Akron men’s basketball defeated Buffalo 73-70 in the quarterfinal round of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament at Rocket Arena in Cleveland Thursday, continuing their quest for a third consecutive conference tournament championship.
“Obviously, hard fought win. Proud of the guys, they showed great poise,” Akron head coach John Groce said. “We had a couple key possessions defensively where they executed really well.”
The Zips have advanced to the semifinals of the tournament in six straight seasons and are 14-4 in the MAC Tournament under Groce.
Buffalo, the seven seed, erased a 16-point deficit but did not have enough late-game magic to upset Akron, the two seed.
“Just so proud of them giving themselves a chance. Players win games and they made every play they could,” Buffalo head coach George Halcovage III said. “Down 16 to come back, and we talk about being all-in and having grit, that’s our teams mentality, and they exemplified it tonight.”
Senior guard Tavari Johnson, an All-MAC First Team selection and the conference’s leading scorer, dominated the Bulls with 25 points on 8-for-16 shooting, including 3-of-7 from deep.
Senior forward Amani Lyles added a 12-point 16-rebound double-double.
Buffalo kept the game close for the first 10 minutes, leading Akron 20-16 halfway through the first half.
However, Akron went on an 18-2 run to take 34-22 lead with just under five minutes remaining in the half. The Zips were in control with a 42-29 lead at halftime.
But Buffalo never went away, blazing on a 7-0 run in the middle of the second half, cutting the deficit to seven points, 61-54, with just under seven minutes remaining.
Junior guard Ryan Sabol led the comeback effort, scoring 18 of his team-high 24 points in the second half.
Even after the Zips pushed the lead back to double digits, the Bulls exploded on a 12-0 run, getting within one point in the final minute, 71-70, with Hollywood-level drama ensuing.
Two Johnson free throws pushed the lead back to three before Buffalo senior guard/forward Noah Batchelor missed a game-tying triple. After Johnson was fouled, he missed his only free throw of his seven attempts in the game, keeping the door open for the Bulls.
Buffalo graduate student forward Ezra McKenna and Sabol each proceeded to miss game-tying 3-pointers, securing the victory for the Zips at the buzzer.
