by By Cameron Palmer
📸 Joshua Balzer
When two Mid-American Conference rivals meet, it’s always a physical, hard-fought battle, and Akron’s win over Kent State on Friday was no different—especially with the nation’s longest home winning streak on the line.
The Zips defeated the visiting Golden Flashes 69-52, extending their home winning streak to 28 games.
“This was a rock fight, and over the last 24 hours I kept thinking about how this game might look more like a football game than anything else, and in this rivalry, the emotion and energy are off the charts,” said Akron head coach John Groce. “I told our guys that if we want to be a good team, we have to find different ways to win, and we did that by relying on our defense and senior leadership tonight.”
Akron got rolling with Tavari Johnson getting five quick points for an early 5-2 lead.
After the opening minutes, the Zips began to pull away, putting together a 13-4 run that produced a lead they would not relinquish for the remainder of the half.
Kent State stayed within striking distance midway through the period as Delrecco Gillespie attacked the basket and Morgan Safford added points on a jumpshot.
Each time the gap tightened, Akron responded with consecutive scores to maintain control.
The Zips extended their lead to 28-17 behind a balanced attack, including perimeter baskets from Bowen Hardman and continued interior scoring from Johnson.
Akron’s consistent offensive execution kept pressure on Kent State and prevented any sustained momentum shift, giving them a nine-point halftime lead at 38-29.
The Zips would go on to win 69-52, growing their lead to as much as 23 points in the second half, cruising to the victory.
One key contributor was Hardman, who scored 15 points on 5-of-9 3-point shooting off the bench, providing energy and timely responses to each Golden Flashes run.
“The guys did a good job finding him, and he made big shots. Neither team had a player who shot well tonight, so he made a huge difference in a low-scoring game that’s in the 60s and 50s,” Coach Groce said. “Making five threes is a big deal on any night, but it’s a real big deal when it’s a low-scoring game. I thought his impact on the game was significant.”
For the Zips, achieving the 28th consecutive home win in a MAC rivalry game at a sold-out James A. Rhodes Arena is special.
“You’ve got to give our fans and the Akron Rowdies and the students and the community and the university people that were all out here,” Groce said of the atmosphere. “A lot of the other sports teams on our campus, their teams were in here supporting the guys tonight, so they had something to do with tonight’s point spread. We’ve had some other good crowds as well, but tonight was exceptional.”
Tavarri Johnson led Akron with 16 points and nine rebounds, followed by Hardman’s 15 points.
Shammah Scott, Eric, and Evan Mahaffery each scored nine points, while Amani Lyles added eight points and five boards.
Kent State’s Head Coach Rob Senderhoff offered a brief but honest assessment.
“I’m disappointed with how we played, but it’s a good team that we lost to,” he said.
The Golden Flashes struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 1-for-23, and finished 19-of-67 overall despite some good looks.
“I think we had more than our fair share of good looks, some of them we normally make. Some of them were contested, and they were not great shots because they contested well,” Senderhoff said. “I don’t know who we’re beating shooting 1-for-23 from three, right? And we had been a pretty good three-point shooting team on the season, but we just didn’t shoot it well tonight.”
Delrecco Gillespie led all scorers with 17 points and six rebounds, while Morgan Safford added 10 points and seven boards.
Kent State falls to 16-6 overall and 7-3 in the MAC, while Akron improves to 18-4 and 9-1 in MAC play.
The Golden Flashes visit Toledo on February 3rd, while the Zips travel to Eastern Michigan the same night.
