Kent State Dunks Morehead State 83-63
12/1/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Box Score in .PDF
Manns & Holt combine for 35 points to lead the Golden Flashes
KENT, Ohio – A little motivation from the bench can go a long way. In their second consecutive game out of the starting line-up senior Justin Manns (Winston-Salem, N.C.) and junior Randal Holt (Cleveland, Ohio) combined for 35 points as Kent State (4-1) defeated Morehead State (3-5) 83-63 on Thursday night at the M.A.C. Center.
Manns accounted for a career high 18 points and seven rebounds while shooting 7-9 from the field. The 6'11" center did the bulk of his damage on top of the rim throwing down five dunks, including a stretch of three consecutive alley-oops in the second half that brought the Golden Flashes' faithful to their feet. When the basket was not rattling from a Manns dunk, Holt was cutting the cords cleanly from beyond the arc. The 6'1" guard connected on 4-5 from three on his way to a season high 17 points and five assists. Currently the Golden Flashes leading scorer with 12.0 points per game, he is 7-9 from three in the last two games.
Kent State, which led by as many as 11 in the first half, held a 36-28 advantage at halftime after closing the period out with a 12-4 run. The Golden Flashes started pulling away midway through the second half as Holt made a trio of three-pointers during a six minute span. Holt's three-pointers highlighted an 18-9 spurt which gave Kent State a 60-42 lead with 10:12 remaining.
Morehead State scored the next five points and was still down only 13 with eight minutes left before Manns caught an alley-oop on three consecutive Kent State possessions to put the game out of reach.
Led by six assists from senior guard Michael Porrini (Massillon, Ohio), the Golden Flashes assisted on 22 of 28 made field goals. Senior guard Carlton Guyton (Chicago, Ill.) was also in double figures with 11 points.
The Golden Flashes wrap up a three-game week at home on Saturday by hosting UAB at 7:00 pm. For ticket information contact the Kent State Athletics Ticket Office at 330-672-2244.
Kent State - Morehead State Post Game Notes
• Kent State ended the first half on a 12-4 run after Morehead State tied the game the game at 24-24 with 4:24 left
• The 28 first half points by Morehead State were the fewest allowed in the first half by Kent State this season
• Kent State assisted on 22 of 28 field goals. The 22 assists are the most by the Golden Flashes since an 89-54 win over Buffalo (Jan. 20, 2010)
• Kent State's bench had a 50-27 advantage in points scored (35 combined from Manns and Holt)
• The 50 bench points are the most since the Buffalo game on Jan. 20, 2010.
• Kent State is averaging 41.8 points per game in the second half this season (47 tonight). Kent State has out scored their opponent in the second half in all five games this season
• Third time this season Kent State has forced more than 20 turnovers (22 tonight). The 22 turnovers led to 29 points for Kent State
• Kent State is forcing 18.6 turnovers per game this season
• Career high 18 points (7-9 field goals) for Justin Manns. Previous career high was 14 vs Urbana (11/23/10)
• The 18 points are also a Kent State individual high this season
• First time in his 41 career games Manns has led the team in scoring
• Randal Holt shot 4-5 from three. Holt is 7-9 from three the last two games. Holt now has 97 career three-pointers
• Kent State had a +18 advantage in points scored during the 29 minutes Randal Holt was on the floor tonight. Holt was on the floor for 70 of Kent State's 83 points
• Justin Greene moved into sixth place on Kent State's career rebounding list. Greene now has 631 career rebounds
Kent State - Morehead State Post Game Quotes
Kent State Junior Guard Randal Holt
On the three straight alley-oops by Justin Manns
"We were just out there having fun, but at the same time just playing hard. Justin Manns is an enforcer down low and if you throw it anywhere by the rim, he's going to go and get it."
On sharing the basketball
"We had a lot of assists tonight. We're definitely playing for each other and looking for a teammate to get going offensively or defensively regardless of who it is. We played for each other tonight."
On not scoring until later in the game
"I was trying to hunt shots down in the first half and I just didn't want to force anything and let the game come to me. Early in the second half, my teammates found me on a couple of possessions and I knocked down the shot. That's just us playing for each other and knowing where I'm going to be at that point of time and shoot with confidence."
Kent State Senior Center Justin Manns
On the alley oops
"I was just so focused in the game, trying to get the lead up. Trying to get the team and the crowd to get momentum up, I really didn't care who was scoring."
On favorite alley-oop
"The second one, the And One, that was my favorite. The crowd really got into it and that boosted the team and that made us play harder."
On not starting
"It's definitely an eye opener for me because, me sitting on the bench and not starting makes me feel like everybody has to come into the game and keep the lead going or get the momentum going. I don't have a problem sitting down and not starting. But when I come in I have to be ready to play."
On Morehead State's turnovers
"We knew that they would turn the ball over a lot. That's what we had to do, was pressure the team. That's what we worked on in practice. That's all we talked about. That's all we're going to do for the rest of the season, just pressure teams and maybe turn the ball over."
Kent State Men's Basketball Coach Rob Senderoff
On Justin Manns:
"I've been waiting for him to play well all year. I'm not expecting him to get 18 points and 7 rebounds every time, but I expected him to play well. It's about time, that's what I told him. To me the best thing he did was instead of shooting a jump shot, like he had been doing, he made a skip pass for an open three. It's a sign of progress. I'm expecting this more often, I expect him to be active every night. He was being aggressive and that's what I want to see."
On UAB and Saturday's game:
"I know their record isn't great, but they have good players. For some reason they're not clicking yet, it's just a matter of time for them. I just hope it's not Saturday they start clicking because that's when we play them. I think our kids will be ready to play."
On the crowd:
"I thought our student section was phenomenal again tonight and they have been all year. I'm hoping they come out again on Saturday."
