Kent State Finishes Italy Tour At 3-1
8/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
An 89-81 loss to Fulgor Omegna on Friday evening closed out Kent State's four-game Italian schedule. The Golden Flashes finish the trip with a 3-1 record.
"We played four games in a six days this week so this was a really good challenge at the end of the trip," said Head Coach Geno Ford. "They had a great atmosphere with a ruckus crowd that was fun to be a part of."
Senior Anthony Simpson posted his best statistical game of the trip recording a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds while adding five steals and three assists. Junior Rodriquez Sherman led the team with 20 points to go along with his seven rebounds and three assists.
Trailing 19-18 at the end of the first period, Kent State built up a 30-23 lead as five different players scored for KSU during the 12-4 run. Omegna would get hot from the outside and would tie the game at 34-34 before back-to-back threes from senior Tyree Evans help give the Golden Flashes a 42-37 advantage at the half. Evans, who hit four threes in the game ended the night with 19 points.
In the second half, Omegna continued to bomb away from the beyond the arc shooting 8-11 from three that helped regain the lead and eventually put the game away. Down 62-56 at the end of the third, Kent State had the opportunity to cut the deficit to just four about half way through the period, but an open three from the corner by Evans was off the mark. The Italian team then buried a three on the end that pushed the margin back to 10 (71-61).
"We didn't guard the three very well and the ones they hit in the second half was the difference in the game," added Ford.
Senior Chris Singletary was also in double figures with 10 points adding four rebounds and three assists. Sophomore Justin Greene had eight points and six rebounds.
"The trip overall was a major positive for our team from a chemistry standpoint," said Ford. "It really continued to emphasize our needed attention to a few areas such as free throw shooting and collective defensive toughness. We will be able to take some major steps forward from the trip."
Mike McKee Diary
Yesterday I really enjoyed our tour through the city of Venice. I could not get over how cool it was that the whole city was set up with the canals instead of streets. The whole city is made of small islands and basically built on water. The alleys and sidewalks we walked down were your pictures Italian scenery. They were small and all the buildings were close together.
There were no cars around. They don't allow them in the city at all, so if you wanted to go anywhere you had to walk or take a boat. It was extremely unique and cool to see something like that.
Later in the afternoon I took a gondola ride through the city. I was hesitant at first because it cost 20 euros, but I'm glad I did it. There is nowhere else in the world that you can have that same experience. There was a lot of scenery and back alleys that we got to see from the gondola that you don't see when you are just walking around.
We learned that the gondolas are just for tourists. From what you see on TV and in the movies, it made me think that they were like taxis and just another form of transportation for the city, but only the tourists ride them.
Just before the ride we went to a glass blowing factory for a demonstration. The guy there made the most intricate glass horse in less than two minutes. It was just unreal. I've never seen anything like it. The glass pieces in the shop we something else as well. Extremely detailed animals, glasses, chandeliers of all shapes and sizes were for sale, but they were all very expensive. We're talking 100s and thousands of euros for some pieces. There was this one horse that stood about three feet tall that went for 100,000 euros. I don't think I'll be purchasing one anytime soon, B.P. (Brandon Parks) promised me one in the future.
Tonight was not our best performance of the trip. They did a lot of things well like passing and shooting and really had us running around on defense. Looking at the whole trip I thought we played three really good games before tonight. Overall the trip brought us together and helped us build chemistry and get a better feel for each other on the court.
We really wanted come over here and win all four games, but it was good to experience some adversity at the end. I think the trip overall will definitely benefit our team this coming season.
The scenery in Lake Como is unlike anything I've ever seen. It is just beautiful with the lake right at the base of the mountain and the houses all through the hillsides. It's pretty spectacular. I'm excited about our boat ride tomorrow because it will give us a chance to see just how big the lake is. It's a great experience being here because you don't get to see sights like this every day back home in Kent.
