Kent State Pulls Away From Toledo For 77-61 Win
1/28/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Golden Flashes win first MAC road game behind career high 23 points from Chris Evans
Box Score (.PDF)
TOLEDO, Ohio – Junior forward Chris Evans (Chesapeake, Va.) and the Golden Flashes defense powered an 11-0 spurt in the opening minutes of the second half to lead Kent State (14-6; 4-3 MAC) to its first Mid-American Conference road win of the season in a 77-61 victory over Toledo (10-11; 2-5 MAC) at Savage Arena on Saturday.
Evans racked up a career high 23 points on 9-10 from the field while adding four steals and three assists all in just 26 minutes of action. Three of Evans' steals came during the three minute stretch at the start of the second half that turned a two-point lead into a 13-point advantage. Kent State forced five consecutive Toledo turnovers during the stretch to fuel the game changing run that included three straight breakaway dunks from senior guard Carlton Guyton (Chicago, Ill.), Evans and junior forward Patrick Jackson (Brooklyn, N.Y.).
Senior guard Michael Porrini (Massillon, Ohio), who had 14 points and eight assists, added a steal and break away lay-up in the run and later knocked down the first of his two three-pointers to give the Golden Flashes a 16-point cushion with 13:44 to play.
When the Rockets started getting to the foul line and closed the gap to 10 with 8:33 remaining, Kent State went inside to senior forward Justin Greene (Brooklyn, N.Y.). Greene answered with two of his 14 points and after another Toledo turnover, one of 19 forced by Kent State, Evans completed a three-point play by grabbing an offensive rebound for a put back and nailing the free throw to end the threat of a comeback.
The Golden Flashes shot over 50 percent for the fourth time in five games and also swiped 13 steals for the game which helped lead to an 18-4 advantage in points off turnovers in the second half. The high-flying Evans, who did have one dunk in the game, did just as much damage from beyond the arc in the first half when he shot 3-3 to help give Kent State a 35-31 lead going into the break.
The Golden Flashes continue the road trip this week when they face Central Michigan at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. The game will be televised on SportsTime Ohio or you can follow the action live on the radio at WNIR 100.1 FM or listen online at www.kentstatesports.com.
Kent State - Toledo Post Game Notes
Team Notes:
• 26 consecutive win over a MAC West Division opponent for Kent State
• The Golden Flashes had a +22 advantage (61-39) advantage in points scored tonight in the 26 minuted Chris Evans was on the floor
• Kent State has shot over 50 percent in four of the last five games
• Kent State improves to 11-2 this season when Randal Holt makes more than one three-pointer in a game (3-7 tonight)
• Kent State is averaging a league best 76.5 points per game in MAC play this season while shooting 49 percent from the field
Individual Notes:
• Chris Evans is averaging 15.6 points and shooting 72.7% (32-44) in the last five games
Kent State - Toledo Post Game Quotes
Kent State Junior Forward Chris Evans
On bringing the team energy from off the bench:
"That's my role when I come in. I try to provide a defensive spark by picking up the whole game and bringing a lot of intensity."
On getting out in transition after a steal for a break away dunk:
"We know that our defense opens up our offense so if we concentrate on defense our offense is going to be there. My teammates (Porrini, Guyton and Holt) do a good job of seeing the floor in transition and it leads to breakaway dunks for everyone. I know if I run the floor they are going to reward me and if I don't then there is no reward."
On the 11-0 run:
"We just wanted to keep pushing and not let up. We tried to keep the intensity at a high level and not let up for one second."
Kent State Coach Rob Senderoff:
On the play of Chris Evans:
"Over the last five games Chris Evans' his mind set is about only caring what he does on the defensive end of the floor and when he does that all these good things are happening for him on the offensive end. With Eric Ganies being out both Chris and Patrick Jackson have been coming in off the bench and giving us a lift defensively the last few games."
On the second half:
"I think the turning point was when we forced the five in a row there at the start. They are a young team and our kids have been there before. Toledo has some new guys and they will be good in time, but tonight our guys just amped up their intensity level and that made a difference in getting those steals and points of turnovers,"
