Kent: The University of Akron had little to play for other than bragging rights and not getting swept by archrival Kent State for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
The Golden Flashes (18-13, 10-8 Mid-American Conference), meanwhile, walked into the M.A.C. Center with plenty to play for — namely, a first-round bye in next week’s MAC Tournament.
By the time the first half in Kent had ended, though, Ohio had already dashed those hopes with a 69-55 win at Miami.
Bragging rights for the Wagon Wheel would have to do, as the Flashes knew they would open MAC Tournament play Monday at home.
But first, they had to finish their game with Zips (24-7, 14-4), who pulled away down the stretch to win 66-56. The Flashes finished with the sixth seed and will play Central Michigan on Monday.
For UA, those bragging rights are important, but even more important is it has extended time to work on the team’s problem areas going into the tournament.
The top-seeded Zips will play the winner of Northern Illinois and Eastern Michigan in a quarterfinal at noon Thursday at Quicken Loans Arena.
Against the Flashes, who came in on a five-game winning streak, the Zips fared better with their one glaring inconsistency — defense — by holding Kent State to 33 percent shooting from the floor. Rebounds were even at 40-40, but the Zips took advantage of 13 Golden Flashes turnovers to score 15 points.
The Zips used a 10-0 run while ahead 56-53 late in the second half to take control, with a 3-pointer by Jimond Ivey with 1:40 left punctuating the surge.
Ivey led four Zips in double figures with 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Guard Noah Robotham added 12 points and center Isaiah “Big Dog” Johnson chipped in 10 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double.
Kent State senior forward Jimmy Hall led all scorers with 16 points.
The Zips had an opportunity to take control in the first half, when they took a nine-point lead, but whiffed on several opportunities to build upon it.
As is the norm in this heated rivalry, momentum flowed from one team to the other. Kent State benefited from that during a key stretch, reeling off eight consecutive points over a 4:18 span after the Zips took a 19-10 lead with 11:18 left in the first half.
George M. Thomas can be reached at gmthomas@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Zips blog at www.ohio.com/zips. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GeorgeThomasABJ.