Still perfect: Akron men's basketball team closes out Kent State to remain unbeaten in MAC
KENT — Akron's closers delivered in a timely manner Friday night.
Let's face it. The Zips are likely not alone in first place in the Mid-American Conference men's basketball race without Enrique Freeman or Ali Ali. They're capable of making a big difference, especially when it matters most.
Freeman and Ali each scored a game-high 23 points to help Akron hold off Kent State 77-71 in front of 6,330 at the MAC Center. The Zips (14-4, 6-0) and gained sole possession of first place in the MAC when Toledo lost to Central Michigan.
Rivalry games are never easy to close out. Akron was reminded of it after a 20-point first-half lead fizzled to three twice in the final two minutes.
The Zips never lost the lead they took early in the first half. Freeman's work in the paint kept enough distance between Akron and Kent State when the Flashes were chipping away. Ali clinched the win with a jumper and four free throws in the final 1:16.
"Ali and 'Riq were unbelievable," Zips coach John Groce said.
Ali scored 16 of his 23 points in the first half. He finished 10 of 11 from the free-throw line.
Freeman saw his streak of double-doubles stopped at 11. The MAC Player of the Year contender still had eight rebounds and five blocks while earning high praise from Kent State coach Rob Senderoff.
"Taking away Kent State players, because we've had some great ones, I haven't seen a player as good as him for college in my 20-plus years," Senderoff said. "... Every possession, you have to figure out what you're going to do against him."
Freeman was appreciative of Senderoff's remarks.
"For another coach to just give me flowers and appreciation, I'm truly grateful," Freeman said.
The Zips won without starting guards Nate Johnson and Greg Tribble. Johnson was out with a broken hand. Tribble has been battling the flu.
Tavari Johnson helped Akron overcome the losses with 10 points in 20 minutes off the bench. Shammah Scott played a season-high 28 minutes and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. His only field goal was a 3 that gave Akron an 11-point lead with 4:37 left.
"We had multiple guys step up who played more minutes than normal tonight," Groce said. "... Guys stepped up, and I knew they would.
"It's a great lesson. I tell them you can't wait until a guy is injured or out and say, 'I can see minutes now. I'm going to get myself ready.' Then it's too late.
"Those guys haven't pouted. They've had a great attitude. They kept working. I had great confidence in them before the game started because of the way they approached the day-to-day."
Giovanni Santiago scored 16 points and Tyem Freeman finished with 14 for the Flashes (9-9, 2-4), who fell four games behind the Zips in the MAC.
Mike Bekelja's 3-pointer 11 seconds into the game gave Kent State its only lead. Before the first media timeout, the Flashes suddenly found themselves without one of their leading scorers and top rebounder. Chris Payton Jr. had to sit for an extended period with two fouls.
Payton's early foul trouble hurt Kent State's post presence. The Zips took advantage of multiple second-chance opportunities in the paint during a 17-1 run. Their first-half lead eventually ballooned to 31-11 on a Freeman 3-pointer.
"We did a good job of what we were executing in the first half," Enrique Freeman said. "We made some plays and played some good basketball. We got some good shots. I think we definitely stepped up on defense.
"You can't really go into a game and say, 'Oh, we're going to go on a (17-1) run,' but we did. That helped us big time."
The 17-1 run gave the Zips the cushion they needed when the Flashes made their second-half comeback.
Tyem Freeman hit all four of his 3s in the second half. Santiago also knocked down two more.
"We made it a game and gave ourselves a chance, but we didn't make quite enough plays," Senderoff said. "The effort the whole game was certainly there. We just have to play better."
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This article originally appeared on The Repository: Ali Ali, Enrique Freeman helps Akron men's basketball beat Kent State
