AKRON, Ohio — (AP) Xeyrius Williams had 22 points and 12 rebounds as Akron edged past Kent State 79-76.
A back and forth battle went all the way to the final buzzer, with a KSU three-pointer failing to land as time expired. The victory gave the Zips (24-7, 14-4 MAC play) the outright Mid-American Conference regular season title for the first time in four years.
The difference in the game was free throw shooting, with the Akron making 25 of 28 from the line compared to only 12 of 18 for Kent State. Sophomore Anthony Roberts led the Golden Flashes (19-12, 9-9 MAC play) with 17 points, but made only 30% of his field goals.
As the conference champion, Akron earned the No. 1 seed in the upcoming MAC Men's Basketball Tournament, and will get a bye all the way to the quarterfinals at Cleveland's Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Kent State will be the No. 6 seed, meaning they will have to play No. 11 Eastern Michigan Friday night in Kent in a first round matchup.
