The Akron Zips (28-5, 17-1) downed the Kent State Golden Flashes (24-9, 14-4), securing a 79-76 victory. Graduate student guard Shammah Scott scored a heroic 3-point play with six seconds left to play in the game, marking Akron’s third consecutive Mid-American Conference (MAC) title, something that had never been done in conference history since the tournament began in 1980.
“Obviously, from the game standpoint, give Toledo a lot of credit,” said head coach John Groce. I thought the first half, they were really ready to play. They made shots; their ball movement and execution were precise. Obviously, it put us on our heels a little bit, and then we made some adjustments coming out of halftime, and I thought that was good for us.”
Scott finished with 12 points on 5-15 shooting, along with 2-8 shooting from the 3-point line. On top of that, the Zips were led by senior guard Tavari Johnson and senior forward Amani Lyles, who each scored 15 points on the night. In addition to Lyles’ 15 points, he also recorded a game-high 16 rebounds.
During the 2024 season, the Akron Zips finished as the second seed in the MAC with a 13-5 conference record and a 24-11 overall record. That year, Akron defeated the Golden Flashes in the MAC championship game by a slim, 62-61 advantage. Senior guard Ali Ali topped the Zips’ scoring attack with 18 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Coupled with Ali, senior forward Enrique Freeman netted 17 points, including nine rebounds.
Amid that championship win against the Golden Flashes, Akron connected 39.6% of its shot attempts, paired with a 27.6% 3-point percentage in the outing.
The next year, the Zips routed the RedHawks, capping a 76-74 win, as the MAC Player of the Year, Nate Johnson, and junior guard Tavari Johnson spearheaded Akron, combining for 37 of the Zips’ 76 points.
Groce, has now won six MAC Tournament Championships across his time at Ohio (2010 and 2012) and Akron (2022, 2024, 2025 and 2026).
“First of all, culture right,” said Groce. “You hear that word all the time, right? With organizations and businesses, but we have one. It’s a real thing. We’re very particular about who we let in, and so it starts there. And then, you know, we always say you have to become us; we don’t become you. They (players) got to fit in first, and once you do that, they have an opportunity to stand out, like you’ve seen some upperclassmen.”
With the Zips’ defeating the Rockets today, they now move on to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
