Back-to-Back: Golden Flashes Begin Quest for Seventh MAC Title Tuesday at Western Michigan

Tuesday, January 5

Kalamazoo, Mich.

7:00 p.m.

Kent State University

Western Michigan University

Photo by: David Dermer

Back-to-Back: Golden Flashes Begin Quest for Seventh MAC Title Tuesday at Western Michigan

1/5/2016 1:43:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes Video Live Stats Audio

After a successful non-conference season that ended with a 9-4 record, Kent State opens Mid-American Conference play on the road against Western Michigan at 7 p.m. Tuesday night. The Golden Flashes, which begin the conference season on the road for the first time since 2011-12, look to defend the MAC regular season championship that it shared a year ago.

The Flashes are coming off a 104-58 rout of Division III Oberlin on Saturday night at the M.A.C. Center in which all 11 players who saw the court finished with at least two points and one rebound. Jimmy Hall led the way with 18 points on 9-for-11 shooting in only 18 minutes of action. Deon Edwin, Raasean Davis and Jalen Avery all turned in the best performances of their collegiate careers. Edwin (17 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals) and Davis (12 points, 9 rebounds) just missed a double-double and Avery finished with 8 points and six assists. Khaliq Spicer bounced back from a couple of tough games to fill the stat sheet with 8 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 steals in just 19 minutes.

The frontcourt of Jimmy Hall (15.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg), Khaliq Spicer (7.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and Chris Ortiz (7.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg) has helped Kent State control play around the basket. The Flashes own a +6.0 rebounding advantage while outscoring opponents 35.1-25.8 in the paint and 11.8-9.5 on second chance opportunities.

The Golden Flashes' backcourt has stepped up its offensive production over the past month and accounted for almost 60 percent of the team's scoring, as Kellon Thomas (13.7 ppg), Xavier Pollard (12.1 ppg) and Jaylin Walker (10.5 ppg) have all averaged double-figures over the last seven games. Thomas is enjoying the best season of his Kent State career, averaging 12.7 points and 2.5 assists per game after missing all but eight games last season due to injury. Pollard has been terrific in a sixth man role and leads the team in assists (40) and steals (14) while scoring 11.8 points per game. Walker is averaging 7.8 points per game and needs just seven points to become the first Kent State freshman to hit the century mark since Randal Holt during the 2009-10 season. In the Flashes' game against #18 SMU on December 22, Walker turned in the first 20-point performance by a freshman since all-time leading scorer Trevor Huffman dropped 21 against Miami on January 20, 1999. Deon Edwin has played terrific since being inserted into the starting lineup, averaging 11.5 points, 9 rebounds and 3.5 steals over the last two games.

Scouting Western Michigan
Western Michigan is coming off a 76-72 win over Jacksonville on Saturday and finished the non-conference season as one of two MAC schools with a losing record at 6-7. The Broncos are 5-1 at home with the lone loss coming in overtime to IPFW. but Akron handed them a 71-69 loss in their last home contest. Head coach Steve Hawkins' team is fourth in the MAC in scoring (72.9 ppg) but allows the third-most points in the conference (69.4 ppg).

As a result of All-MAC forward Connar Tava being sidelined with an injury, the Broncos' offense has relied heavily on junior wing Tucker Haymond (17.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg) and sophomore point guard Thomas Wilder (16.1 ppg, 3.3 apg). The second-leading scoring duo in the MAC, they rank third and fifth, respectively, in the conference in scoring.

Forward Kellen McCormick (8.3 ppg) is Western Michigan's top perimeter shooter with 27 three-point field goals and a 52.1-percent three-point percentage. Center Drake LaMont (7.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg) and Anthony Avery, Jr. (7.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg) provide an inside presence for the Broncos.

Series History
• Kent State owns a 59-56 record all-time vs. Western Michigan.
• Western Michigan has won the matchup each of the past three seasons following seven consecutive Kent State victories in the series.
• The Broncos are 37-19 as the home team. The Golden Flashes are 4-4 in Kalamazoo since 2000 with their last win coming on Feb. 11, 2011.
• Head coach Rob Senderoff is 2-3 vs. Western Michigan.
• The teams have split the six contests that have needed overtime, with Kent State winning the most recent at the M.A.C. Center on Feb. 4, 2012.

FLASHback to Last Meeting
• Playing in its first game without All-MAC forward Jimmy Hall, Kent State dropped a heartbreaking 67-66 game in Kalamazoo on February 4, 2015.
• The Golden Flashes led for almost the entire second half, but a driving layup by Connar Tava with 9.0 put Western Michigan ahead.
• Devareaux Manley could not convert on a driving scoop shot as time expired as the Golden Flashes dropped their second straight game.
• The Flashes made a season-high 13 three-point shots and shot 41.9 percent from beyond the arc. Derek Jackson and Manley led the barrage by combining to shoot 11-for-20 from the three-point line.
• Jackson led all scorers with a season-high 20 points and added five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
• Manley finished with 18 points with all six of his field goals coming from three-point distance.
• Chris Ortiz added eight points and a team-high eight rebounds.
• Tucker Haymond led Western Michigan with 17 points.
• Tava and David Brown added 16 points for the Broncos.

TV / Radio
Mike Monaco and Brian Snider will have the call on ESPN3, while Ty Linder and David Carducci will bring you the action on the Golden Flashes iHeartRadio channel and 640 WHLO.

Next Up For Kent State
The Golden Flashes return to the M.A.C. Center for the MAC home opener vs. Buffalo on Friday, January 8. Tip-off has been bumped up to 6:30 p.m. to accommodate the CBS Sports Network broadcast.