Kent State's dream run ends in late loss to rival Akron in MAC men's basketball title game

CLEVELAND — The Kent State men's basketball team suffered a heartbreaking end to a memorable Mid-American Conference Tournament run Saturday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

After Cli’Ron Hornbeak's offensive rebound and dunk capped a 9-1 run to give the eighth-seeded Golden Flashes a one-point lead with 6.2 seconds to play, an inexplicable foul sent Akron's Greg Tribble to the line for two free throws with 4.8 seconds to play.

Instead of celebrating a second consecutive MAC title and an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament, Kent State suffered a devastating 62-61 loss to the rival Zips, whose own season will continue.

Those fates were so close to being reversed.

With Kent State trailing 60-59, guard Jalen Sullinger's shot came off the rim but Hornbeak was there to dunk in the rebound, giving the Flashes a 61-60 lead with 6.2 seconds left.

Then came the most untimely foul.

After the ball was inbounded to Akron guard Greg Tribble, he was almost immediately fouled by the Flashes' Julius Rollins, sending the Zips to the free-throw line.

“He [Rollins] probably thought we were down one instead of up one,” Kent State coach Rob Senderoff said. "I told him, 'If this is the worst thing that ever happens to you when you're 50 years old, you've lived a pretty charmed life.'

“So tomorrow the sun will come up. It'll be a little cloudy for me and for our guys, but the sun will come up tomorrow.”

Tribble stepped to the line and converted both attempts, giving Akron the lead.

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On the ensuing possession, Sullinger raced down the court and put up a mid-range jumper from the wing under heavy pressure from Akron's Enrique Freeman, who was named the tournament MVP after the game. But the ball didn't find the basket and, for the second time in three years, the Zips (24-10) will represent the MAC in the NCAA Tournament.

“It’s a tough way to lose,” Senderoff said. “I feel really bad for our whole roster with how we lost, but I also have a tremendous amount of pride in the fact that over these last three days we really came together as a group.”

The Flashes (17-17) were playing their best when it mattered most. After allowing 71 points per game during the regular season, they held their three tournament opponents to an average of 60 points — the best three-game stretch of the season.

After appearing in three consecutive MAC Tournament championship games and winning one, Kent State forward VonCameron Davis said the loss only provides more motivation for next season. Davis finished with a game-high 21 points, and Sullinger added 19 points and eight rebounds. Both were named to the all-tournament team.

“It just gives us even more experience, giving us more fuel to the fire come back,” Davis said.

Flashes guard Giovanni Santiago (seven points) said he was proud of the way his team competed in Cleveland.

“I'm just proud of how hard we fought,” he said. “These three days, we came together with one goal, and we were playing for each other, and that was the most proud that I can be for this team.”

While the Zips prepare for the NCAA Tournament, the Flashes will gear up for another run next season, when four starters — Davis, Sullinger, guard Mike Bekelja and Hornbeak — are eligible to return.

“I just don't know because of how this transfer portal works, but obviously I would love to have all these guys back,” Senderoff said. “We have a chance to have a really good group if they do come back, and hopefully a good core will come back and we can see if we can grow from this and maybe try to get back here again next year.”

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Kent State men's basketball falls just short of NCAA Tournament