Kent State holds off Akron in MAC overtime thriller

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Sincere Carry did it all on both ends for Kent State Friday.

Chris Payton wasn’t bad either.

Carry’s 35 points led the Flashes to a, 89-84 overtime win over Akron at a sold-out MAC Center.

Payton added 22 for KSU, including 6 in OT. He hit 9 of 10 shots from the field.

Carry’s defense also helped hold the MAC’s leading scorer, Xavier Castaneda (21.8 ppg), to just 13 points.

The game went to OT after a questionable foul call sent Castaneda to the line for 3 free throws with 4.4 seconds left, and he made all three.

High man for Akron was Sammy Hunter with a career-high 26 points, followed by Enrique Freeman with 25.

The win wraps up a perfect 15-0 home season for the Flashes, who finish the regular season 25-6 overall.

Akron drops to 21-10 (13-5).

The MAC Tournament begins Thursday at Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

The top 3 seeds will be Toledo, Kent State and Akron.

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