Ohio topples Akron for MAC tourney title

Associated Press

cleveland

D.J. Cooper scored 23 points and Ohio had to nervously wait through a TV replay in the final seconds before beating Akron 64-63 in the championship of the Mid-American Conference tournament on Saturday night.

Ohio (27-7), which set a school record for wins, crowned its season by getting the MAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years.

The Zips (22-11) nearly rallied from eight points down in the final minutes. Akron thought it may have tied it at 64 with 3.1 seconds left on a tipped free throw. But the officials reviewed the videotape at the scorer’s table and determined the free throw had dropped in without being touched by anyone.

Cooper was fouled with 2 seconds left. The tournament’s most outstanding player missed the first free throw, and then intentionally missed the second.

Akron’s Quincy Diggs flung a desperation shot from 60 feet that wasn’t close and pandemonium erupted on Ohio’s side of Quicken Loans Arena.

Cooper made four 3-pointers and added six assists and four steals in 36 minutes.

Alex Abreu led top-seeded Akron, appearing in its sixth consecutive title game, with 19 points. Diggs had 12 points and Brian Walsh added 10.

With Ohio leading 64-61, Abreu went to the line with 3.1 seconds left with a chance to pull the Zips within one. The sophomore guard dropped his first attempt to make it 64-62. He intended to miss the second one, hoping to get a rebound and possible tying putback.

He shot it high in the air with a ton of backspin, but the ball hit the back of the rim, bounced off the front and then the back again before dropping through.

When the scoreboard clock showed: Akron 64, Ohio 64, the Zips’ fans erupted thinking the intentional miss had somehow been tipped in.

But after a lengthy discussion and several looks at the replay monitor, the officiating crew determined the ball had gone through on its own — to the relief of the Bobcats and their fans.

Cooper could have given Ohio a three-point cushion, but he missed his two free throws, firing the second one long on purpose.