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**joepa66** · 03-13-2011, 09:30 AM

March 12, 2011

Kent State Falls in Overtime Heartbreaker to Akron, 66-65, in MAC Title Game

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Basketball fans couldn't have asked for a closer game, but Kent State lost in heartbreaking fashion as Akron edged the Golden Flashes in overtime 66-65 in the quest for the Mid-American Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament Saturday night at Quicken Loans Arena . Akron's Brett McKnight made a pair of free throws with 12.8 second left in OT, before two Kent State shots were blocked on the game's final possession.

The biggest lead by either team during the second half was a six-point advantage by Akron with five minutes on the clock. That lead did not hold long thanks to sophomore Randal Holt, who buried a pair of three-pointers down the final stretch of regulation. Holt nailed another three to give the Golden Flashes a 62-59 lead with 4:08 left in overtime. However, Kent State went over three minutes without another field and found themselves in 64-63 hole.

With 45 seconds left, Carlton Guyton had a shot blocked, got his own rebound and buried a jumper to give the Flashes a 65-64 lead. On Akron's following possession McKnight drew a foul under the basket that turned into the game's winning free throws. Both sides missed critical free throws late in the second half and in overtime. The Flashes went just 6-for-15 from the charity stripe after the break, including 8 misses in a row at one point.

Holt went 4-for-6 from three-point range. He and and Guyton led KSU with 14 points each. Holts's three to start the game helped Kent State jump out to an early 14-3 lead.

Akron slowly cut into the deficit behind four first-half three-pointers by Steve McNees. His fourth three gave the Zips their first lead 33-31, with 27 seconds left in the half, giving his team a two-point lead at the break.

Kent State regained the lead midway through the second half when Guyton converted a layup. The lead changed hands three more times in regulation and the score was tied on three different occasions during the final three minutes. With 1:15 left in regulation, Rodriquez Sherman single-handedly sliced his way through a crowd and around a corner for layup that tied the game 58-58. Opposing post players Justin Greene and Zeke Marshall each went 1-for-2 from the line in the final minute of regulation, but neither team could connect on a field.

Although playing a major role in getting the Golden Flashes to the title game, Sherman and Greene went a combined 7-for-32 from the field Saturday night.

Michael Porrini led KSU with nine rebounds, adding six points and three steals. His outstanding defensive play over the weekend helped earn him a spot on the MAC All-Tournament Team. McKnight led Akron with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting.

The Golden Flashes (23-11) will await the NIT selection show on Sunday (March 13), to find out where they will go next. The announcement will be made at 9:00 p.m. on ESPNU.

**Nicky Santoro** · 03-13-2011, 10:27 AM

Brutal:puke:

**joepa66** · 03-13-2011, 10:34 AM

From MAC Report Online -

PARADOXICAL STAT
......the free throws helped Akron pull out a victory in spite of a KSU's 13-4 edge in field goal attempts during overtime.

�You could search the box scores for a year. I don't know if you can find a team that got nine more shots than the other team in OT and (lost),� KSU head coach Geno Ford said.

The Flashes also had the opportunity to win at the end of regulation. Justin Greene missed the go-ahead free throw with 42 seconds remaining, but Guyton corralled the rebound. After a timeout, Guyton missed an NBA-length three. Rodriquez Sherman then stripped McNees but failed to get a shot up before time expired. Ford lamented the poor fortune of his team in crunch time.

�We played well all year. We came up one possession short,� he said. �We had 4 chances to score (and) went 0-4.�

Early on, it looked like anything but a nail-biter. The Flashes sprinted to a 14-3 start in the first 4:26, igniting the Kent faithful and silencing Zips' fans. Porrini and Randall Holt both hit three pointers in that stretch, while Akron shot 1-6. That would be the biggest lead of the game.

After struggling early, Akron used a 10-2 run to pull within three (16-13) at the 9:02 mark. The Flashes, meanwhile, quickly cooled following their initial success. A team that likes to run their offense through star forward Greene and have their guards penetrate, Kent State was stymied by Marshall. In addition to his blocks, he altered many more shots.

EARLY FLASHES LEAD IN OVERTIME
In overtime, Holt's three with 4:08 to go gave Kent a 62-59 lead. It would hold that lead until Robert's jumper with 1:07 on the clock, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.

Akron won despite 8-17 shooting at the free throw line. In the second half and overtime, McKnight and Marshall missed the front end of one-and-bonus opportunities that could have given Akron a lead or extended a lead. Though KSU was little better (12-23), Dambrot was worried about foul shooting and broke protocol by having the team put up shots at Cleveland State earlier in the day.

�I won't do that again,� he cracked.

For KSU, a spot in the National Invitation Tournament awaits. Greene and Porrini were already getting ready for next week's tournament and the chance to get Sherman, the team's lone senior, more wins.

�We're gonna try to win it,� Porrini said.

**ProfPitkanen** · 03-13-2011, 11:28 AM

GL today JoePa! :thumbs:

**joepa66** · 03-13-2011, 08:18 PM

JOEPA'S UPDATED YTD: 483 - 398 - 27
UNITS: +30.50
MAC: 93 - 54 - 8
Halfs: 27 - 19 - 1
3/13: 3 - 1
SCRF: 50 - 52 - 2

OVEN MITT YTD: 44 - 46
3/13: 0 - 1

GL to ya!

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