Akron snaps out of slump to beat Ohio, advances to MAC tourney championship vs. Kent State
CLEVELAND — The University of Akron men's basketball team split its regular-season series with Ohio University, but a tiebreaker emerged in the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
Well, the team from the Rubber City triumphed in the rubber match.
The second-seeded Zips overcame a dreadful offensive slump and defeated the No. 3 Bobcats 65-62 on Friday night in a tournament semifinal at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland.
Akron (23-10) advances to face No. 8 Kent State (17-16) for a rivalry showdown in the tournament championship game at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. A trip to the NCAA Tournament will be on the line.
Earlier Friday, KSU upset No. 5 Bowling Green 73-60 in the other men's semifinal.
Tipoff for the Akron-Ohio game occurred at 7:47 p.m. Friday. Here are our updates from throughout the game.
Below is some information about the second half.
Here is how the final moments of Akron's win over Ohio unfolded
After Akron senior guard Ali Ali split a pair of free throws with 3.6 seconds left to give UA a 65-62 lead, Ohio inbounded to senior guard Jaylin Hunter. He missed a running 3-pointer at the buzzer, and the Zips prevailed.
Jaylin Hunter made a two free throws to cut Ohio's deficit to 64-62 with 5.5 seconds left. Then Ohio (20-13) fouled Ali, setting up the final foul shots of the game.
With Akron trying to hang onto a two-point lead, Ali made two foul shots with 14.9 seconds left, allowing the Zips to go ahead 64-60.
Akron Zips men's basketball column: Greg Tribble talks UA out of letting its MAC Tournament title hopes die in semifinal round
In the final 1:20, Akron senior forward Enrique Freeman made 3-of-4 foul shots and provided a blocked shot (his seventh of the game). Ohio kept charging back, making layups with 35.4 and 20 seconds left.
Freeman had game highs with 24 points and 21 rebounds. Freeman's rebounding total was a MAC tourney single-game record. Ali added 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
Jaylin Hunter led Ohio with 17 points. Senior guard Miles Brown added 16 points for the Bobcats.
Akron shot 22 of 56 from the field (39.3%). Ohio shot 22 of 61 from the field (36.1%).
More on Akron's win in MAC semifinal: Enrique Freeman leads Akron men's basketball past Ohio
Ohio cuts deficit to 59-56 with 2:13 left
Jaylin Hunter made a 3-pointer to cut Ohio's deficit to 59-56 with 2:13 remaining.
Then Akron senior guard Greg Tribble fouled out with 1:55 left, and Ohio committed a turnover of its own on the ensuing possession.
Zips extend lead to 57-50 with less than four minutes left
Freeman made his first 3-point attempt of the game to give the Zips a 57-50 lead with 3:48 remaining.
The UA offense has awakened after enduring a slump for the vast majority of the game.
Akron moves ahead 54-48 with less than five minutes left
Freeman drew a foul while grabbing his 18th rebound with 5:50 left. He missed the foul shot on the front end of a one and one, but he grabbed the rebound and scored on a putback. The sequence put the Zips ahead 49-48 with 5:48 left.
On UA's next possession, Ali made a 3-pointer to extend the Zips' advantage to 52-48 with 5:05 left.
Freeman made another putback with 4:32 left, compelling Ohio to call timeout while facing a 54-48 deficit.
Akron takes first lead since 8:37 left in the first half, but quickly loses it
With 8:33 left, Freeman made two foul shots to give the Zips a 43-42 advantage. It was UA's first lead since it held a 10-9 advantage with 8:37 remaining in the first half.
However, Ohio quickly countered. Graduate-student guard Shereef Mitchell made two free throws with 8:10 left, and Brown made two more with 7:42 remaining. Those successful foul shots gave the Bobcats a 46-43 lead.
Senior forward Sammy Hunter gives Akron much-needed spark
The Zips cut the Bobcats' advantage to 40-38, prompting Ohio to call timeout with 9:54 left.
Akron senior forward Sammy Hunter made 3-pointers on two consecutive possessions to give the Zips a spark they desperately needed. He finished with 14 points.
Freeman made a dunk on an assist by sophomore guard Tavari Johnson right before Ohio called timeout.
Akron senior guard Ali Ali doubles fouls in one fell swoop
Ali was called for a foul with 13:14 left, and then he received a technical foul for protesting the call.
Ohio junior forward AJ Clayton made two subsequent free throws to put Akron behind 36-28, and Ali's foul total increased to four.
Ohio led 36-30 during a media timeout with 12:06 remaining. Sammy Hunter made a jump shot for Akron with 12:38 left.
Akron trails Ohio 31-25 with 14:49 left in the second half
After missing his first eight shots from the field, Ali made a 3-pointer to trim Ohio's lead to 31-25 with 15:15 left. UA trailed by the same score during a media timeout with 14:49 remaining.
The Zips' shooting woes from the first half persist. They made three of their first nine shots to open the second half.
Brown became the first player to reach double figures.
Below is some information about the first half.
Akron trails Ohio 26-16 after an abysmal first half
The first half was shockingly bad for both teams, but it was worse for Akron. The Zips trailed 26-16 at halfitme.
Akron shot just 6 of 26 from the field (23.1%) in the first half. It had 13 turnovers and seven fouls. Ohio shot 10 of 29 from the field (34.5%) in the first half. It had nine turnovers and seven fouls.
A huge difference, though, is Ohio scored 16 points off turnovers, and Akron scored just one.
Freeman led Akron in the first half with six points and 13 rebounds. Brown paced Ohio with 10 points before halftime.
After leading 8-2, Akron was outscored 24-8 the rest of the first half.
Ohio leads Akron 19-16 during final media timeout of the first half
With 4:28 left in the first half, Clayton made a 3-pointer to give Ohio a 19-16 advantage.
On the next possession, Akron committed a shot-clock violation just before the final media timeout of the first half with 3:52 remaining.
Ohio takes lead vs. Akron more than midway through an ugly first half
Ohio started 3-of-17 shooting from the field. Akron started 3-of-16 shooting from the field.
Brown made Ohio's first 3-pointer, cutting Akron's lead to 10-9 with 9:17 remaining in the first half.
Then with 8:35 left, sophomore forward Aidan Hadaway made a layup to give Ohio an 11-10 edge during a 9-2 run.
Ohio extended its run to 11-2 when Mitchell made a jump shot with 7:34 left.
Akron Zips senior guard Ali Ali encounters foul trouble
With 11:46 left in the first half, All-MAC First Team selection Ali picked up his second foul of the game. Tavari Johnson substituted for Ali.
Later, UA senior guard Greg Tribble picked up his second foul with 7:59 remaining in the first half.
Akron Zips star Enrique Freeman producing early for UA
Akron led Ohio 8-2 when Freeman made a layup with 15:53 remaining in the first half. However, Freeman missed a foul shot coming out of a media timeout and squandered a chance to complete a three-point play.
Freeman scored four of UA's first eight points.
The start of the game was sloppy. Through the first eight-plus minutes, each team had made just two of its first 12 field-goal attempts and committed five turnovers.
Below is some pregame information.
How can I watch, stream or listen to the Akron vs. Ohio men's basketball semifinal in the MAC Tournament?
The game was televised on CBS Sports Network. It was broadcast locally on the Akron Sports Radio Network on WHLO (640-AM).
When did Ohio, Akron men's basketball last win MAC Tournament championships?
Akron last won the MAC Tournament in 2022, a year after Ohio claimed its most recent championship. Akron has captured four MAC tourney titles. Ohio owns seven.
Players to watch for the Akron Zips, Ohio Bobcats
MAC Player of the Year Freeman leads Akron. He entered the semifinal round averaging 18.4 points and 12.8 rebounds this season.
Hunter is Ohio's top player. Through Thursday's quarterfinals, he averaged 13.9 points, 5.1 assists and 4.3 rebounds this season.
More Akron basketball at MAC Tournament: Akron men's basketball coach John Groce wisely doubles down on trusting players | Ulrich
What did the Akron Zips and Ohio Bobcats do in the opening round of the MAC Tournament?
Here's a look at Thursday's quarterfinals:
No. 3 Ohio blew out No. 6 Western Michigan 82-55
No. 5 Bowling Green beat No. 4 Central Michigan 66-56
What is the history between the Akron and Ohio men's basketball teams?
In the 2023-24 regular season, Akron beat Ohio 67-58 on Jan. 23 at Rhodes Arena and lost 74-67 on Feb. 27 in Athens.
Akron leads the all-time series 49-44. And UA is now 3-3 against Ohio in the MAC Tournament.
Zips coach John Groce began his head coaching career at Ohio and has a record of 8-6 against the Bobcats.
More Akron basketball at MAC Tournament: Enrique Freeman leads Akron men's basketball to MAC Tournament quarterfinal win over Miami
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron basketball beats Ohio, will face Kent State for MAC tourney title
