Kent State University
8-5
Fairmont State
5-3
Kent State Escapes A Scare From Fairmont State In A 77-75 Win
12/30/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Box score (.pdf)
KENT, Ohio - A 27-point night by Chris Evans helped Kent State to a 77-75 win and escape a scare from Division II Fairmont State on Sunday night at the M.A.C. Center.
The Golden Flashes watched a 17-point lead with 10 minutes to play shrink to just two in the closing seconds. A three-point bid to win by Fairmont State's Isaac Thornton missed with two seconds remaining and Bryson Pope sealed the win with a rebound just before the buzzer.
"We found a way to win, which is good, and it's much better to be 8-5 right now than 7-6," said Kent State coach Rob Senderoff. "My concern for my team is that we had a 17 point lead with 10 minutes to go in the game … And we had a nine point lead against Arkansas State (last week) and couldn't stretch it. Eventually that's going to come back and bite us. It's just a matter of when."
Kent State built its big lead behind 11-of-22 shooting from beyond the three-point arc in the first 31 minutes. That shooting touch turned ice cold in the last nine minutes as the Golden Flashes missed their last five threes to finish 11-for-27.
Fairmont State built a six-point lead in the game's early minutes before Evans came off the bench to drill four consecutive threes.
"I got started kind of early and it felt like it was going to be a good night for me," said Evans, who connected on 9-of-16 from the field and 6-of-10 from the arc. "I got a lot of open looks. My teammates kept finding me on the wings and I was able to knock down those open shots."
Kris Brewer added 11 points off the bench while Deveraux Manley scored 10 for Kent State in his first start of the season.
Fairmont State was led by Isaiah Hill, who scored 19 points before fouling out late in the game. Point guard Malik Stith was one of five players to score in double figures for the Fighting Falcons, finishing with 10 points. Stith also finished with four assists. His ability to penetrate and kick to wide-open shooters played a big part in Fairmont State's comeback.
After going just 1-of-5 from three-point range in the first half, Fairmont State made six of its 13 threes in the final 20 minutes.
Brendan Cooper and Stevie Browning both added 15 points for the Falcons.
"They made a run, and we knew they would" said Kent State senior Randal Holt, who finished with 10 points. "We had to stay poised and play tough on defense, and answer their run. Chris Evans made some big defensive plays and Bryson Pope got a big rebound. We were able to weather the storm."
Kent State won the rebounding battle 39-29 thanks in large part to Evans, who grabbed nine rebounds to finish just shy of his third double-double of the season.
The Golden Flashes travel to Cleveland State on Jan. 2 in their final non-conference game before opening Mid-American Conference play Jan. 9 at home against Toledo.
