Kent State University
3-1
Saint Francis University
2-2
Inside game and defense key 79-60 win over Saint Francis (Pa.)
11/24/2015 11:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
KENT, Ohio – Jimmy Hall scored 16 points as Kent State's inside game dominated Saint Francis (Pa.) in a 79-60 victory on Tuesday night at the M.A.C. Center.
The Golden Flashes outscored the Red Flash 44-20 in the paint during a wire-to-wire win that also saw KSU return to form defensively. Saint Francis shot just 37.3 percent from the field, tallying just 5 assists while going 19-for-51 from the field and turning the ball over 13 times.
"We spent a great deal of time on our half-court defense," said Kent State head coach Rob Senderoff, whose Flashes improved to 3-1. "I thought this was the best intensity we have shown on the defensive end this season. We played well in the first half, but then really turned up the intensity coming out of halftime to extend our lead."
After allowing big offensive nights to guards from Southern Illinois and Marist in their last two games, the Flashes watched Saint Francis guard Greg Brown tally 16 points in the game's first 20 minutes as KSU took a 39-28 lead into the break. But in the second half, Brown shot just 1-for-3 from the field in finishing with a team-high 21 points.
By the 10:43 mark of the second half, KSU enjoyed its largest lead at 25 points.
Playing just 26 minutes, Hall built on Saturday's turnaround game against Marist, nearly notching another double-double with nine rebounds to go along with 16 points. Hall also finished with four assists as the inside-out game helped KSU make five of its first 11 three-pointers. The Flashes missed their last seven from the arc, but that string arrived in the final minutes after the victory was already secured.
Xavier Pollard added 11 points off the bench as Kent State's reserves outscored the Red Flash backups 31-10. The senior guard's final line included 4-of-5 shooting from the field (2-of-2 from three-point range), two rebounds and three assists. As a team, the Flashes finished with 15 assists against just five turnovers.
Chris Ortiz scored nine points in his first non-starting assignment while freshman Jaylin Walker contributed nine points – all in the second half - in his first college start. Khaliq Spicer contributed eight points, five rebounds and three blocked shots in just 18 minutes.
Saint Francis' leading scorer, Ben Millaud-Meunier, scored just four points – 14 below his average – while going 0-for-5 from the field. The Red Flash (2-2) didn't get much help from a bench that shot 3-for-15.
Kent State goes on the road on Saturday to face Pittsburgh in a 4 p.m. tip-off at the Petersen Events Center.
Postgame Press Conference
