Kent State University
Ohio University
Golden Flashes Look to Take Flight Saturday in MAC East Contest Against Ohio University
1/16/2015 5:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
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KENT, Ohio – Kent State (11-5, 2-1) continues a three-game homestand when it hosts Ohio (5-9, 0-3) in a Mid-American Conference game Saturday night at the M.A.C. Center. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Following a 66-64 setback against Bowling Green to start conference play, the Golden Flashes earned a gritty 67-65 road victory at Northern Illinois last Saturday and followed with a 65-59 win over Eastern Michigan on Wednesday night at the M.A.C. Center. The Flashes did not lead at halftime of either win, but big second half performances proved enough to come out on top. Against the Huskies, senior guard Devareaux Manley made all five of his three-point attempts in scoring all of his team-high 19 points in the second half and senior guard Kris Brewer converted a pair of free throws with 15.1 seconds on the clock to provide the winning points. A 16-3 run in the opening five minutes of the second half helped Kent State quickly erase a 10-point halftime deficit against the Eagles. Redshirt senior guard Derek Jackson set the tone with a steal and layup on the first play of the half to jump start a dominant defensive performance by the Flashes and helped seal the victory by making a contested three-pointer at the end of the shot clock in the final minute.
Improvements on the defensive end have been the key to Kent State's success during the early part of the season. The Flashes are allowing just 60.6 ppg, which ranks 48th in the country and holding opponents to 40.1 percent shooting overall. Only six teams have managed to score more than 61 points and five have shot better than 40 percent from the field against the Flashes this season.
Redshirt sophomore Jimmy Hall played his best game in a Kent State uniform in his MAC debut with a career-high 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting vs. Bowling Green. Hall, a transfer from Hofstra, has provided a boost on the interior and leads the Flashes with 14.8 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game. The Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook Preseason MAC Newcomer of the Year is shooting 51.0 percent from the field and is second in the MAC in offensive rebounding (3.0 per game).
Senior guards Devareaux Manley, Kris Brewer and Derek Jackson lead a talented group of perimeter players. Manley (12.0 ppg) ranks in the top 15 in the country in 3-pointers per game (3.31) and 3-point percentage (.442). Brewer (10.3 ppg) has accepted the sixth man role and become more consistent, scoring at least eight points in all but two games this season while making game-winning free throws on two occasions. Jackson (9.7 ppg) has moved into the starting point guard role and ranks third in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.00) and leads the MAC in steals per game (2.0). The trio is shooting 40.4 percent (97-for-240) from the three-point line.
Scouting Ohio
Ohio is one of two MAC teams still seeking their first conference win of the season. Led by first-year head coach Saul Phillips, the Bobcats have won just two of their last eight games and are 0-3 in true road games.
Guard Javarez Willis (15.1 ppg) and forward Maurice Ndour (14.6 ppg) form one of the MAC's top scoring tandems. Willis ranks third in the MAC in three-pointer per game (2.77) and averages a team-best 3.4 assists per game. Ndour, a preseason All-MAC East selection, is second in the conference in rebounding (8.4 rpg), blocks (2.2 bpg) and double-doubles (6).
Guard Ryan Taylor (10.3 ppg) and forward Antonio Campbell (10.1 ppg) also average in double-figures. Campbell 7.1 rebounds per game.
Quick Flashes
• Head coach Rob Senderoff needs two wins to move into a tie for sixth on Kent State's all-time wins list (71).
• Kent State ranks 33rd the nation in 3-point shooting vs. Division I opponents (.388).
• The Golden Flashes are outscoring opponents by an average score of 32.5-29.8 in the second half.
• Kent State is getting 21.4 points per game from its bench compared to just 12.6 points per game for its opponents' bench.
• Redshirt senior Derek Jackson is the only player in the nation with a 4.00 assist-to-turnover ration and averaging 2.00 steals per game.
• Redshirt sophomore Jimmy Hall, a transfer from Hofstra, has scored in double-figures in 14 games this season. Hall became the first player to score in double-figures in his first eight games in a Kent State uniform since Jay Peters, who scored in double-figures in the first 12 games of the 1986-87 season.
• Hall a transfer from Hofstra, was named Preseason MAC Newcomer of the Year by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.
• Senior guard Kris Brewer was selected by a MAC Media Panel to the five-player Preseason All-MAC East Team. Brewer was an All-MAC honorable mention selection last season.
• Hall a transfer from Hofstra, was named Preseason MAC Newcomer of the Year by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook.
Series HistoryÂ
• Kent State owns a 45-92 record all-time vs. Ohio.
• The series dates back to the 1930-31 season and a 23-21 Ohio win in Kent.
• Kent State is 30-36 as the home team in the series with its last win coming on Feb. 29, 2012 (68-61).
• Eight of the last 11 matchups have been determined by 7 points or fewer.
• Kent State is just 2-9 in games that have gone to overtime.
TV / Radio
Ty Linder and Dave Carducci will bring you the action on 640 AM WHLO and the 640 WHLO iHeartRadio channel.Â
Next Up For Kent State
The Golden Flashes conclude their homestand against Toledo on Wednesday, January 21.Â
