Cleveland, OH - The Kent State men's basketball team (17-16, 11-10 MAC) fell to rival Akron in the 2024 MAC Tournament Championship.
As anticipated, the game between the two Northeast Ohio teams did not disappoint keeping fans on the edge of their seats until the very end when Akron took the game 62-61 after two made foul shots at the charity stripe with seconds left on the clock.
Despite the outcome of the game, the Flashes fought until the very end after entering the tournament as the No. 8 seed and knocking out the No.1 and No. 5 seed to make their 14th championship appearance.
Overall, the Flashes shot 37.9 from the field, 21.2 percent from the three, and 63.6 percent from the charity stripe. Though the Zips were able to outshoot the Flashes, neither team was able to lead by double-digits at any point in the game. In the 40 minutes, there were 15 lead changes and eight ties.
Voncameron Davis led the Flashes with 21 points, six rebounds, and two steals. Jalen Sullinger followed recording 19 points and a career-high eight boards. The Zips had three players score in double figures. Ali Ali had 18 points and five assists. Enrique Freeman tacked on 17 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks and Nate Johnson chipped in as well with 11 points. The Flashes were the only team in the MAC to keep Freeman from reaching double-digits in rebounds.
Davis recorded their first five points to help edge the Zips 7-5 going into the first media timeout with 15:43 remaining in the first half. The teams continued to trade baskets but going into the second media timeout with 11:41 timeout in the first half 11-10 but Freeman split two free throws out to to tie the score at 11. The Flashes used an 8-0 run to get ahead 22-15 leading Akron to take a timeout. Unfortunately, Freeman was back at the foul line cutting the Flashes' lead 22-18 with 4:08 in the first half. The Zips would soon go on to an 11-2 run to lead 34-29 at halftime.
Jalen Sullinger scored 15 consecutive points for the Flashes including their first eight of the second half. With 12 minutes left in the last 20 minutes Akron led 46-44 but Sullinger made a jump shot to tie the score 44-44. With a 13-4 run, Kent pulls ahead 50-46 after nine points from Davis. Freeman gave the Zips a two-point lead after a made tripe with 4:48 left. With a three-point play from Julius Rollins with 1:47 left in regulation time, the score was tied. Cli'Ron Hornbeak made a putback dunk to give the
Flashes a 61-60 lead with 6.2 seconds left.
With an unfortunate foul on the Flashes, Zips Greg Tribble was sent to the line for two shots with 4.8 seconds left. The two foul shots made by the Zips helped secure Akron's victory.
Head Coach Rob Senderoff was filled with emotion and stated it a "great game" but said it was a "horrible, tough way to lose."I feel really, really badly for our whole roster," Senderoff said.
Coach Senderoff blamed himself for not calling a timeout after the Hornbeak basket.
"As I told the team, I should have called a timeout there. I do not blame Julius," Senderoff expressed in the post-game press conference. "There are 100 plays in the game, and that was just one of them."
Both VonCameron Davis and Jalen Sullinger earned themselves a spot on the MAC All-Tournament Team.
MAC All-Tournament Team
Ali Ali - Akron
Enrique Freeman - Akron (MVP)
VonCameron Davis - Kent State
Jalen Sullinger - Kent State
Jaylin Hunter - Ohio
