Late mistake by Kent State allows Akron to pull out 62-61 win for MAC title, NCAA Tournament bid
CLEVELAND (AP) Seconds from a conference championship and an NCAA Tournament trip, Kent State's Julius Rollins made a mistake magnified by March.
Madness.
Greg Tribble made two free throws with 4.8 seconds left after he was inexplicably fouled by Rollins, giving Akron a 62-61 win over its bitter rival in the Mid-American Conference championship to earn the league's NCAA bid on Saturday night.
“What a horrible, tough way to lose,” said Kent State coach Rob Senderoff, who covered his face in disbelief on the sideline following his player's ill-fated gaffe. “I feel really, really, badly for our roster with how we lost.”
The second-seeded Zips (24-10) won their fifth MAC title and second in three years. Making it sweeter is that they did it against the Golden Flashes (17-17), the No. 8 seed who knocked off top-seeded Toledo in the quarterfinals.
Kent State, which lost both regular-season matchups to Akron, was in position to pull off another stunner when Cli'Ron Hornbeak tipped in a miss by Jalen Sullinger to give the Golden Flashes a 61-60 lead with 6.2 seconds to go.
The Zips quickly inbounded the ball to Tribble and he took off racing up the floor when he got grabbed on the right arm by Rollins, who apparently lost track of the score and thought the Golden Flashes were still trailing.
“He probably thought we were down one instead of up one,” Senderoff said without going into many details.
Tribble then dropped both free throws and Akron held on when Sullinger, who scored 19 points, missed a runner in the final second. When the horn sounded, several Kent State players dropped down on the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse court in dismay.
Tribble said Rollins' foul stunned him.
“I was really surprised when he intentionally fouled me,” Tribble said. “It ended up working out for us. It was surprising, but it was like free points. I’ll take them.”
Rollins was angry and nearly inconsolable on the bench as his teammates tried to calm him down.
“As I told the team, I should have called the timeout there,” Senderoff said. “I do not blame Julius. There’s 100 plays in the game and that was just one of them. The thing that I told him, if this is the worst thing that ever happens to you when you’re 50 years old like I am, you’ve had a pretty charmed life.
"Tomorrow the sun will come up., It will be a little cloudy for me and our guys.”"
Ali Ali scored 18 points and Enrique Freeman, the MAC's player of the year, added 17 and nine rebounds for the Zips. Freeman was named the tournament's most outstanding player.
VonCameron Davis scored 21 to lead the Golden Flashes.
This was the fifth meeting between Akron and Kent State in the MAC title game and second in three years. Somehow, they always seem to collide in March.
There is no love lost between Akron and Kent State, longtime rivals in football, basketball and every other sport. The campuses are roughly just 12 miles apart and their passionate fan bases - sometimes dividing families and neighborhoods - are in constant conflict.
Amazingly, the series was tied 82-82 entering the title game.
Kent State's zone defense was effective in the first half as it limited Freeman's touches and forced the Zips to play with patience - something they struggle to do.
With Akron's offense lacking any rhythm, the Golden Flashes opened a 24-18 lead before Ali made a 3-pointer and was fouled making another one, and his 4-point play capped a 16-2 run to put the Zips up 34-29 at half.
BIG PICTURE
Akron: The Zips now wait to see their spot in the NCAA brackets. Freeman has been one of the nation's steadiest players all season, recording 30 double-doubles. He's a former walk-on who has grown into one of the MAC's best players in recent memory.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
20:00 | Cli'Ron Hornbeak vs. Enrique Freeman (Zips gains possession) | |||
19:43 | Ali Ali turnover (lost ball) (VonCameron Davis steals) | |||
19:36 | +2 | VonCameron Davis makes two point layup | 2-0 | |
19:19 | +3 | Nate Johnson makes three point jump shot (Enrique Freeman assists) | 2-3 | |
18:57 | Nate Johnson shooting foul (VonCameron Davis draws the foul) | |||
18:57 | VonCameron Davis misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
18:57 | +1 | VonCameron Davis makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 3-3 | |
18:39 | Ali Ali misses two point jump shot | |||
18:37 | VonCameron Davis defensive rebound | |||
18:23 | Giovanni Santiago misses two point jump shot | |||
18:21 | Nate Johnson defensive rebound | |||
18:10 | Sammy Hunter misses two point jump shot | |||
18:08 | Mike Bekelja defensive rebound | |||
17:53 | +2 | VonCameron Davis makes two point jump shot | 5-3 | |
17:27 | Sammy Hunter misses three point jump shot | |||
17:25 | Jalen Sullinger defensive rebound | |||
17:24 | Greg Tribble personal foul (Jalen Sullinger draws the foul) | |||
16:59 | VonCameron Davis turnover (traveling) | |||
16:47 | Ali Ali turnover (bad pass) (Mike Bekelja steals) | |||
16:19 | +2 | Cli'Ron Hornbeak makes two point hook shot | 7-3 | |
16:03 | +2 | Enrique Freeman makes two point dunk (Ali Ali assists) | 7-5 | |
15:43 | TV timeout | |||
15:31 | Jalen Sullinger misses three point jump shot | |||
15:29 | Ali Ali defensive rebound | |||
15:21 | +3 | Ali Ali makes three point jump shot | 7-8 | |
14:50 | +2 | Mike Bekelja makes two point jump shot | 9-8 | |
14:21 | +2 | Ali Ali makes two point jump shot | 9-10 | |
14:07 | Jalen Sullinger misses two point layup | |||
14:04 | Golden Flashes offensive rebound | |||
13:45 | Giovanni Santiago misses three point jump shot | |||
13:43 | Mikal Dawson defensive rebound | |||
13:35 | Mikal Dawson misses three point jump shot | |||
13:33 | Giovanni Santiago defensive rebound | |||
13:24 | Jalen Sullinger misses three point jump shot | |||
13:22 | Magnus Entenmann offensive rebound | |||
13:07 | +2 | Jalen Sullinger makes two point jump shot | 11-10 | |
12:46 | Kaleb Thornton turnover (lost ball) (VonCameron Davis steals) | |||
12:38 | Julius Rollins misses two point jump shot | |||
12:36 | Sammy Hunter defensive rebound | |||
12:24 | Ali Ali misses two point layup | |||
12:22 | VonCameron Davis defensive rebound | |||
12:02 | Jalen Sullinger misses two point jump shot | |||
12:00 | Enrique Freeman defensive rebound | |||
11:41 | Cli'Ron Hornbeak shooting foul (Enrique Freeman draws the foul) | |||
11:41 | TV timeout | |||
11:41 | Enrique Freeman misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
11:41 | +1 | Enrique Freeman makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 11-11 | |
11:16 | Jalen Sullinger misses two point jump shot | |||
11:14 | Enrique Freeman defensive rebound | |||
11:05 | Shammah Scott misses three point jump shot | |||
11:03 | Enrique Freeman offensive rebound | |||
11:00 | Enrique Freeman misses two point hook shot | |||
10:58 | Enrique Freeman offensive rebound | |||
10:56 | Cli'Ron Hornbeak blocks Enrique Freeman's two point layup | |||
10:54 | Tyem Freeman defensive rebound | |||
10:37 | Cli'Ron Hornbeak misses two point jump shot | |||
10:35 | Shammah Scott defensive rebound | |||
10:18 | +2 | Tavari Johnson makes two point jump shot | 11-13 | |
10:05 | Jalen Sullinger misses three point jump shot | |||
10:02 | Golden Flashes offensive rebound | |||
9:45 | Tyem Freeman misses two point jump shot | |||
9:43 | Tavari Johnson defensive rebound | |||
9:33 | VonCameron Davis personal foul (Enrique Freeman draws the foul) | |||
9:28 | Ali Ali turnover (out of bounds) | |||
9:08 | +3 | Mike Bekelja makes three point jump shot (VonCameron Davis assists) | 14-13 | |
8:47 | Greg Tribble misses three point jump shot | |||
8:45 | Magnus Entenmann defensive rebound | |||
8:45 | Enrique Freeman personal foul (Magnus Entenmann draws the foul) | |||
8:23 | Jalen Sullinger misses three point jump shot | |||
8:21 | Ali Ali defensive rebound | |||
8:07 | +2 | Ali Ali makes two point jump shot | 14-15 | |
7:55 | +2 | Giovanni Santiago makes two point layup | 16-15 | |
7:38 | Tavari Johnson misses three point jump shot | |||
7:36 | Ali Ali offensive rebound | |||
7:26 | Tavari Johnson turnover (traveling) | |||
7:26 | TV timeout | |||
6:57 | Mike Bekelja misses three point jump shot | |||
6:55 | Golden Flashes offensive rebound | |||
6:55 | Sammy Hunter personal foul (VonCameron Davis draws the foul) | |||
6:38 | +2 | Giovanni Santiago makes two point jump shot | 18-15 | |
6:24 | Greg Tribble turnover (traveling) | |||
6:08 | +2 | VonCameron Davis makes two point layup | 20-15 | |
5:50 | Nate Johnson misses three point jump shot | |||
5:48 | Mike Bekelja defensive rebound | |||
5:26 | +2 | Magnus Entenmann makes two point layup (Giovanni Santiago assists) | 22-15 | |
5:24 | Zips 30 second timeout | |||
5:08 | Cli'Ron Hornbeak personal foul (Enrique Freeman draws the foul) | |||
5:00 | Giovanni Santiago personal foul (Shammah Scott draws the foul) | |||
4:57 | +2 | Enrique Freeman makes two point layup (Ali Ali assists) | 22-17 | |
4:30 | VonCameron Davis misses two point layup | |||
4:28 | Zips defensive rebound | |||
4:08 | Magnus Entenmann shooting foul (Enrique Freeman draws the foul) | |||
4:08 | Enrique Freeman misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
4:08 | +1 | Enrique Freeman makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 22-18 | |
3:53 | +2 | Jalen Sullinger makes two point jump shot | 24-18 | |
3:22 | +3 | Mikal Dawson makes three point jump shot | 24-21 | |
3:20 | Official timeout | |||
3:20 | Magnus Entenmann flagrant 1 (Enrique Freeman draws the foul) | |||
3:20 | Magnus Entenmann turnover | |||
3:20 | +1 | Enrique Freeman makes flagrant free throw 1 of 2 | 24-22 | |
3:20 | +1 | Enrique Freeman makes flagrant free throw 2 of 2 | 24-23 | |
3:04 | Enrique Freeman offensive foul (VonCameron Davis draws the foul) | |||
3:04 | Enrique Freeman turnover (offensive foul) | |||
2:46 | Giovanni Santiago misses two point layup | |||
2:44 | Mikal Dawson defensive rebound | |||
2:26 | Greg Tribble misses two point jump shot | |||
2:24 | Zips offensive rebound | |||
2:17 | +3 | Ali Ali makes three point jump shot | 24-26 | |
2:00 | +2 | Jalen Sullinger makes two point layup | 26-26 | |
1:34 | +2 | Shammah Scott makes two point layup (Ali Ali assists) | 26-28 | |
1:16 | VonCameron Davis misses three point jump shot | |||
1:14 | Ali Ali defensive rebound | |||
1:03 | +2 | Greg Tribble makes two point jump shot | 26-30 | |
0:54 | Golden Flashes 30 second timeout | |||
0:46 | Jalen Sullinger misses two point jump shot | |||
0:44 | Sammy Hunter defensive rebound | |||
0:38 | Shammah Scott misses three point jump shot | |||
0:34 | Zips offensive rebound | |||
0:26 | +3 | Ali Ali makes three point jump shot | 26-33 | |
0:26 | Julius Rollins shooting foul (Ali Ali draws the foul) | |||
0:26 | +1 | Ali Ali makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 26-34 | |
0:02 | +3 | Jalen Sullinger makes three point jump shot | 29-34 | |
0:00 | End of period |