AKRON, Ohio -- — Xavier Castaneda scored 24 points as Akron beat Kent State 67-55 on Friday.

Castaneda shot 6 for 14 (5 for 9 from 3-point range) and 7 of 9 from the free throw line for the Zips (17-6, 9-1 Mid-American Conference). Enrique Freeman added 19 points while going 4 of 6 and 10 of 12 from the free throw line, and he also had 17 rebounds and three blocks. Garvin Clarke recorded eight points and finished 3 of 6 from the field. The Zips picked up their eighth straight victory.

Sincere Carry finished with 15 points for the Golden Flashes (18-5, 8-2). Jalen Sullinger added 13 points for Kent State. Malique Jacobs also had 12 points and two steals.

Akron took the lead with 19:50 left in the first half and did not relinquish it. The score was 34-29 at halftime, with Castaneda racking up 10 points. Akron extended its lead to 51-36 during the second half, fueled by a 7-0 scoring run. Castaneda scored a team-high 14 points in the second half as his team closed out the win.

NEXT UP

Both teams next play Tuesday. Akron hosts Toledo while Kent State hosts Bowling Green.

------

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.