CLEVELAND –
Chris McKnight scored on a putback with 6.8 seconds left in regulation, lifting the third-seeded Akron men's basketball team to a thrilling 66-64 victory over seventh-seeded Western Michigan on Friday in the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena.
McKnight scooped up the rebound underneath the basket after a miss on a driving layup by Steve McNees and was able to gather himself and bank in the game-winning shot. Western Michigan (18-15) guard David Kool was able to drive the length of the court and launch a 3-point attempt as the clock wound down, but the shot caromed off the rim and WMU was unable to corral the rebound in time for another shot.
With the win, Akron (24-9) advances to Saturday night's MAC championship game against the winner of the second semifinal, between Ohio University and Miami (Ohio). It is UA's fourth-consecutive appearance in the championship game.
The Zips never trailed in the first half and finished the game with a 41.4 percent (24-of-58) shooting performance from the field and converted 73.3 percent (11-of-15) from the foul line.
In addition to his double-digit points, Chris McKnight also posted eight rebounds to lead the Zips. Anthony "Humpty" Hitchens was the only other Zip in double figures, with 14, along with a career-high five steals.
UA also dominated inside, outpacing the Broncos 30-18 on points in the paint. The Zips forced 17 WMU turnovers and were able to convert the miscues into 20 points, including a late-game steal and downcourt pass by Hitchens led to a dunk by Brett McKnight that pulled the Zips to within one at 62-61.
The Zips opened the game with a 6-0 run and extended their lead to as many as 14 on two different occasions in the first half. However, the Broncos countered with a 9-0 run of their own to pull within five, 28-23, at the 5:15 mark of the first half. UA was able to push its lead back to nine points and maintained that nine-point margin at the half thanks to an athletic rebound put-back under the basket as time expired by Conyers on a missed 3-pointer from Hitchens at the top of the key. The Zips headed to the locker room with a 40-31 lead, nearly identical to the 40-32 margin at intermission in their quarterfinal matchup with Eastern Michigan.
The Broncos were consistent on the offensive end throughout the game, shooting 45.8 percent (11-of-24) in the first half and 47.6 percent in the second period (10-of-21), but received only nine points from their bench and were outrebounded 34-28, including a 15-7 margin on the offensive glass.
In the opening minutes of the second half, the Zips twice pushed their lead to 11 points, both times on baskets by Hitchens. However, the Broncos countered with a 16-5 run to tie the score at 54-all, with David Kool scoring 10 of the 16 points and capping the run with a baseline jumper at the 8:28 mark of the second half. After the Zips briefly regained the lead on two free throws by McNees, WMU took its first lead of the game at the 5:11 mark after two free throws and a layup by Kool.
Kool led all scorers with 39 points, including 5-of-11 marksmanship from 3-point range. No other WMU player scored in double figures, with senior forward Martell McLemore tallying the next highest Broncos point total with seven.
The MAC championship game will tip off at 6 p.m. ET and will be televised nationally on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD.
Zips Notebook: Akron improves to 8-1 since 2008 in the MAC Tournament and has won six-consecutive MAC Tournament contests. The Zips are now 12-4 in the conference tournament since Keith Dambrot took the helm in 2004 ... Akron improves to 19-17 all-time against Western Michigan, claiming victories in eight of the last nine match-ups ... UA improved to 13-11 all-time in MAC postseason play (5-3 when playing as the No. 3 seed) ... Akron has won four of its last five and eight of its last 10 games ... The Zips improved to 11-5 this season in away/neutral games ... Tonight’s victory marks Akron’s third 24-win season in the last four years.
Courtesy: Ernie Aranyosi
