 KENT STATE 84, NORTHERN ILLINOIS 77 NEW 1,000 POINT CLUB MEMBER
Sherman entered the game with 990 career points and became the 27th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau with a three-pointer at 5:07 in the first half. In addition to Sherman, junior forward Justin Greene also had a big game with 18 points and eight rebounds as the Golden Flashes had four players in double figures for the second consecutive game.
"This was a huge road win for us," said head coach Geno Ford. "When you are on a four-game road swing like we are, it is really important to get the first one to help lesson the pressure of the other games. The Miami game on (Wednesday) was going to big enough without us worrying about the added pressure of not being able to win on the road. So it was important for us to start this stretch off right."
Junior Justin Manns (seven rebounds, three blocks) gave Kent State an early 16-11 lead with an offensive rebound and put-back at 11:34 as the Golden Flashes held Northern Illinois' leading scorer, Xavier Silas, without a basket the first eight and a half minutes of the game. Silas, the nation's fifth leading scorer at 23.7 points per game, would quickly heat up, however, hitting his next three three-point field goals over the next three minutes to give the Huskies a 24-18 lead at 8:14.
SWITCHING TO A ZONE
Sherman then went to work, scoring seven of Kent State's next 11 points to tie the game at 29-29 with 5:07 left before the break. While the senior guard was dictating the offense, the Golden Flashes went to a 2-3 zone defense that stifled the Huskies holding them to just one field goal the remainder of the half. That helped Kent State build up a 42-33 advantage at the break.
"When we went to the zone, our post guys did a great job of forcing them to take tough shots inside," said Ford.
In the second half, the Golden Flashes added to the lead, eventually going ahead 51-37 three-minutes into the period after an old fashioned three-point play from Sherman. Carlton Guyton later made it a 17-point (66-49) advantage for Kent State at 11:44 with three of his 14 points.
SILAS HAS BIG NIGHT
Silas, who finished the night with 34 points on 11-20 from the field, started to get hot again for Northern Illinois (7-16; 3-8), which closed to within eight on a pair of free throws with 7:45 remaining.
In the next three minutes, Kent State answered inside with Greene, who had six points in the stretch. The Flashes also got a couple key offensive rebounds from freshmen Eric Gaines and Mark Henniger to help push the lead back to 12.
WINNING IN CLOSE
"When we win the battle of 5-feet and in, our offense flows a lot better and we are tough to beat," said Ford, whose team had a 30-20 edge in points scored in the paint. "We didn't dominate the inside but we were able to score it on top of the rim a few times and got a couple of key stops when we were making our run."
In the closing minute, the Huskies pulled to within six before the Golden Flashes put the game away at the foul line.
The victory marked the 22nd consecutive win over a MAC West Division opposition for Kent State, which shot 50.0 percent (27-54) from the field for the second consecutive game. Also in double figures was sophomore Randal Holt who added 10 points and equaled a season high with five rebounds.
Kent State continues the four-game road swing on Wednesday, February 16 at Miami. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Northern Illinois hosts Western Michigan Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET.
Courtesy of Kent State Athletics
NOTES:
• Kent State has now won 22 straight games against MAC West opponents.
• Kent State is February and is 37-5 in the month the past six years
• Kent State has won 13 straight and is 15-1 this season when scoring at least 30 points in the paint (30 tonight)
• The Golden Flashes have won 10 straight and 14 of the last 15 games against Northern Illinois
• Sherman now has 1,015 points tying him for 23rd all-time at Kent State with Fred Klaisner (1946-50)
• Greene has grabbed at least eight rebounds in each of the last six games. He ranks third in the MAC with 7.7 rebounds.
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