By EVAN MEYER
KENT, OHIO – The Kent State Golden Flashes had little trouble in defeating the Division III Hiram Terriers, 111-55, in the first round of the Gulf Coast Showcase Friday night at the MAC Center.
Kent State improved its record to 3-0 on the young season for the second time in the last three seasons, as it defeated Cleveland State in the season opener at the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament last Saturday and then beat Mississippi Valley State in the home opener on Wednesday night.
“They (Hiram) are a . .
KENT, OHIO – The Kent State Golden Flashes had little trouble in defeating the Division III Hiram Terriers, 111-55, in the first round of the Gulf Coast Showcase Friday night at the MAC Center.
Kent State improved its record to 3-0 on the young season for the second time in the last three seasons, as it defeated Cleveland State in the season opener at the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament last Saturday and then beat Mississippi Valley State in the home opener on Wednesday night.
“They (Hiram) are a . .
. . . really good Division-III program. This is a step up for them and they were overmatched, but they're a good program and well coached," KSU head coach Rob Senderoff said.
"Now we head down to Florida for these three games. These are three good teams that we are going to play. We have to try to know what helped us be successful, and focus on getting prepared for the next game. The game has a way of humbling you. We've got to stay humble and focused and understand we have a tough road ahead."
"Now we head down to Florida for these three games. These are three good teams that we are going to play. We have to try to know what helped us be successful, and focus on getting prepared for the next game. The game has a way of humbling you. We've got to stay humble and focused and understand we have a tough road ahead."
Senior Jimmy Hall led five KSU players in double figures with 22 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore Jaylin Walker and junior transfer Jerrell Deberry each added 13 while freshman Mitch Peterson had 12 with two assists and three assists, and Deon Edwin had 11.
Hiram (1-0) opened its 2016-17 season with a home victory over Saint Vincent College (Pa.) and counted this game against the Flashes as an exhibition game, as they were headed to play at Bluffton on Saturday.
Senior Kyle Deckert was the lone Terrier in double figures with 12 points coming off the bench.
By the rules of the tournament, each of the participating schools would play a home game against a Division III opponent. KSU chose Hiram out of the North Coast Athletic Conference just up the road from campus.
Senderoff said the reason for the selection of the Terriers was he was friendly with their head coach Chris Kibler. In addition, Kibler was an attendee at many basketball camps with Senderoff, and could give his kids a chance to play against a Division I opponent.
The competitive phase of the contest was short and sweet as the Flashes scored 12 of the game’s first 14 points and opened a 28-5 lead at the 10:33 mark on a layup by Hall.
KSU had a 54-24 halftime lead and continued from there. Kent State reached the 100 point mark at the 5:26 mark on a pair of free throws by freshman Alonzo Walker.
Looking through the statistics, The Flashes shot just under 50 percent from the field (38-of-79) and wente 11-of-27 from three-point range. Add to that 22 assists,10 blocked shots, and 14 steals to go with a 58-32 rebound margin.
For the record book, the Golden Flashes scored over 110 points for the first time in over a decade. Their 56-point win margin is the third highest in program history, and the highest since 1998. In addition, they blocked 10 shots, reaching double digits for the first time in program history and pulled down 58 rebounds, the program's best mark in this century.
The tournament now switches to Fort Myers, Florida and a Monday afternoon meeting against the Coyotes of South Dakota out of the Summit League. Their second game will be against either Houston or George Mason on Tuesday.
After a third game on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the Flashes end this four-game road trip in Boston facing the Northeastern Huskies out of the Colonial Athletic Association.
Hiram (1-0) opened its 2016-17 season with a home victory over Saint Vincent College (Pa.) and counted this game against the Flashes as an exhibition game, as they were headed to play at Bluffton on Saturday.
Senior Kyle Deckert was the lone Terrier in double figures with 12 points coming off the bench.
By the rules of the tournament, each of the participating schools would play a home game against a Division III opponent. KSU chose Hiram out of the North Coast Athletic Conference just up the road from campus.
Senderoff said the reason for the selection of the Terriers was he was friendly with their head coach Chris Kibler. In addition, Kibler was an attendee at many basketball camps with Senderoff, and could give his kids a chance to play against a Division I opponent.
The competitive phase of the contest was short and sweet as the Flashes scored 12 of the game’s first 14 points and opened a 28-5 lead at the 10:33 mark on a layup by Hall.
KSU had a 54-24 halftime lead and continued from there. Kent State reached the 100 point mark at the 5:26 mark on a pair of free throws by freshman Alonzo Walker.
Looking through the statistics, The Flashes shot just under 50 percent from the field (38-of-79) and wente 11-of-27 from three-point range. Add to that 22 assists,10 blocked shots, and 14 steals to go with a 58-32 rebound margin.
For the record book, the Golden Flashes scored over 110 points for the first time in over a decade. Their 56-point win margin is the third highest in program history, and the highest since 1998. In addition, they blocked 10 shots, reaching double digits for the first time in program history and pulled down 58 rebounds, the program's best mark in this century.
The tournament now switches to Fort Myers, Florida and a Monday afternoon meeting against the Coyotes of South Dakota out of the Summit League. Their second game will be against either Houston or George Mason on Tuesday.
After a third game on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the Flashes end this four-game road trip in Boston facing the Northeastern Huskies out of the Colonial Athletic Association.
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