KENT, Ohio — Sincere Carry scored 35 points, including 11 in the overtime, as Kent State took down Akron 89-84 in a classic rivalry showdown Friday night.
Carry was 9 of 18 shooting, including 3 for 6 from distance, and went 14 for 15 from the line for the Golden Flashes (25-6, 15-3 Mid-American Conference). Chris Payton scored 22 points while going 9 of 10, and added seven rebounds. Malique Jacobs shot 4 of 8 from the field to finish with 11 points, while adding six boards.
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The Zips (21-10, 13-5) were led by Sammy Hunter, who recorded 26 points. Enrique Freeman added 25 points and 12 rebounds for Akron. Xavier Castaneda also had 13 points and five assists.
Carry, the reigning MAC Player of the Year, scored 14 points in the first half for KSU, which led 36-32 at the break. The Flashes never trailed in regulation, but with roughly three seconds left, Jacobs was called for a foul on Castaneda as he attempted a potential game-tying 3-pointer. Replays showed Jacobs never touched him, but it resulted in him fouling out and Castaneda making all three free throws to knot things up at 72 and send the game to an extra period.
With fans at the MAC Center angrily booing, head coach Rob Senderoff was called for a technical foul at the beginning of OT, resulting in UA taking its first lead of the night on a pair of free throws. Yet despite some more questionable calls down the stretch, Carry led the way by making 7 for 8 from the line to secure the victory, avenging an earlier 67-55 road loss to the Zips last month.
Kent State finishes the regular season all alone in second place in the MAC, and will battle 7-seed Northern Illinois (13-18) Thursday afternoon in Cleveland during the conference tournament quarterfinals. Akron, the defending tourney champion, sits in third and will battle sixth-seeded Buffalo later that evening.
Should both the Golden Flashes and Zips win, they would be in line to meet in the semifinals in a rematch of last year's MAC title game. UA won that game 75-55, with several KSU players suspended for the first half after posting an obscene video online.