Akron holds off Western Michigan 66-64 to advance to MAC title game

Akron beats Western Michigan 66-64 in MAC semis

CLEVELAND — Chris McKnight scored on a putback with 6.8 seconds left and defending champion Akron survived one last shot by Western Michigan’s David Kool for a 66-64 win Friday night to advance to the final of the Mid-American Conference tournament.

McKnight grabbed a miss by Steve McNees underneath and scored to put the Zips (24-9) ahead. Kool, who finished with a career-high 39 points, then missed a potential game-tying jumper just before the horn.

Akron, which needed double overtime to get past Eastern Michigan in the quarterfinals, will be making its fourth consecutive trip to the final.

Kool, the conference player of the year, went 12 of 21, made five 3-pointers and didn’t miss any of his 10 free throws for the Broncos (18-15). He scored 23 of Western Michigan’s 33 points in the second half.