BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – In what has become a recurring theme, Kent State (21-8; 11-3) pulled off another second half comeback to earn a 75-69 win over host Bowling Green (14-13; 6-8) on Wednesday night at Anderson Arena.
The Golden Flashes, who shot 75 percent (15-20) in the second half, have now won 11 of their last 12 games and clinched a first round bye in the Mid-American Conference Tournament in two weeks.
Sophomore forward Justin Greene posted his second straight 20-point outing equaling a career high with 26 points on 8-10 from the field and 10-13 from the foul line. Senior guard Chris Singletary was all over the stat sheet again with 12 points, six assists and four steals in just 23 minutes of action due to foul trouble. Senior Tyree Evans was also in double figures with 10 points.
As he as done throughout the 12-game streak, Singletary led the second half charge. With Kent State trailing by 11 (45-34) with 17 minutes left, the MAC Player of the Year candidate took over during a 14-2 run that gave KSU a one-point advantage. In the five minute span, Singletary scored seven points, had three rebounds, made two steals and assisted on the go-ahead basket.
When senior Mike McKee capped the run with a three-pointer the Golden Flashes held their first lead (48-47) since the opening minutes. James Erger answered on the other end to put Bowling Green back up 50-48 before McKee drilled his third, three-pointer of the game to give Kent State a lead it would not relinquish.
“Mike’s threes were huge for us,” said Kent State head coach Geno Ford. “He really showed some senior maturity and stepped up with two big shots when we needed them.”
A long jumper by Evans and an inside basket from senior Brandon Parks quickly pushed the lead up to five (55-50) for KSU with just under nine minutes remaining. The rest of the way, the Golden Flashes would work the ball inside to Greene (13 second half points) and Singletary (10 second half points) before scoring the final eight points from the foul line all in the last two minutes to seal the win.
“In the second half, I thought we were really sharp defensively and we started getting the ball in the middle of their zone which led to some easy baskets for us,” said Ford.
Kent State led 4-0 in the first three minutes, but Bowling Green shot 64 percent (16-15) from the field to take a 38-26 lead at halftime.
The Golden Flashes shot 49 percent for the game, including the 75 percent effort in the second half. Its the fifth time in the last 12 games KSU has shot 65 percent or better after halftime. Kent State also committed just six turnovers compared to 17 for Bowling Green. After the sharp first half, the Falcons were held to just 32 percent (8-25) in the second. Otis Polk led the team with 21 points and nine rebounds.
Kent State will play its final home game of the season Saturday when the Golden Flashes host Miami at 7:00 p.m.
Courtesy of KSU Athletics |
