Kent State University
6-2
University of Louisiana at Monroe
4-3
Defense Helps Flashes Pull Away From ULM in Second Half
12/10/2015 9:39:00 PM | Men's Basketball
KENT, Ohio – Kellon Thomas and Xavier Pollard both scored 16 points and Kent State pulled away in the second half for a 73-62 win over the University of Louisiana at Monroe on Thursday at the M.A.C. Center in game one of the 2015 Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic.
Building on a career-best 22-point performance on Monday at NJIT, Thomas connected on 3-of-5 from three-point range. And three nights after scoring 15 off of the bench in Newark, Pollard provided a similar lift as KSU's reserve's outscored ULM's bench 30-6. Pollard was 4-for-5 from the field in the second half as the Golden Flashes pulled away.
The biggest key to the win, however, was Kent State's recovery on the defensive end of the floor. ULM shot 53 percent from the field (14-for-26) in the first 20 minutes to take a 35-33 lead into the break. That number dropped to 27 percent (9-for-33) after halftime as the Flashes outscored the Warhawks, 40-27.
"I was very happy with the effort defensively in the second half," said KSU head coach Rob Senderoff, whose Flashes improved to 6-2. "We started the game without a great deal of energy, but we challenged our guys at halftime and they responded."
On a night when forward Jimmy Hall scored just nine points on 3-of-6 shooting, the backcourt picked up the slack. KSU's guards combined for 49 points, including 11 from Jaylin Walker, who was 8-of-8 from the foul line.
ULM head coach Keith Richard was not on the bench due to health reasons and 6-foot-10 forward Majok Deng, the Warhawks' leading scorer and rebounder, spent the night watching from the bench in street clothes. Despite being shorthanded, ULM held the lead after the first 20 minutes of play.
Forward Jamaal Samuel scored nine of his team-high 18 points in the first half behind 3-of-3 shooting. The 6-foot-9 senior's nine second-half points came on just 3-for-11 shooting from the field. Nick Coppola and DeMondre Harvey added 15 and 10 points, respectively.
While they combined for just 14 points, Khaliq Spicer (9 rebounds) and Hall (7 rebounds) helped Kent State to a 39-36 rebounding advantage.
Deon Edwin pulled down four rebounds in 13 minutes off of the Kent State bench. The junior also threw down a breakaway dunk with 4:19 to play to give the Flashes their first double-digit lead of the night at 61-50.
Kent State outscored ULM 13-5 off of turnovers, 14-11 on second-chance points and 10-4 on the fast break. ULM won the battle in the paint, 26-24.
Fans will have their last chance to watch the Flashes at the M.A.C. Center in the month of December on Saturday when Canisius visits in the continuation of the 2015 Continental Tires Las Vegas Classic.
Postgame Press Conference
