Kent State University
Miami University (OH)
Men’s Basketball Returns Home to Battle Miami Saturday Night
2/6/2015 4:52:00 PM | Men's Basketball
KENT, Ohio – The Kent State men's basketball team will go for its 10th home victory of the season against Miami (8-14, 3-6) Saturday night at the M.A.C. Center. Tip is set for 7 p.m.
The Flashes came up just short of overcoming the absence of redshirt sophomore Jimmy Hall at defending MAC Tournament champion Western Michigan on Wednesday and dropped a 67-66 heartbreaker in Kalamazoo. Despite leading for almost the entire second half of the contest, Kent State failed to make one final defensive stop and WMU's Connar Tava scored the game-winner on a drive to the basket with 9.0 on the clock. Senior guards Derek Jackson and Devareaux Manley and rose to the occasion and carried team on the offensive end. The duo combined to make 10 of the team-s season-high 13 three-pointers. Jackson totaled five rebounds, three assists and two steals to go with a season-high 20 points while Manley pumped in 18 points despite being limited to 25 minutes due to early foul trouble.
Stingy defense has been responsible for the Flashes' success in the first few months of the season. Kent State is allowing just 60.9 points per game, which ranks 58th in the country and holding opponents to 40.9 percent shooting overall. Only eight teams have managed to score more than 61 points and nine have shot better than 40 percent from the field against the Flashes this season.
Seniors Devareaux Manley, Kris Brewer and Derek Jackson provide the Flashes with one of the most experienced and talented backcourts in the MAC. Manley (12.2 ppg) is an elite shooter who is 17th in the country in 3-pointers per game (3.09) and 32nd in 3-point percentage (.425). Brewer (10.7 ppg), who has accepted his sixth man role, scored the 1,000th point of his Kent State career on Wednesday. Jackson (9.9 ppg) has moved into the starting point guard role and ranks 14th in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.04) and is second in the MAC in steals per game (2.0). The trio has made 132 three-point field goals.
Juniors Chris Ortiz (5.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg) and Khaliq Spicer (5.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg) have solidified spots in the starting lineup. Ortiz game up just short of a double-double in the MAC opener vs. Bowling Green with 8 points and a career-high 10 rebounds and poured in a career-high 19 points vs. Eastern Michigan. Spicer has emerged as a rim protector and is averaging 2.2 blocks per game in league play. Junior Gary Akbar returned to the starting lineup against Western Michigan and posted career marks with 25 minutes played and 7 points. Freshman Raasean Davis has taken advantage of increased playing time by scoring 10 points in just 14 minutes of action the past two games.
Scouting Miami
Miami (8-14, 3-6) is also coming off a heartbreaking loss in the final seconds after leading most of the second half. The 69-67 home loss to Northern Illinois prevented the RedHawks from earning a season sweep of the Huskies.
The RedHawks average 66.1 points per game while allowing opponents to score 70.2 points per game, both of which rank near the bottom of the conference. Although Miami shoots a respectable 44.7 percent from the field, it is among the nation's worst teams on the offensive glass (7.9 offensive rebounds per game). The RedHawks do a good job of applying defensive pressure and average 7.8 steals per game, which ranks 42 in the country.
Guard Eric Washington, a transfer from Presbyterian, has been a big addition for Miami this season. Washington is the RedHawks' leading scorer at 13.7 points per game and is second in the MAC with 5.5 assists per game and 103 free throws made. Guards Will Sullivan (10.6 ppg) and Geovonie McKnight (10.3 ppg) join Washington to give Miami three double-digit scorers on the perimeter. Sullivan is also the RedHawks' top rebounder (4.2 rpg) and one of the MAC's top three-point marksman (51 3FGs, .472). The frontcourt has received a boost from 6-foot-8 freshman Logan McLane, who has averaged 10.8 point and 5.5 rebounds over the last four games.
Quick Flashes
• Senior Kris Brewer surpassed the 1,000-point milestone Wednesday night vs. Western Michigan. Brewer is currently tied with former All-American Al Fisher for 29th on Kent State's scoring list.
• Kent State made a season-high 13 three-point field goals Wednesday vs. Western Michigan. Senior Devareaux Manley shot 6-for-10 while redshirt senior Derek Jackson shot 5-for-10 from the three-point line.
• Kent State has allowed the 12th-fewest three-point field goals in the nation (100) this season.
• The Flashes are 9-0 when holding opponents to less than 25 percent shooting from the three-point line.
• Head coach Rob Senderoff needs one win to move into a tie for fifth on Kent State's all-time wins list (74).
• The Golden Flashes are outscoring opponents by an average score of 33.5-31.0 in the second half.
• Kent State is getting 20.0 points per game from its bench compared to just 13.7 points per game for its opponents' bench.
• Kent State has held opponents to 65 points or fewer in all 15 games it has won this season.
• Redshirt sophomore Jimmy Hall, a transfer from Hofstra, has scored in double-figures in 18 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.
Series History
• Kent State owns a 47-88 record all-time vs. Miami.
• The series dates back to the 1948-49 season when Kent State came away with a 70-55 victory in Kent.
• The Golden Flashes have won 20 of the last 32 matchups going back to 2000.
• The Flashes are 28-36 all-time against the RedHawks at home.
• The Flashes and RedHawks have played an extra session on six occasions with the Flashes winning just two of those overtime periods.
TV / Radio
Ty Linder and Dave Carducci will bring you the action on 640 AM WHLO and the 640 WHLO iHeartRadio channel.
Next Up For Kent State
The Golden Flashes will go back on the road for televised games at Akron and Toledo next week.
