Kent State University
University at Buffalo
Golden Flashes Look to Split Season Series with Bulls Tuesday on TWC SportsChannel
2/23/2016 1:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Game Notes    Video       Live Stats        Audio
Head coach Rob Senderoff looks for his 100th career victory as Kent State (18-9, 9-5 MAC) travels to Buffalo (15-12, 8-6 MAC) for a key Mid-American Conference matchup Tuesday night at 6 p.m. The game will be televised on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel.
The Golden Flashes are coming off an impressive 85-76 victory over rival Akron on Friday night that pulled them within a game of the first-place Zips in the MAC standings. Kellon Thomas made his first seven field goals for 16 first-half points to help Kent State lead by 10 at halftime. Akron tied the game 61-61 with 7:06 to play, but the Flashes answered with an 8-0 run and never let the lead under 5 the rest of the way. Thomas and Khaliq Spicer led the way with 22 points apiece. Jimmy Hall scored 17 points and Galal Cancer added a career-high 10 rebounds and 4 steals.
The frontcourt of Jimmy Hall (16.2 ppg, 7.7 rpg), Khaliq Spicer (7.8 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and Chris Ortiz (7.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg) has helped Kent State control play around the basket. The Flashes own a +3.9 rebounding advantage while outscoring opponents 34.6-27.5 in the paint and 12.6-9.3 on second chance opportunities.
The Golden Flashes' backcourt is led by Kellon Thomas, who has played well in his return to the court after being sidelined for all but eight games during the 2014-15 season and is averaging a career-high 12.5 points per game. Deon Edwin (6.0 ppg) and Galal Cancer (5.6 ppg) have stepped up their scoring in recent games in the absence of Xavier Pollard (12.2 ppg) and Jaylin Walker (7.8 ppg).
Scouting Buffalo
Buffalo snapped a four-game ski with an 88-74 victory over Bowling Green on Saturday to improve to 9-4 at Alumni Arena. The Bulls average 76.4 points per game and allow opponents to score 74.7 points per game. An aggressive defensive team, Buffalo averages 7.4 steals per game, third-best in the MAC. Offensively, the Bulls look to get to the basket and rank in the top 25 nationally in free throws made (701) and free throws attempted (1,042). They turn the ball over 14.0 times per game, which ranks 290th in the country.
Lamonte Bearden (13.6 ppg, 3.6 apg) is one of four Bulls scoring in double-digits. Blake Hamilton (12.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg), C.J. Massinburg (11.3 ppg) and Willie Conner (11.0 ppg) provide Buffalo with a balanced offense.
Series History
• Kent State owns a 29-13 record all-time vs. Buffalo.
• Kent State won the first nine matchups between the schools, which is the longest winning steak in the series. Buffalo's first victory over the Flashes came on January 9, 2002 in Buffalo.
• Buffalo has won the past five matchups to snap a four-game winning streak by the Golden Flashes.
• Kent State is just 10-9 in visits to Alumni Arena. The last road victory in the series for the Flashes was January 16, 2013, 80-68.Â
• Head coach Rob Senderoff is 4-6 vs. Buffalo.
• On four occasions, the schools have needed an overtime period to decide a winner with Kent State coming away victorious each time. Most recently, Chris Evans banked in a shot at the buzzer for an 83-81 Flashes victory on February 27, 2013.     Â
FLASHback to Last Meeting
• Kent State saw its late rally from a double-digit deficit come up short in a 76-67 loss to the University at Buffalo at the M.A.C. Center on January 8, 2016.
• Kent State struggled at the beginning of both halves, falling behind by double-digits each time. The Flashes were able to erase a 12-point deficit to tie the game at 34-34 heading into the locker room at halftime, but were unable to repeat that performance in the second half.
• Buffalo led 18-6 just seven minutes into the contest on 7-for-8 shooting, including 4-for-4 from the three-point arc. Meanwhile, Kent State made just one of its first 10 shots to open the game. The Flashes fought back to take a 23-21 lead following consecutive baskets by Jaylin Walker to cap a 17-3 run at the 5:35 mark before the half.
• The lead was brief and a layup by Jimmy Hall in the closing seconds tied the game after 20 minutes.
• After the break, the Flashes struggled to go just 1-of-8 from the field in the opening six minutes to fall behind by 10 points, which was too large of a deficit to overcome on just 33-percent (10-for-30) shooting in the second half.
• Although the Flashes' defense allowed Buffalo to better than 50-percent in each half and 24-for-46 (52.2%) overall, it did force the Bulls into 20 turnovers.
• Xavier Pollard scored 21 points to lead Kent State to a 32-15 edge in bench scoring. Pollard provided good energy for the Flashes and did an excellent job of driving into the lane to also lead the team with two assists and seven free throw attempts.
• Hall added 10 points and 7 rebounds.
• Buffalo's Willie Conner and Lamonte Bearden combined for a 12-for-14 shooting performance from the field and 43 points. Conner also made 10 of 11 free throw attempts, while Bearden stuffed the statsheet with 21 points, 8 assists, 5 steals and 5 turnovers.                                               Â
TV/Radio
Ben Wagner and Mike MacDonald will have the call on TimeWarner Cable SportsChannel, while Ty Linder and David Carducci will bring you the action on the Golden Flashes iHeartRadio channel and 640 WHLO.
Next Up For Kent State
The Golden Flashes go back on the road for to play Miami on Saturday, February 27.
