Deon J. Edwin (right) tallied five points, five boards and three assists but more importantly the Kent State University men's basketball team (21-13) reached the 2017 Mid-American Conference Championship after defeating the second-seeded Ohio Bobcats (20-11), 68-66, Friday March 10, 2017, at Quicken Loans Arena. Photo: Provided

Deon J. Edwin (left) playing for Bayside Blazers in the 2016 Hon Julian Fraser Save the Seed League before departing for Kent State University. Photo: Charlie E. Jackson/VINO

The win pits the Golden Flashes against their rivals, top-seeded Akron, tonight at 7:30 PM on ESPN2.

The game was won on a floater in the paint from Jaylin Walker with 4.1 seconds left, breaking a 66-66 tie. Walker secured a rebound and ran the entire length of the court in traffic within seven seconds to score the game-winner.

Walker finished the game with nine points and nine rebounds. All-MAC forward Jimmy Hall continued his superb play, earning another double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds. He also recorded team-bests of four assists and two blocks. Kevin Zabo came up big off the bench, scoring 15 points with three steals. He was 4-for-6 from 3-point range.

"It was a great game," noted head coach Rob Senderoff. "You know, we've had battles with Ohio, two of them already, and this was a hard-fought win for us. Our guys again, our resiliency and toughness I thought really shown through here tonight and I'm really proud of the effort. Ohio has a very good team. And we're happy to be able to move on."

After shooting 50 percent in the second half, Kent State finished at 41.4 percent (24-for-58) shooting overall. Ohio shot 44.4 percent (24-for-54) on the evening. Kent State won the rebounding battle, 40-30, with 11 offensive rebounds.

Mitch Peterson provided a spark early and finished with eight points and six rebounds. Avery recorded six points and three boards, while Edwin tallied five points, five boards and three assists.