Jakeway's Career Effort Beats Ball State, 70-67

KENT, Ohio -- Senior guard Matt Jakeway (Flushing, Mich./Austin Peay State) turned in the top performance of his career at Kent State University, staking the mens basketball team to a 70-67 win against Ball State University at Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center tonight (Jan. 4). Jakeway tallied 16 points, a career-high seven assists and six rebounds, and also added a pair of free throws with eight seconds to play that sealed the victory, and kept the Golden Flashes unbeaten in Mid-American Conference play.

In a back-and-forth game that had six lead changes and five ties in the second half alone, it was senior forward Bryan Bedfords (Racine, Wis./Case) back-door layup off a feed from senior center John Edwards (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) that put the Golden Flashes (8-2, 2-0 MAC) ahead for good. Bedford cut along the right baseline as Edwards flashed to the high post. Edwards pivoted and passed to Bedford, who laid it in off the glass, for a 63-61 Kent State lead.

On Ball States (3-6, 0-1 MAC) ensuing possession, Jakeway drew a charge against Matt McCollum and the Cardinal bench was then called for a technical foul. Senior guard Eric Haut (Lansing, Mich./Walter French Academy) made both of the free throws, which were followed by two free throws by Edwards that put Kent State up by six with 0:53 remaining. Ball State managed to cut the lead to four before Jakeway sealed the win at the line.

Edwards and Haut matched Jakeway with 16 points each, with Edwards grabbing eight rebounds and shooting 6-of-8 from the field. He also added two blocks. Bedford finished with eight points and three assists.

A KSU spurt late in the first half turned a 29-23 deficit into a 36-33 halftime lead. After sophomore forward Clif Brown (Ferndale, Mich./Ferndale) scored on a layup, Haut hit back-to-back three-pointers to put the Flashes up 31-29. Dennis Trammell then hit a three to put Ball State back in front 32-31, but a Jakeway trifecta moved KSU in front 34-32, then after a Ball State free throw, a streaking Jakeway hit Haut in the left corner, whose jumped from behind the backboard went in at the halftime buzzer to cap KSUs 13-4 run.

The Golden Flashes are next in action when they travel to Marshall University, Tuesday, Jan. 6. Game time is 7 p.m.

NOTES: Kent State has now held nine of its 10 opponents this season to less than 70 points in a game... The teams were an identical 22-of-51 (.419) from the field in the contest and each had 34 rebounds... Kent State had 20 assists, while Ball State had 19, and each team recorded seven steals... Ball State missed its first eight shots of the game.

Jakeway's Career Effort Beats Ball State, 70-67

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