Kent State University
10-9, 2-4MAC
Toledo
10-9, 3-3MAC
Men's Basketball Defeats Toledo, 85-61, in Sold Out M.A.C. Center
1/21/2017 10:49:00 PM | Men's Basketball
KENT, Ohio – The Kent State University men's basketball team (10-9, 2-4 MAC) put on a show for a sold out crowd in the M.A.C. Center Saturday, defeating the Toledo Rockets (10-9, 3-3 MAC), 85-61.
"Great defensive effort from our guys," said head coach Rob Senderoff. "Really competed against a good offensive team. We played with a ton of urgency, certainly on the defensive end, and we executed offensively at a high level. We really played together. It was a much needed win as we start the back 13 of our season."
The game was the conclusion of a doubleheader deemed "A Brand New Gameday" at Kent State. The M.A.C. Center was packed full, with a sold out crowd of 6,327 fans. The Golden Flash faithful were witness to the best all-around performance by Kent State in conference play this year.
"When you have a full arena like this, how can you not play as hard as you can play," asked Senderoff. "It was an unbelievable atmosphere. Again, I thank President Warren and Joel [Nielsen] for creating that atmosphere tonight and I'm just glad our kids played as hard as the fans deserved to see them play tonight."
Kent State scored 85 points on 57.6 percent (34-for-59) shooting. Kent State picked up 50 points in the paint, the season-best against a Division I opponent. Kent State was equally as strong on defense. Toledo was held to 36.7 percent (18-for-49) shooting and 22.7 percent (5-for-22) from distance. Kent State is the first team to hold Toledo to under 40 percent shooting this season.
Seniors Jimmy Hall and Deon Edwin scored 50 of Kent State's 85 points on a combined 21-for-32 shooting. Hall had a game-best 27 points, pushing him into Kent State's top-10 scorers of all time at 1,343 points. He also tallied five rebounds and three assists. Edwin scored a career-high 23 points on 9-for-12 shooting. He dished out a team-high five assists as well. Adonis De La Rosa led the Flashes in rebounds at six and set a new career high of five blocks.
The Flashes built a sizable lead in the first half with a strong defensive showing. Toledo was held to 29.2 percent shooting in the first half and committed 10 turnovers. The game stayed within four points for the first 10 minutes of the game, but eventually the Flashes worked their way to the line to build an advantage. Kent State went on a 9-0 run, most of which came at the line to build a 27-17 lead with 6:08 left in the first half. The Flashes continued to lock down the Rockets until the horn, taking a 38-24 lead into the break.
Kent State started the second half building on its lead with outside shooting. The home team made three of their first four attempts from outside and went up 51-30 four minutes into the half. With the game slipping away, Toledo hit a pair of 3-pointers that cut the difference to 16 points. However, another 9-0 run for Kent State helped recapture the momentum and put the home team ahead, 62-37, with 11:17 left.
Ahead by their largest margin in MAC play this season, the Flashes shot 9-for-16 over the last 11 minutes of the game, led by Hall's final 10 points. Kent State would lead by as much as 26 points with 45 seconds remaining.
Nine Flashes contributed in the scoring column, including an eight point, five rebound performance from Danny Pippen. Pippen shot 3-for-5 from the floor in a starting appearance. Jalen Avery also returned to the starting lineup, registering six points on 2-for-2 shooting, four rebounds and three assists. Mitch Peterson and Kevin Zabo chipped in six points apiece.
Back in the victory column, the Flashes will look to get a win back against Northern Illinois on the road Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST/7 p.m. CST.
