Kent State University
24-9,14-4MAC
Akron
28-5,17-1MAC
Second Half Surge Falls Short as Kent State Falls to Akron in MAC Tournament Semifinals
3/14/2026 2:06:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CLEVELAND - Kent State Men's Basketball's run in the 2026 Mid-American Conference Tournament came to an end Friday night at Rocket Arena, falling to two-seeded Akron 75-68 in the semifinal round. Following a strong first half from the Zips, the three-seeded Golden Flashes closed the gap to a single possession multiple times while UA kept them at arm's length.
The Zips controlled the tempo behind Tavari Johnson's 13 first-half points and timely three-point shooting from Shammah Scott and Evan Mahaffey. Kent State was cold in the first 20 minutes allowing Akron to take a 42-28 lead into the break. The Golden Flashes showed tremendous fight out of the gate in the second half, storming back behind the play of Rob Whaley Jr., Delrecco Gillespie, and Quinn Wiodke. Kent State outscored Akron 40-33 in the second half. The Flashes trimmed the deficit to as few as two points on multiple occasions down the stretch. The Zips led 58-55 with 8:22 left to play, then 65-61 with 3:23 remaining. Kent State ultimately could not complete the full turnaround with Akron utilizing a 10-7 run to close out the ballgame.
The Box Score Story
Delrecco Gillespie tallied his 22ned double-double of the season displaying the play that had him leading the stat nationally all season long. He pulled down a team-high 14 rebounds while scoing 10. Whaley Jr. paced Kent State with 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting, adding four rebounds and a steal. Woidke came off the bench to contribute 12 points going 6-of-6 from the free-throw line and grabbing seven boards. Kent State won the rebounding battle 46-38 and held Akron to just 6-of-27 (22.2%) from three in the second half.
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