With the win, the Flashes improve to 3-1 on the season, while the Braves fell to 1-3.
"It was a great team win for us for sure," said head coach Rob Senderoff. " I thought in a two-day span we responded well to how we played Friday night and played really well for 40-minutes on both sides of the floor."
It was a career-setting night for Williamson as he shot 6-of-8 from the floor (75 percent) and 3-of-4 (75 percent) from long range. Williamson dished out three assists and had three takeaways.
Avery led the team with a game and season-high six assists, something the Flashes struggled with last game. For the game, the Flashes ended with 17 assists, 12 of them in the first half.
"We may have not set a record, but we at least tied a record with no assist in the first half last game," said Senderoff. "We made a huge effort tonight for the guys to share the ball and make that extra pass and tonight we did a good job of that. Avery did a great job tonight on doing that. For someone who has been scoring as much as he has and to pass up some good shots to get other guys going is the type of leader he is."
Kent State started the game fast jumping out to an early 12-4 lead after a 7-4 run. During the run, a kick-out pass from Avery set up Williamson for a wide open 3-pointer. Alcorn State went on a 7-0 run of its own that trimmed the Flashes lead to 12-11.
The Flashes' defense had a great stand and held the Braves offense scoreless for over eight minutes of play that allowed Kent State to go on a 20-3 run that put them ahead 34-14. With a minute to play, a 3-pointer from Kain Harris sent Kent State into the locker room with a comfortable 41-24 lead.
In the first half, Kent State shot 17-of-31 (54.8 percent) from the field and went 5-of-12 (41.7 percent) from long-range. The Flashes' perimeter defense held Alcorn State to 37.5 percent (3-of-8 from beyond the arc.
KSU won the battle of the boards with 15 rebounds to the Braves' 12. Kent State also dominated the half in second-chance points, scoring 12 to Alcorn State's 0. With a team that struggled to have one assist in the first half in the previous game against Liberty, the Flashes ended the opening half with 12 total assists.
The baskets continued falling in the second half as the Flashes opened with a 3-pointer from Avery. A steal in transition by Williamson set him up for a thunderous dunk extending Kent State's lead to 46-26.
At the 15 minute mark, the Flashes hit back-to-back 3-pointers from Avery and Mitch Peterson that highlighted Kent State's 13-3 run. With 15 assists on 22 baskets, the Flashes built a 54-30 lead over Alcorn State with 12:25 left to play.
The Flashes continued to extend their lead after Williams buried a 3-pointer followed by a jumper from Peterson that put Kent State ahead, 65-36 with 7:46 left to play. The Flashes cruised the rest of the way, eventually winning 79-48.
For the game, Kent State shot 49.2 percent (30-of-61) from the floor and 33.3 percent (9-of-27) from 3-point range. The Flashes were also able to get to the free throw line 16 times and made 10 of those attempts for a 62.6 free throw percentage.
Alcorn State coughed up the ball 22 times allowing the Flashes to score 26 points off turnovers. The Flashes outrebounded the Braves, 34-15, with 10 offensive rebounds.
The Flashes close out their four-game homestand against Savannah State at the M.A.C. Center on Tuesday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m.
(Courtesy of KSU Athletics)