1 | 2 | T | |
---|---|---|---|
NIU | 25 | 34 | 59 |
KENT | 31 | 30 | 61 |
Zabo, Avery help Kent St. beat N. Illinois in MAC tourney
KENT, Ohio -- Kevin Zabo had 19 points, including a layup as time expired, and Jalen Avery scored eight of his 13 points in the final seven-plus minutes to help Kent State slip past Northern Illinois 61-59 on Monday night in the first round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
Adonis De La Rosa scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds while Danny Pippen had eight points, eight rebounds and six blocks for Kent State. The fifth-seeded Golden Flashes (16-16) will play No. 4 seed Ball State in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
Kent State led by as many as 10 points in the first half and Jaylin Walker's 3-pointer made it 38-29 early in the second. Northern Illinois (13-19) used 19-4 run, including seven points by Levi Bradley, to take a six-point lead with nine minutes left. Dante Thorpe's free throw gave the Huskies a 56-52 lead with 2:27 to play, but Avery hit a 3 and then made two free throws and, after Bradley made a jumper at the other end, Zabo's layup put Kent State up by one with a minute left. Eugene German hit a free throw to tie it with seven seconds remaining before Zabo took the inbound pass coast-to-coast for the winner.
Bradley had 18 points and German scored 12 for No. 12 seed Northern Illinois.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Bill Ek
- D.J. Carstensen
- Greg Langsdorf
2023-24 Mid-American Conference Standings
Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
---|---|---|---|
Toledo | 14-4 | - | 20-12 |
Akron | 13-5 | 1 | 24-11 |
Ohio | 13-5 | 1 | 20-13 |
Central Michigan | 12-6 | 2 | 18-14 |
Bowling Green | 10-8 | 4 | 20-14 |
Miami (OH) | 9-9 | 5 | 15-17 |
Western Michigan | 9-9 | 5 | 12-20 |
Kent State | 8-10 | 6 | 17-17 |
Ball State | 7-11 | 7 | 15-16 |
Eastern Michigan | 6-12 | 8 | 13-18 |
Northern Illinois | 5-13 | 9 | 11-20 |
Buffalo | 2-16 | 12 | 4-27 |