In a major upset, the eight seeded Kent State Golden Flashes defeated the number one seed Toledo Rockets in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament yesterday.
Here’s how it went down.
The Golden Flashes started the game with a layup from VonCameron Davis for the first points of the day, giving Kent State a 2-0 start.
After going down early to a 7-4 Toledo lead, a quick shot from Jalen Sullinger and a Davis layup making the score 8-7, Kent State on top.
Toledo and Kent State remained in stalemate, with one point being the largest lead each team could muster at a time.
Kent State finally put together a five-point run, capped off by yet another Davis layup, now up 15-10.
Both teams battled back and forth as the minutes ticked by in the first half, with five minutes remaining, Toledo put together a 7-2 run, with a Ra’Heim Moss layup leading to a 22-21 UT advantage.
Kent State and Toledo entered halftime with the Golden Flashes up 28-24.
As both teams exited their locker rooms and the second half began, Kent State took the opportunity in the opening minutes to jump to an 11-point lead, with a Mike Bekleja three putting a bow on the Golden Flashes’ six-minute scoring run, up 40-29.
With the second half raging on, Toledo battled back, a three-point shot from MAC Defense player of the year Tyler Cochran cutting the Golden Flashes lead to just six points, with 6:56 remaining on the clock.
Toledo kept trying to battle back, as a Cli’Ron Hornbeak layup and a Giovanni Santiago three pointer with 3:22 left on the clock snapping any leftover Rocket momentum, Kent State now up 57-49.
Kent State defeated the Rockets 67-59, the first major upset of the tournament.
Davis scored 26 points for the Golden Flashes on 12-17 shooting. As a team, Kent State shot 44.8% from the field.
Toledo now has gone 44 years without winning the MAC Championship, with their last win coming at the very first MAC Tournament in 1980.
The Golden Flashes advance to the semifinals of the MAC Tournament, taking on the Bowling Green Falcons on Friday at 5 p.m.
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