Akron beats Kent State 75-68 in MAC Tournament semifinal, will play Toledo in championship game

CLEVELAND (AP) — Tavari Johnson and Shammah Scott both scored 18 points to lead Akron to a 75-68 victory over Kent State on Friday night in the semifinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament.

No. 2 seed Akron (28-5) will bring a nine-game winning streak into Saturday's championship game against fourth-seeded Toledo with an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament on the line.

Johnson shot 7 of 14 from the field and 3 for 6 from the free-throw line for the Zips. Scott shot 5 for 10 (3 for 6 from 3-point range) and 5 of 6 from the foul line. Evan Mahaffey pitched in with 16 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.

Rob Whaley Jr. led the third-seeded Golden Flashes (24-9) with 15 points. Quinn Woidke totaled 12 points and seven rebounds. Delrecco Gillespie posted a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Johnson had 13 points in the first half to help Akron take a 43-28 lead into the break. Scott had nine second-half points and the Zips used a late 7-0 run to hold off Kent State.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.