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KENT, OH – On an emotional day for Kent State’s (22-8; 12-3) six seniors the Golden Flashes fought off Miami (12-17; 8-7) for a 66-58 victory Saturday night at the M.A.C. Center. In addition to witnessing KSU’s 12th win in the last 13 games, the Blue and Gold faithful were treated to an exciting half time ceremony in which alumnus Antonio Gates had his number retired.
The win, followed by Akron’s (12-3 MAC) 74-68 victory at Bowling Green sets up a winner take all showdown for the Mid-American Conference regular season championship next Friday at Akron. The game will be televised live on ESPN2 at 8:00 p.m. Miami closes at home with Buffalo.
Kent State honored six seniors playing in their final home game before the contest, but it was the post play of sophomore forward Justin Greene that led the way. Greene posted his sixth double-double of the season with 18 points, shooting 9-12, and 11 rebounds. Senior Frank Henry–Ala had a career high 12 points with six rebounds while fellow classmates Chris Singletary and Anthony Simpson added 11 points each. Seniors Mike McKee, Brandon Parks and Tyree Evans were also honored before the game.
“It was a hard game to coach,” said Kent State head coach Geno Ford. “All six of our seniors have had at least 3.0 GPAs or better in multiple semesters and we are winning. You don’t want to see them go because we have had such a fun ride with them.”
After a sluggish 4-18 start from the field, Kent State fell behind 13-10 midway through the opening half. The Golden Flashes turned things around in a hurry and gained a 22-15 advantage when senior Henry-Ala capped off a 12-2 run with a three-pointer at the 6:50 mark. The offensive efficiency would continue for KSU which shot 11-15 from the field in the final 10 minutes and took a 35-26 lead at half time.
Miami fought back in the second half using a 15-6 run and tied the game at 41-41 on a three from Julian Mavunga at the 14 minute mark. Mavunga finished with a team high 17 points. Greene quickly responded with two buckets inside followed by a dunk from Simpson that extended the margin to six just two minutes later. The game then turned into a defensive battle as neither team scored for nearly five minutes.
Henry-Ala finally ended the drought as the KSU margin went to eight (49-41) with seven minutes remaining. Miami crept back to within four around the four minute mark, but Simpson answered with two straight jumpers and later hit a three to push the lead up to nine and put the game away.
Kent State shot 42.4 percent for the game, but committed just four turnovers compared to 12 for the RedHawks. The turnovers were key as the Golden Flashes held a 13-0 advantage in points of turnovers. KSU also dominated the offensive glass with 16 rebounds that led to a 20-7 edge in second chance points.
NOTES: Kent State has won nine of the last 10 games when Justin Greene leads the team in scoring ... Greene’s 11.9 ppg scoring improvement this season (14.1 ppg 2009-10; 3.3 ppg 2008-09) ranks sixth in the nation ... Kent State is 12-0 this season when Anthony Simpson (11 points) scores in double figures ...Kent State has now won 22 straight home games in the month of February ... Geno Ford is 14-2 in February as Kent State’s head coach ... KSU is 34-5 in February the last five seasons ... KSU is 22-2 this year when scoring over 62 points and have won 12 straight ...The four turnovers are the fewest since KSU had four in a 73-62 win vs Ohio on March 3, 2003
Courtesy of KSU Athletics |
