BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Jaylin Walker and Jimmy Hall combined for 35 points Tuesday as the Kent State Golden Flashes downed Bowling Green 74-57.
It was the fifth straight win for Kent State (18-12, 10-7 MAC). Bowling Green (13-11, 7-10 MAC) lost after two wins over the previous week.
The win puts the Flashes in . . .
It was the fifth straight win for Kent State (18-12, 10-7 MAC). Bowling Green (13-11, 7-10 MAC) lost after two wins over the previous week.
The win puts the Flashes in . . .
. . . a five-way tie for second place heading into the final game of the year Friday against Akron. Heading into Friday’s action, the Flashes figure as the MAC tournament’s fifth seed.
"Great team win," said head coach Rob Senderoff. "Another game where we limited our turnovers. Another game, where in the second half, we got consecutive stops and big points to get the lead.
“ I'm really proud of the guys, and glad we were able to make big plays when Jimmy fouled out as well. We had some guys who played a lot of minutes, but everyone gave us good minutes and competed at a really high level."
In addition to his 18 points on 8 of 11 shooting from the field, Hall grabbed 15 rebounds – six on offense. Deon Edwin owned 15 points and seven rebounds.
The Flashes had some rough shooting stretches in the first half, but they fought through to keep pace against the Falcons. Throughout the first 13 minutes of the game, neither team could build more than a one-possession lead.
Bowling Green finally created some breathing room with a 7-0 run, thanks to a hot streak of 3-point shooting.
After BGSU went up 29-23 with 3:29 left in the first half, Kent State ended the period hitting 5-for-7 attempts and it trailed the hosts by a single point at 35-34.
Kent State, which has fueled its recent winning streak with good second half play, continued to shoot well against the Falcons as the second period opened.
Kent State retook the lead almost immediately, and a 10-2 run gave them a 54-46 lead with 12 minutes left.
The eight point advantage would be the largest of the game. Kent State went on a stretch of over seven minutes with just one field goal. Although Bowling Green threatened, it never quite caught up.
After the Falcons closed to 58-57 with five minutes left, Kevin Zabo hit a three and Walker knocked down a pair of baskets, extending KSU’s lead to eight.
Bowling Green again rallied, scoring 10 of the next 13 points to bring the score to 68-67 with 1:22 left. Kent State, however, came up with three straight stops on the defensive end.
The Flashes faced the Falcons and a hostile crowd without Hall in the last two minutes due to fouls. However, the Flashes played through adversity and came up with three straight stops in the final 1:20 of the game.
Two Avery free throws put Kent State in front 70-67. Edwin followed with a steal and two free throw makes with 14 ticks left. Mitch Peterson closed scoring with a dunk at the buzzer.
"The resiliency of the team in the second half has really shown through here over these last five games," noted Senderoff. "We just have to try and continue to do it as we move forward."
Overall, Kent State shot 46.7 percent (28-for-60) from the floor and 37.5 percent (9-for-24) from 3-point range. Bowling Green finished at 43.1 percent (25-for-58) and were held to 5-for-19 from distance. The Flashes committed eight turnovers to Bowling Green's 11.
NEXT:
Bowling Green is at Buffalo Friday (7 p.m. ET)
Kent State hosts rival Akron (9 p.m. ET)
"Great team win," said head coach Rob Senderoff. "Another game where we limited our turnovers. Another game, where in the second half, we got consecutive stops and big points to get the lead.
“ I'm really proud of the guys, and glad we were able to make big plays when Jimmy fouled out as well. We had some guys who played a lot of minutes, but everyone gave us good minutes and competed at a really high level."
In addition to his 18 points on 8 of 11 shooting from the field, Hall grabbed 15 rebounds – six on offense. Deon Edwin owned 15 points and seven rebounds.
The Flashes had some rough shooting stretches in the first half, but they fought through to keep pace against the Falcons. Throughout the first 13 minutes of the game, neither team could build more than a one-possession lead.
Bowling Green finally created some breathing room with a 7-0 run, thanks to a hot streak of 3-point shooting.
After BGSU went up 29-23 with 3:29 left in the first half, Kent State ended the period hitting 5-for-7 attempts and it trailed the hosts by a single point at 35-34.
Kent State, which has fueled its recent winning streak with good second half play, continued to shoot well against the Falcons as the second period opened.
Kent State retook the lead almost immediately, and a 10-2 run gave them a 54-46 lead with 12 minutes left.
The eight point advantage would be the largest of the game. Kent State went on a stretch of over seven minutes with just one field goal. Although Bowling Green threatened, it never quite caught up.
After the Falcons closed to 58-57 with five minutes left, Kevin Zabo hit a three and Walker knocked down a pair of baskets, extending KSU’s lead to eight.
Bowling Green again rallied, scoring 10 of the next 13 points to bring the score to 68-67 with 1:22 left. Kent State, however, came up with three straight stops on the defensive end.
The Flashes faced the Falcons and a hostile crowd without Hall in the last two minutes due to fouls. However, the Flashes played through adversity and came up with three straight stops in the final 1:20 of the game.
Two Avery free throws put Kent State in front 70-67. Edwin followed with a steal and two free throw makes with 14 ticks left. Mitch Peterson closed scoring with a dunk at the buzzer.
"The resiliency of the team in the second half has really shown through here over these last five games," noted Senderoff. "We just have to try and continue to do it as we move forward."
Overall, Kent State shot 46.7 percent (28-for-60) from the floor and 37.5 percent (9-for-24) from 3-point range. Bowling Green finished at 43.1 percent (25-for-58) and were held to 5-for-19 from distance. The Flashes committed eight turnovers to Bowling Green's 11.
NEXT:
Bowling Green is at Buffalo Friday (7 p.m. ET)
Kent State hosts rival Akron (9 p.m. ET)
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