its five seniors, Marquelle McIntyre (Greensboro, N.C.), Channel Banks, Tyler Cheese, Xeyrius Williams and Deng Riak (Melbourne, Australia). The Zips also retired all-time great Romeo Travis' No. 24 jersey at halftime.

With the win, Akron earned a half point for the Crystal Clinic Wagon Wheel Challenge as the Zips now lead 5.0-4.0.

Akron will enjoy nearly a week off before its next game, which will come on March 12 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament at noon against Ohio or Central Michigan. That contest can be seen on ESPN+ and heard on 1350-AM.