Kent State University
Eastern Michigan University
Flashes to Battle Eagles in Saturday Noon Road Matchup
2/13/2016 11:24:00โฏAM | Men's Basketball
Game Notesย ย ย ย Videoย ย ย ย ย ย ย Live Statsย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย Audio
Kent State (16-8, 7-4 MAC) looks for a season sweep of Eastern Michigan (12-12, 4-7 MAC) when it travels to Ypsilanti for a Mid-American Conference cross-divisonal matchup at 12 p.m. Saturday.
The Golden Flashes were unable to put away a pesky Northern Illinois team and need two Galal Cancer free throws in the closing seconds for a 75-74 win that snapped a three-game skid Tuesday night at the M.A.C. Center. Trailing by two at halftime, the Flashes scored the first seven points out of the locker room and led by nine with 1:25 remaining. The Huskies scored 10 straight to go ahead with :15 left, but Cancer pushed the ball down the floor and drew a foul on a hard drive to the basket. Kent State's starting frontcourt controlled play around the rim, as Khaliq Spicer scored a team-high 17 points and added 7 rebounds, while Jimmy Hall notched a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds to go with a team-high 4 assists. Cancer (13 points) and Kellon Thomas (11 points) also scored in double-figures.
The frontcourt of Jimmy Hall (16.3 ppg, 7.6 rpg), Khaliq Spicer (6.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg) and Chris Ortiz (7.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg) has helped Kent State control play around the basket. The Flashes own a +4.5 rebounding advantage while outscoring opponents 34.5-26.3 in the paint and 12.3-8.5 on second chance opportunities.
The Golden Flashes' backcourt is led by Kellon Thomas, who has played well in his return to the court after being sidelined for all but eight games during the 2014-15 season and is averaging a career-high 12.0 points per game. Deon Edwin (5.5 ppg) and Galal Cancer (4.5 ppg) have stepped up their scoring in recent games in the absence of Xavier Pollard (12.2 ppg) and Jaylin Walker (7.8 ppg).
Scouting Eastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan is 9-3 at home this season and is tied for the MAC lead, scoring 78.5 ppg. The Eagles are fourth in the country in steals per game (9.8) and 13th in turnover margin (+3.6).
Center James Thompson IV is enjoying quite an impressive freshman season, leading the MAC and ranking in the top 10 nationally in rebounding (11.2 rpg), field goal percentage (.673) and double-doubles (15). Thompson IV adds 15.8 points and 1.5 blocked shots per game. Preseason All-MAC guard Raven Lee adds 15.3 points per game.
Junior college transfers Willie Mangum IV (12.3ย ppg) and Ty Toney (11.9 ppg) join Lee to form a talented backcourt. Brandon Nazione contributes 9.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while Tim Bond provides versatility with averages of 7.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
Series History
โขย Kent State owns a 41-31 record all-time vs. Eastern Michigan.
โขย The series dates back to the 1949-50 season and an 83-56 Kent State win at home on Feb. 18, 1950.
โขย The Golden Flashes has won 19 of 20 matchups since the turn of the century. The only win for the Eagles during that span was a 70-53 contest in KSU's last visit to Ypsilanti on Feb. 8, 2014.
โขย Kent State owns a 11-22 record as the visiting team, but is 8-1 since turn of century.
โขย Kent State is 2-1 all-time when the teams have played an overtime period.ย
FLASHback to Last Meeting
โข Kent State used a big second half to pull away in a 73-58 win over Eastern Michigan at the M.A.C. Center January 26, 2016.
โขย The Golden Flashes struggled early against the Eagles' 2-3 zone and fell behind 17-4 just seven and a half minutes into the contest..
โขย Trailing 29-20 at the 4:15 mark before halftime, the Flashes went on a run that was capped by a Kellon Thomas buzzer-beating three-pointer to pull within 32-31 at halftime.
โขย Kent State continued its success against the zone in the second half, shooting 11-for-21 (52.4%) and scoring 16 points in the paint over the final 20 minutes. The Flashes also converted 18 of 22 second half free throws.
โขย The Flashes led by as much as 15 points on four occasions in the second half.
โขย Khaliq Spicer stole the show from what many expected to be a matchup between elite MAC post players Jimmy Hall (13 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists) and James Thompson IV (14 points, 10 rebounds). Spicer scored 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting to go with 13 rebounds and 5 blocked shots.
โขย Kellon Thomas and Chris Ortiz added 12 points each for the Flashes.
โข Xavier Pollard scored just 4 points but had a game-high 7 assists.
โขย The Flashes controlled the boards to the tune of 48-36. They also outscored the Eagles 32-22 in the paint.
โขย Eastern Michigan was led by Raven Lee's 15 points. Willie Mangum IV added 12 points.
Radio
Ryan Wooley and Greg Steiner 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 will return to the M.A.C. Center for home games against Western Michigan and rival Akron this week before ending the month with road games at Buffalo and Miami.
