Kent State University
Temple University
Kent State Travels to Temple for ESPN Tip-Off Marathon
11/10/2013 7:49:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Game Notes (PDF)
In the first of two nationally-televised games this week, Kent State heads to the Liacouras Center to battle with the Temple Owls for a 7 p.m. matchup Monday on ESPNU. The game will kick off the men's portion the ESPN Tip-Off Marathon, as the Golden Flashes seek to avenge an 80-66 defeat at the hands of the Owls in Kent as part of last year's marathon.
The Golden Flashes face a more difficult task than in their opener against Ohio Northern. The Flashes dismantled the Polar Bears, 84-48, and 12 of 13 players who saw the court registered in the scoring column. Junior Derek Jackson, a transfer from Central Michigan, impressed in his Kent State debut with a game-high 18 points and four steals in just 22 minutes. Senior Darren Goodson joined him in double-figures with 11 and pulled down six rebounds.
Third-year head coach Rob Senderoff stressed defensive improvements throughout the off-season, and his squad was terrific on that end of the floor in the opener. The Flashes allowed fewer than 50 points for the first time since holding Bryant to 49 points Nov. 13, 2010 and held the Polar Bears to 29-percent shooting. Junior Kris Brewer joined Jackson with four steals as the Flashes recorded 15 as a team and sophomore Khaliq Spicer rejected a career-high three shots inside.
Temple opened the season with a 78-73 victory at Penn on Saturday. Guard Dalton Pepper led four Owls in double-figures with 19 points. Guard Will Cummings added 18, while forward Anthony Lee registered a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. The Owls were picked to finish fifth in the newly-formed American Athletic Conference, which features 2013 national champion Louisville.
Quick Flashes
• On Friday, Kent State held its opponent to fewer than 50 points for the first time since defeating Bryant, 90-49, on Nov. 13, 2010.
• The Flashes held its opponent to under .300 shooting for the first time since Ball State shot .279 vs the KSU last season in Muncie (Jan. 12).
• This season, the Flashes will play a record 18 regular season home games.
• Last season, the Flashes set a school record and ranked 9th in Division I by making 597 free throws. The Flashes attempted 842 shots from the charity stripe, which ranked 11th.
• A pair of KSU players received special recognition from Lindy's Sports. In its college basketball preview, Lindy's tagged Devareaux Manley as the best shooter in the MAC and Derek Jackson as the conference's top newcomer.
TV / Radio
ESPNU: Tim Welsh and Adam Amin
640 AM / Golden Flashes iHeartRadio: Dave Wilson and Dave Carducci
Next Up For Kent State
The Golden Flashes play at Seton Hall on Wednesday as part of the Coaches vs Cancer Classic.
