Kent zips past Akron to nab MAC title, NCAA berth

The Golden Flashes won their fifth MAC crown and second in three years.

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CLEVELAND One look at his team Saturday morning told Jim Christian everything he needed to know.

“I could tell they were ready to play,” the Kent State men’s basketball coach said.

About 12 hours later, the Golden Flashes were ready to dance, with senior Mike Scott leading the way.

Scott busted a few moves on the court of Quicken Loans Arena to lead the celebration after Kent State beat Akron, 74-55, in the championship game of the Mid-American Conference tournament. A crowd of 12,942 watched Kent earn the MAC’s automatic berth to the Big Dance — the NCAA tournament, which it last qualified for in 2006.

The Golden Flashes (28-6) looked to have a good enough resume to secure a bid to the NCAAs regardless of Saturday’s outcome, but Scott didn’t want to take any chances.

“I think everybody on our team thought about that at-large bid, but we knew we had to really work at winning this tournament and not leave it up to anybody else,” Scott said. “We banded together and got it done. No one can take it away from us.”

Scott proudly wore one of the arena’s nets around his neck as he spoke. He and the Flashes earned it with strong work on defense and solid play on offense.

A 16-1 run to end the first half put the top-seeded Flashes in charge. They maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half, beating Akron for a third time this season.

“It was primarily done on the defensive end of the floor,” Christian said of the run to end the half. “We can get on those good rhythms defensively where we focus in. ... That was a big stretch of basketball. It kind of gave us confidence for the rest of the game.”

Senior Haminn Quaintance, the tournament MVP, scored 16 points to lead a balanced Kent attack and grabbed six rebounds. Scott added 14 points and 13 rebounds. Sophomore Chris Singletary had 13 points and junior Al Fisher scored 12.

Jeremiah Wood led Akron with 13 points, while Nick Dials scored 10, all in the second half. But missed layups, 3-pointers and free throws added up to a frustrating game for Akron (23-10).