Leading the Bobcats was sophomore guard Mark Sears. who scored 28 points, went 9-of-15 from the field, 9-of-10 from the line, grabbed six rebounds and dished out three assists. It was Sears' fifth-straight game of 20-plus points.
Vander Plas added 20, hitting a career-high six made threes, grabbing six boards, and dishing out a team-high five assists. Junior forward Ben Roderick added 13 points, five rebounds and two assists, while fifth-year forward Jason Carter added 10 points, eight rebounds and two steals.
Overall, Ohio shot 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three and were 20-of-23 from the line, while Kent State shot 38.5 percent from the field, 23.5 percent from three and were 18-of-23 from the line, Kent State outrebounded the Bobcats, 34-33, while Ohio dished out 11 assists to their nine.
Sincere Carry paced KSU, scoring 26 points and grabbing six rebounds, while Malique Jacobs added 16 points and eight boards.
Out of the timeout, Kent State cut the Ohio lead to nine, but six points from Sears helped increase the Ohio lead to
Ohio moved in front early and built up an 11-point lead with 8:22 left in the half.
After the Bobcats went up 18, the Flashes finished the half on a 5-2 run to cut the Ohio lead to 41-26 going into halftime.
Sears scored seven straight Bobcats points, including a three, helping put Ohio up 61-50 with 8:01 remaining in the game. However, Kent State was able to chip away, and a 9-0 Flashes run cut the Ohio lead to five with 4:37 remaining in the game. After Kent State drained another three, cutting the lead to two, Sears responded with a layup, giving Ohio a four-point cushion going into the final media timeout.
Out of the timeout, Kent State once again cut the lead to two with two made free throws, however, on the next possession, Roderick drained another clutch late-game three to give the Bobcats a five-point lead. Moments later, Carter registered a block on the defensive end and immediately turned it into two points, putting Ohio up 70-63 and help seal the game.
Down the stretch, the Flashes were never able to get closer than five points, with Ohio hitting 10 free throws to secure the 80-72 victory.