Kent State Begins Cross Divisional Play On Thursday At West Leader Ball State
1/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Complete Notes in .PDF format
The Game
Kent State (12-7; 3-2) begins cross divisional play at West Division leader Ball State (13-5; 5-0) on Thursday looking to stay atop a tight race in the Mid-American Conference East Division. The Golden Flashes began the week tied with three other teams (Miami, Buffalo, Bowling Green) for first in the MAC East.
Sophomore Randal Holt helped lead Kent State to one of its best performances of the season, in a 78-57 win over Miami on Sunday. The Golden Flashes, which hit a season best 11 three-pointers, were just as strong defensively forcing 22 turnovers and swiping 14 steals. Holt, who scored a career high 22 points and hit 6-8 from three, is averaging a team best 13.8 points per game during MAC play where he is shooting 48.1 percent (13-27) from three in the five games. The second year guard also leads the team in plus/minus giving the Golden Flashes a +99 point advantage (+5.2 points per game) over the opposition when he is on the court.
Senior guard Rodriquez Sherman added 14 points in the win as he makes his decent on the 1,000-point plateau. A product of Indianapolis, Sherman has 947 career points heading into Thursday's game in his native state and is also the MAC's active leader with 84 career wins.
At 5-0 Ball State is the only undefeated team in the MAC and had won seven straight before a 50-48 home loss to Morehead State on Monday. The Cardinals are 7-1 at home this season. The team is led by junior forward Jarrod Jones with 15.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.
TV / Radio
WNIR 100.1 FM (Ty Linder)
Next Up For Kent State
Kent State returns home on Sunday, January 30 as the Golden Flashes welcome Toledo for a 2:00 p.m. game that can be seen live in HD on SportsTime Ohio.
Quick Flashes
• Kent State is averaging 23.7 points off turnovers the last three games owning a 71-36 advantage during the stretch.
• Including the MAC Tournament, Kent State has won 17 straight games against MAC West opponents and has swept cross-divisional play each of the past two years.
• The Golden Flashes are averaging 35.5 points per game in the paint the last four games. Kent State has won eight straight and is 10-1 this season when scoring at least 30 points in the paint.
• Averaging 13.8 per game, Kent State is the top offensive rebounding team in the league.
• Kent State is 8-0 this season and has won 19 straight games when scoring 70 or more points.
• Michael Porrini leads the team with 36 steals (1.9 spg) and has already recorded 10 games this season with three or more steals.
Kent State - Ball State Series Notes
• Kent State has won five straight, but Ball State still leads the all-time series 38-34
• The series has been dominated by the home teams. Ball State is 27-8 in Worthen Arena while Kent State is 25-9 at the M.A.C. Center
• Kent State won 76-42 at home last year
• The 34-point win was the largest ever by the Golden Flashes in the series
Recapping Miami (1/23/11)
Kent State 78 - Miami 57
In the first half Kent State forced eight turnovers which led to a 15-0 run during a four-minute stretch that put the Golden Flashes in the lead for good.
Kent State out scored Miami 27-6 in points off turnovers.
Kent State made a season high 11 three-pointers, shooting 48 percent from three.
Randal Holt shot 6-8 from three and ended with a career high 22 points
The 21 point win was the largest over Miami since Feb. 17, 1990 when Kent State won 86-56 at the M.A.C. Center. It is the third largest victory ever by Kent State over Miami.
Put Your Name On It
• Starting the year with a line-up that featured a combination of eight newcomers and one redshirt, the Golden Flashes knew this season would be a continual work in progress. Therefore the team adopted the theme of 'Bring Your Hard Hat' to symbolize the effort of work that needs to be done in order to be successful.
• But the hard hat is not for just anyone on the team. In order to sign your name to the team's hard hat you have to rebound the ball.
• Post players get to sign the hat if they grab at least 10 rebounds in a game and guards get to sign if they grab at least seven rebounds.
• So far this season there are 12 names on the hat.
Justin Greene
6 times
Michael Porrini
3 times
Carlton Guyton
2 times
Eric Gaines
1 times
