AKRON 67, KENT STATE 55
MUNCIE, IN -- Payton Sparks free throw with two seconds left in overtime was the difference as Ball State rallied for a 91-90 win over Eastern Michigan Friday at Worthern Arena.
The visiting Eagles led 40-37 at halftime and were up 87-84 after an Emoni Bates triple at 1:44 of overtime. However, Ball State scored the next seven points for a 91-87 lead. Tyson Acoff beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer for the final one-point margin.
Although Ball State got just three points from its bench, all five starters reached double figures. Payton Sparks led the way with a double-double of 22 points and 15 rebounds. Jarron Coleman also doubled with, scoring 18 with 10 boards. He was followed by Jaylin Sellers (17), Demarius Jacobs (16) and Mickey Pearson Jr. (13).
The Eagles, who scored the last four of regulation to force overtime, were led by Bates, who registered a game-high 35 points. Acuff tallied 18 and Noah Farrakham added 16.
AKRON, Ohio – The Akron Zips led wire to wire and thumped the visiting Kent State Golden Flashes 67-55 to seize control of first place in the Mid-American Conference on Friday night. UA's verdict also deadlocked the series between the rivals at 80 wins apiece.
The 160th matchup between the two rivals drew a sellout crowd of 5,821 fans at James A. Rhodes Arena as senior guard Xavier Castaneda led the way for the Zips, recording a game-high 24 points. Junior forward Enrique Freeman tallied his 12th double-double of the season with 19 points and 17 rebounds, helping his squad to a 36-28 edge on the glass.
Sincere Carry led KSU with 15 points. Jalen Sullinger tallied 13, while Malique Jacobs contributed 12.
In a contest between the two best scoring defenses in the MAC, it was the Zips (17-6, 9-1 MAC) who locked down the Flashes (18-5, 8-2 MAC) to move to 12-0 at home this season. Akron limited Kent State to 37.5-percent shooting overall and 23.1 percent from long distance in a dominant effort.
Akron found good looks against an aggressive Kent State defense early on, making four of its first seven 3-point attempts and leading by as many as nine in the first half. Castaneda, junior forward Sammy Hunter and graduate transfer guard Trendon Hankerson all drained key triples in the half and led by as many as nine before the break.
On defense, the Zips forced seven Kent State turnovers in the opening frame, converting those miscues into 12 points on the other end. Those points helped them take a 34-29 lead into intermission, setting up the intense second half that saw Akron close out the win by holding the Flashes scoreless for the final three minutes.
Clutch foul shooting carried the Akron offense down the stretch, with a 20-7 overall scoring edge from the foul line in the game and a 15-5 edge in the second half.
Redshirt senior guard Sincere Carry led Kent State with 15 points and sophomore guard Jalen Sullinger had 13 in the contest.