Kent State had been waiting quite a while for this day. Five years to be exact.
February 2012 was the last time the Golden Flashes defeated archrival Akron. Until Saturday.
Sensing their opportunity, the Flashes (14-11, 8-5) took full advantage and captured a 72-58 Mid-American Conference East Division victory over the Zips (9-14, 2-10) at Rhodes Arena.
A 20-point, second-quarter run over a seven-minute stretch turned a five-point deficit into a 37-22 lead with 2:33 left in the first half. KSU was not seriously challenged again.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said senior McKenna Stephens, who led the Golden Flashes with 20 points and eight rebounds.