AKRON, Ohio — Xavier Castaneda scored 24 points as Akron beat Kent State 67-55 on Friday in a rivalry showdown for first place in the MAC.
Castaneda shot 6 for 14 (5 for 9 from 3-point range) and 7 of 9 from the free throw line for the Zips (17-6, 9-1 Mid-American Conference). Enrique Freeman added 19 points while going 4 of 6 and 10 of 12 from the free throw line, and he also had 17 rebounds and three blocks. Garvin Clarke recorded eight points, and the Zips picked up their eighth straight victory.
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Sincere Carry finished with 15 points for the Golden Flashes (18-5, 8-2), though the reigning MAC player of the year shot just 29.4% from the field and turned the ball over six times. Jalen Sullinger added 13 points for Kent State. Malique Jacobs also had 12 points and two steals.
Akron took the lead with 19:50 left in the first half and did not relinquish it. The score was 34-29 at halftime, with Castaneda racking up 10 points. Akron extended its lead to 51-36 during the second half, fueled by a 7-0 scoring run. Castaneda scored a team-high 14 points in the second half as his team closed out the win.
This marked the first meeting between the two Greater Akron foes since last year's MAC tournament championship game, which the Zips won 75-55 to advance to the NCAA tournament. The leadup to that showdown was overshadowed by several Kent State players vulgarly insulting Akron's squad in a social media video, resulting in first-half suspensions for three players including Jacobs.
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Both teams next play Tuesday. Akron hosts Toledo while Kent State hosts Bowling Green.