Kent State University
10-5, 1-1MAC
Ball State University
3-10, 0-2MAC
Big second half keys first MAC win
1/11/2014 9:32:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Photo Gallery
KENT, Ohio – Darren Goodson, Kris Brewer and Derek Jackson led a second half surge that ended with Kent State capturing its first Mid-American Conference win of the season 86-74 over Ball State on Saturday at the M.A.C. Center.
After falling behind 39-32 at halftime, the Golden Flashes turned around their fortunes by outscoring the Cardinals 54-35 in the final 20 minutes.
"We needed a win. That goes without saying," said Kent State head coach Rob Senderoff, whose team improved to 10-5 overall and 1-1 in MAC play. "The way we played in the second half was as good as we've played maybe all year. I'm proud of the guys and this is something to build on to continue to get better."
Goodson led the way with a career-high 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting. He also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds in 28 minutes. Brewer added 18 points and Jackson scored 12, shooting a combined 8-for-11 in the second half after a combined 1-for-8 in the first half.
Goodson's big night helped Kent State outscore Ball State 35-15 off of the bench. It was also the payoff for the senior's hard work in recent weeks to break out of a prolonged slump. On Saturday afternoon, Goodson spent time in the gym taking extra shots and running drills with assistant coach Eric Haut.
"Darren has been working extremely hard since Christmas break," said Senderoff. "There is nobody who wants to play well more for the jersey and not for his own name than Darren Goodson. It is great for him to see the reward for all of that hard work."
The Flashes also found important contributions from Chris Ortiz, who chipped in nine points and five rebounds in just 13 minutes, and Melvin Tabb, who scored five points, but played a big role in limiting Ball State center Majok Majok in the game's final 30 minutes.
Majok was a big key to Ball State (3-10, 0-2) taking an early lead that reached 13 points by the 12:31 mark of the first half. He started the game 5-for-5 from the field, but finished with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
"In the second half we did a very good job of making Majok catch the ball further and further away in the paint," said Senderoff. "When he catches the ball at two feet he is a very, very good player."
Kent State still trailed by seven points five minutes into the second half before erupting for a 25-8 run. That stretch included 16 unanswered points highlighted by two old-fashioned three-point plays by Ortiz.
"Ortiz drove the ball hard to the basket in the second half and got fouled, and he had a big steal that set up another three-point play for Kris Brewer," said Senderoff. "Chris is getting better. He works hard and now he is starting to play with more and more confidence.
"I was also very happy with the way Kris Brewer responded in the second half," Senderoff said after his point guard scored 16 points over the final 20 minutes. "I pulled him early in the half because Ball State got a loose ball right in front of him and then he fouled when they had one second on the shot clock. When he came back in he responded the way your point guard, your captain and a leader is supposed to respond. He played great."
After turning the ball over eight times in the first half, the Golden Flashes suffered just one turnover after halftime. The Flashes also upped their shooting percentage from 41.4 percent to 64.3 percent in the second half.
Kent State goes on the road on Wednesday to play Northern Illinois before traveling to Buffalo on Saturday.
