Spicer Earns Co-MAC East Player of the Week Honors
1/25/2016 8:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Kent State center Khaliq Spicer has been named co-Mid-American Conference East Division Player of the Week, the league office announced on Monday (January 25). Spicer, who averaged 7.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.5 blocked shots per game in two road wins, helped the Golden Flashes dominate play around the basket and set a school record with seven blocks at Ball State on Tuesday.He is the fourth Kent State player to earn the weekly honor from the conference this season.
Spicer's presence at the rim was key to holding opponents to a 39.1-percent field goal percentage for the week. The Golden Flashes owned a +7.0 rebound margin and outscored opponents 66-48 in the paint and 31-12 on second chance opportunities.
With leading scorer Jimmy Hall playing just six minutes due to foul trouble in the second half of Tuesday's contest at Ball State, Spicer took over and recorded six of his record seven rejections in addition to two steals and a career-high three assists in the final 20 minutes. His effort helped the Flashes tie the program record with nine blocks. He finished the game with seven points and eight rebounds.
Spicer grabbed a huge traffic rebound off an intentionally missed free throw attempt with 3.5 on the clock and then sank a free throw that forced Bowling Green to attempt a three-point shot on the final possession of the game on Saturday. He swatted two Falcon shot attempts in the first half as part of a defensive effort that held the host team to 20-percent shooting heading into the locker room at halftime. Spicer totaled seven points on a perfect three-for-three from the field to go with nine rebounds and two blocks.
Kent State is back in action at the M.A.C. Center on Tuesday and brings a four-game winning streak into a 7 p.m. contest against Eastern Michigan. It will be "Game Show Night" with the first 500 students receiving a free t-shirt. Fans can purchase tickets over the phone by calling 330-672-2244, in person by coming to the M.A.C. Center ticket office Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., or online by going to the Tickets page on KentStateSports.com.
