Hunter Leads Zips, Akron Falls in OT against Rival

Friday, March 3

Kent, OH

6 PM

University of Akron

21-10,13-5MAC

Kent State

25-6,15-3MAC

OT 1

Akron

Kent St.

Hunter Leads Zips, Akron Falls in OT against Rival

March 04 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

KENT, Ohio – The Akron Zips fell 89-84 in overtime to rival Kent State at the M.A.C Center on ESPNU Friday night in the regular season finale as junior Sammy Hunter (Nassau, Bahamas) led the Zips offense in the Crystal Clinic Wagon Wheel Challenge game.

Hunter led Akron's offense with 26 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field, including a 5-of-11 effort from beyond the 3-point arc. Junior Enrique Freeman (Cleveland, Ohio) collected his 18^th double-double of the season with a second-best 25 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, while senior Xavier Castaneda (Chicago, Ill.) added 13 points, five assists and four rebounds.

Castaneda buried three free throws with 4.4 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime, and he added a pair of free throws to give Akron a 74-72 to open the extra period. The Zips and the Golden Flashes battled back-and-forth until Kent's Chris Payton broke a 76-76 stalemate with an old-fashioned 3-point play to give Kent a 79-76 advantage with 3:18 left to play. Kent held on to the advantage and pushed the lead to as many as six points before time expired.

Kent State senior Sincere Carry led the Golden Flashes with a game-high 35 points while Payton posted a career-high 22 points, allowing Kent State to earn a half point for the Crystal Clinic Wagon Wheel Challenge and giving Kent State a 7.0-1.0 advantage.

The Zips finished regular season play third overall in Mid-American Conference play with a 21-10 overall record and 13-5 in league play, earning a No. 3 seed for the 2023 MAC Tournament. Kent State finished second in MAC play with a 25-6 overall mark and 15-3 in league action.

Akron is scheduled to play the No. 7 seeded Buffalo Bulls in the quarterfinal of the 2023 MAC Tournament on Thursday, March 9 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. Tipoff is set for approximately 6:30 p.m. or 30 minutes after the preceding game of the session. For tickets visit GoZips.com/Tickets or Call/Text: 888-992-5766.