Kent State University
Bowling Green
Men’s Basketball Begins MAC Tournament Against Bowling Green Monday at the M.A.C. Center
3/6/2016 2:22:00 PM | Men's Basketball
2016 MAC Tournament Central Game Notes Video Live Stats Audio
Kent State (19-12, 10-8 MAC) opens the 2016 Mid-American Conference Basketball Tournament Presented by VisitMyrtleBeach.com on Monday, March 7 with a first round game against Bowling Green (14-16, 5-13 MAC). Tipoff at the M.A.C. Center is schedule for 7 p.m.
The Golden Flashes lost to rival Akron, 74-60, in the regular season finale on Friday. Although it did a terrific job of holding the Zips to just 7-of-33 (21.2%) from the 3-point line, Kent State had its own difficulties on offense and shot just 22-of-61 (36.1%). The Flashes committed 15 turnovers and were outscored 21-12 on second chance opportunities. Jimmy Hall led all players with 20 points and 17 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season.
The frontcourt of Jimmy Hall (16.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg), Khaliq Spicer (7.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and Chris Ortiz (7.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg) has helped Kent State control play around the basket. The Flashes own a +3.9 rebounding advantage while outscoring opponents 34.1-27.7 in the paint and 12.9-9.1 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 12.2 points per game. Deon Edwin (6.0 ppg) and Galal Cancer (5.9 ppg) have stepped up their scoring in recent games in the absence of Xavier Pollard (11.6 ppg) and Jaylin Walker (8.4 ppg). Walker returned to action on Saturday after missing the previous nine games and has averaged 14.0 points over the past two games.
Scouting Bowling Green
After a 3-1 start to conference play, Bowling Green has won just two of its last 14 contests. The Falcons are 11th in the MAC in scoring (71.0 ppg) and 7th in scoring defense (72.5 ppg).
Spencer Parker and Zack Denny provide BG with two of the most versatile players in the MAC. Parker leads the Falcons at 14.3 ppg and adds 5.3 rpg and shoots better than 40-percent from the three-point line. Denny (11.2 ppg) leads BG with 6.5 rpg, 51 3-pointers and 41 steals. Wes Alcegaire (10.4 ppg) provides a third- double-digit scorer.
Series History
• Kent State owns a 72-84 record all-time vs. Bowling Green.
• The first meeting between the schools was back on Jan. 23 1917. Fitting for that year, Kent State won the game, 19-17.
• Since the turn of the century, the Golden Flashes own a 23-10 record in the series.
• Kent State is 43-32 as the home team in the series. The Flashes have won eight of the last 10 matchups at the M.A.C. Center.
• Head coach Rob Senderoff is 6-4 vs. Bowling Green.
• Bowling Green holds a 4-1 edge in games that have required an overtime period.
Radio
Ty Linder and David Carducci will bring you the action on the Golden Flashes iHeartRadio channel and 640 WHLO.
Next Up For Kent State
With a win, the Golden Flashes will advance to the quarterfinals of the 2016 MAC Tournament against fourth-seeded Central Michigan on Thursday, March 10.
