Men's Basketball Defeats Central Michigan 81-72 In MAC Lidlifter
12/1/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Box Score
KENT, Ohio Senior guard Jason Edwin (Road Town, British Virgin Islands/Southeastern [Iowa] C.C.) matched his career-high with 25 points to lead the Kent State University mens basketball team to its fourth straight win, 81-72, against league foe Central Michigan University in the Mid-American Conference opener at the M.A.C. Center tonight (Dec. 1). The game marked the return of junior center Nate Gerwig (Pittsburgh, Pa./Schenley), who played eight minutes after missing all of last season.
Edwin was joined in double figures by junior forward Kevin Warzynski (Mt. Pleasant, S.C./Charleston Southern) with a season-high 20 points and junior guard Jay Youngblood (Detroit, Mich./Southfield/Mott [Mich.] C.C.) with 11 markers for the Golden Flashes (5-2, 1-0 MAC), winners of their last eight conference lidlifters. Kevin Nelson led Central Michigan (2-2, 0-1 MAC) with 23 points.
A 12-3 run late in the first half broke open what was then just a six-point game. A pair of free throws by Warzynski capped the run and put the Golden Flashes up 15, 38-23, with just over two minutes remaining before intermission. Kent State extended the lead to 16 points before heading into the locker room with a 14-point advantage, 43-29.
Edwin scored 13 points in the opening period while Youngblood added 10.
Kent State kept up the pressure coming out of halftime, using an 11-4 run to start the second half for a commanding 54-33 lead.
The Golden Flashes entered the game shooting 43 percent from the field on the year, connected on a season-high 54.4 (31-of-57) percent against the Chippewas, registering a season-high 22 assists. Edwin hit 10-of-15 (.667) from the floor, including 4-of-6 from three-point range, while Warzysnki, who scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half, was 7-of-9 (.778) from the floor and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line.
Central Michigan connected on five of its first seven three-point attempts in the second half to close within nine points, 61-52. A quick 6-0 spurt, capped by a steal and lay-up by junior guard DeAndre Haynes (Detroit, Mich./Southwestern) put Kent State back up by 15 with 7:17 left.
Central Michigan got within nine points twice in the final three minutes but no closer. Despite shooting 56% in the second half, the Chippewas comeback attempt was hindered by 24 turnovers. Kent State scored 30 points off those CMU turnovers and had a 17-0 edge in fast break points.
Haynes, the MAC leader in assists, had a season-high nine to go along with eight points. Gerwig was playing in his first game since March 19, 2003 because of a knee injury that cost him all of last season and the first six games this year. He hit both his shot attempts and scored five points.
Robert Sevalia came off the bench to score 15 points for Central Michigan which lost to Kent State for the 11th time in the last 13 meetings between the two schools.
Kent State is next in action when it plays at Creighton, Tuesday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m. CT.
GAME NOTES: Edwins first career-high 25-point effort came against Creighton, 2/21/04... Sophomore guard Armon Gates (Country Club Hills, Ill./Brewster (N.H.) Acadmey) has connected on at least on three-point field goal in every game this season... Kent State leads the all-time series with Central Michigan 33-29 and 21-9 in games played in Kent... The winning streak is the longest for Kent State since a seven-game stretch last season... The 81 points by the Golden Flashes matched a season-best... With tonights game, the Golden Flashes close a seven games in 11 days stretch... Kent State had assists on 22 of 31 (71.0%) of its made field goals, registering 20 assists or more for the third straight game.
