Golden Flashes Open Busy Weekend Thursday Against Western Carolina

Thursday, November 21

Kent, Ohio

7:00 p.m.

Kent State University

Western Carolina University

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Kellon Thomas

Photo by: Nick Cammett

Golden Flashes Open Busy Weekend Thursday Against Western Carolina

11/20/2013 1:23:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes (PDF)

Kent State (3-1) is a subregional host for the 2013 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic and will be hosting three doubleheaders this weekend at the M.A.C. The Golden Flashes open with Western Carolina (3-2) on Thursday in a game that will tip-off 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Niagara-USC Upstate contest slated for 5 p.m.

The Golden Flashes looked comfortable in their return to the M.A.C. Center following a 1-1 road trip that included contests at Temple and Seton Hall. The Flashes used a second half spurt to pull away for a 75-58 victory over Saint Peter's on Sunday. Senior Mark Henniger led all scorers with a career-high 13 points on 5-for-5 shooting. Senior Melvin Tabb added nine points and a team-high five rebounds to help Kent State hold a +18 advantage in points in the paint and +11 on the glass.

Kent State has featured balanced scoring in its first four games, led by guards Kris Brewer, Derek Jackson and Devareaux Manley. The trio has combined for nearly 36 points per game and is shooting better than 44-percent on three-point attempts this season. Senior forward Darren Goodson is averaging 10.5 points while leading the Flashes in rebounding (5.5 rpg) and assists (3.3 apg).

Led by former Ohio University head coach Larry Hunter, Western Carolina defeated Liberty, 68-63, on Saturday. The Catamounts have just one player taller than 6'5" who averages 20 minutes per game on the season. 6'2" redshirt senior guard Trey Sumler leads three players in double-figures at 16.0 points per game. 6'4" sharpshooter Tom Tankelewicz (12.6 ppg) drained four three-pointers on his way to a game-high 23 points on Saturday.

Quick Flashes
• Kent State is a subregional site for the 2013 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic and will host six games over three nights in a doubleheader format. Including the three games as par of the tournament, the Flashes are scheduled to play a record 18 games at the M.A.C Center.
• A balanced scoring attack has been key to the Flashes' early success with at least 10 players score in each of its first four games this season.
• The Flashes are getting huge bench contributions and have received 21 or more points from their reserves in each game. They are outscoring the opposing bench by an average of 26.2-15.2.
• KSU has dominated play around the basket, averaging 34.5 ppg in the paint .
• The Flashes have done an excellent job valuing the ball, committing just 8.5 giveaways per game. Since turning it over 11 times in the opener, KSU has not had more than eight turnovers in a game.

TV / Radio
640 AM / Golden Flashes iHeartRadio: Ty Linder (play-by-play) and Dave Carducci (color analyst)

Next Up For Kent State
The Golden Flashes are back at the M.A.C Center Friday against USC Upstate in the second of three games as part of this weekend's Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. Tip-off will be at approximately 7:00 p.m.