GAME NOTES: The Mid-American Conference Tournament resumes Thursday night at Quicken Loans Arena as the third-seeded Kent State Golden Flashes tangle with the seventh-seeded Akron Zips.

Each team won on its home court to split the season series, although Kent State won the finale just this past Friday. Kris Brewer went coast-to-coast off an inbounds pass with 5.9 seconds remaining in that contest to give the Golden Flashes a 79-77 win and a share of the regular-season title. The winner will face No. 2 seed Buffalo in the semifinals on Friday.

Akron won this event two seasons ago and beat the reigning MAC Tournament champion Western Michigan Broncos in the second round on Thursday night, 58-45. Off to a 2-0 start in the tourney, the Zips are not playing like the same team that lost six of seven to conclude the regular season.

On the other end of the floor, Kent State also eyes up a third consecutive victory. The Golden Flashes have won this event six times in their history, with the most recent coming in 2008.

Kwan Cheatham Jr. registered a double- double with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds in Akron's second-round win over Western Michigan. Also scoring in double figures for the Zips were Reggie McAdams and Antino Jackson with 15 and 10 points, respectively. Akron is led offensively by Pat Forsythe (10.3 ppg) and reserve Deji Ibitayo (10.1 ppg). Forsythe shoots 55 percent from the floor and also averages 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks, while Ibitayo is a 37-percent shooter from the perimeter. However, third-leading scorer Noah Robotham (9.9 ppg) was lost to a season-ending knee injury just a few weeks ago.

The Golden Flashes hang their hats on relentless defense, as they held foes to 41.4 percent shooting this season and ranked third in the MAC in scoring defense (63.0 ppg allowed). They have won 18 of their last 19 games when holding opponents to less than 66 points. Redshirt sophomore Jimmy Hall leads the way with 15.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per tilt. Devareaux Manley (13.6 ppg, 101 3-pointers), Kris Brewer (11.2 ppg) and Derek Jackson (10.1 ppg) also average double figures. Brewer scored 20 points and was the late-game hero in the regular-season finale against Akron, although Jackson led all scorers with 22 points.

The Golden Flashes pulled out the last meeting between these two teams -- barely -- but the Zips could be primed for some payback. They are playing well at the moment, and momentum is king in tournament play.