Kent State University
1-0
Ohio Northern University
0-0
Jackson leads 84-48 opening win over Ohio Northern
11/8/2013 9:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
KENT, Ohio – Derek Jackson scored 18 points in his Kent State debut and the Golden Flashes rolled to an 84-48 season-opening win over Ohio Northern on Friday night at the M.A.C. Center.
The Flashes broke the game open with a run midway through the first quarter that was ignited by a steal and dunk by Jackson. The transfer from Central Michigan connected on 6-of-7 from the field, scoring most of his baskets off of his four steals on the other end of the floor.
"I felt good in my first game after taking a year off," said Jackson, who sat out last season under Division I transfer rules. "Kent State welcomed me into its family and I feel really comfortable here. I always want to think defense first, playing the passing lanes and making people drive where they don't want to drive. That's what I try to do."
Backup point guard Kellon Thomas said Jackson, "fits our team perfectly. He is a big piece to what we were missing. He does exactly what we need him to do, guarding the best player on the other team and bringing a lot of energy."
The Flashes showed off their depth and versatility at the guard position as the starting backcourt of Jackson and Kris Brewer combined for 25 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 steals. Thomas added seven points, including a 3-pointer just before the first-half buzzer to give Kent State a 41-20 lead at the break.
Mark Henniger, Chris Ortiz, Khaliq Spicer and Marquiez Lawrence added six points each for the Flashes, who saw 12 of the 13 players in uniform reach the scoring column. Led by 8 rebounds from Brewer and six each by Goodson and Spicer, the Flashes controlled the battle of the boards 47-35.
The only disappointment for Kent State may have come from the three-point arc, where the Flashes made just one of their first 14 threes and 4-of-19 overall.
Division III Ohio Northern shot just 29-percent from the field (15-for-51) against a Kent State defense that also came up with 15 steals. Hounded all night by Jackson, the Polar Bears' leading scorer from last season, Branden Rushton, managed just six points on 3-of-9 shooting. Dominique Royal and Joey Hurless led Ohio Northern with 9 and 8 points, respectively.
Kent State plays at Temple on Monday as part of the ESPN Tip-Off Marathon. After continuing the road trip with a game at Seton Hall on Wednesday, the Flashes return to Kent for the start of a seven-game homestand Nov. 17 against Saint Peters.
"It was nice to play somebody else in front of some people," said Kent State head coach Rob Senderoff. "Obviously, Ohio Northern is a Division III school so they may not have the athletes that we have, but we needed to play a game like this to get us prepared for the stretch ahead.
"The one thing that we can take from this game is that we need to keep playing this hard. Everyone who stepped on the floor competed at a high level. That's what we expect."
