Ohio upends Akron in OT, gains MAC's automatic bid

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/13/2010 - Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Armon Bassett poured in 25 points and made the go-ahead jumper late in overtime, as the ninth-seeded Ohio University Bobcats punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament with an 81-75 victory over the third-seeded Akron Zips in the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship game.

Bassett also pulled down six rebounds for the Bobcats (21-14), who claimed their fifth MAC tournament title and their first since 2005. D.J. Cooper donated 23 points, seven boards, and six assists for Ohio, which improved to 5-1 all-time in MAC title contests.

Jimmy Conyers finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Zips (24-10), who were playing in the event's title game for the fourth consecutive season. Akron defeated Buffalo in last year's conference final to secure its first- ever MAC tournament championship.

Chris McKnight chipped in 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Steve McNees made four three-pointers en route to 12 points in defeat.

McNees drilled a three-pointer with 1:42 left in overtime to deadlock the tilt at 75, but Bassett responded with a jumper at the other end to put Ohio in front by two.

Brett McKnight was then off mark with a trey, and Cooper made a pair of free throws at the opposite end of the floor to make it 79-75 with 24.9 seconds left.

McNees and Chris McKnight failed to make three-pointers for the Zips, sealing their fate.

Trailing 57-56 with 7 1/2 minutes to play in regulation, Ohio went on a 9-2 spurt to go ahead by six. Asown Sayles tallied four points during the surge, which Kenneth van Kempen ended with a pair of free throws to make it 65-59 with over 2 1/2 minutes to go.

Darryl Roberts stopped the bleeding by making a jumper and layup around a Bassett free throw, cutting the gap to three, 66-63, with 1:42 left.

At the other end of the floor, DeVaughn Washington turned the ball over. Roberts continued his strong play down the stretch by making a jumper from the foul line to make it 66-65 with 53.8 seconds remaining.

Bassett lost his balance and the ball at the same time, allowing Akron to run the other way with a chance to go in front. Chris McKnight's attempted layup was blocked by Washington, but the Zips kept possession as the ball went out of bounds with 19.4 ticks to go.

Akron nearly made a costly mistake when Brett McKnight threw away the inbound pass, but the Bobcats followed suit and threw away their inbound pass.

The turnovers continued to pile up in the final seconds, as Bassett stole Akron's inbound pass. Bassett made a pair of free throws to give Ohio a 68-65 lead with 13.5 seconds remaining.

McNees came up big for the Zips, though, draining a game-tying three-pointer with 6.8 ticks left. Cooper missed a jumper as time expired in regulation.

Neither team led by more than five points in a tight first half that saw Ohio take a 36-34 edge into the locker room.

The close battle carried over into the second half and into the final moments of the game.

Game Notes

Ohio leads the all-time series with the Zips, 31-30, but Akron took both regular-season matchups this season from the Bobcats....Akron was trying to become the third program in MAC tourney history to win back-to-back championships. Kent State did so in 2001 and 2002, and Ball State in 1989 and 1990...The Bobcats shot 46.7 percent from the field, while the Zips made 35.9 percent of their shots...The contest featured 13 ties and 24 lead changes.

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