Kent State University
18-12 (10-7)
Bowling Green
13-17 (7-10)
Men's Basketball Stretches Streak to Five with Win at Bowling Green
2/28/2017 10:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Kent State University men's basketball team (18-12, 10-7 MAC) won its fifth straight game, and final road contest of the season, over the Bowling Green Falcons (13-17, 7-10 MAC), 74-67.
"Great team win," said head coach Rob Senderoff. "Another game where we limited our turnovers. Another game, where in the second half, we got consecutive stops and big points to get the lead. I'm really proud of the guys, and glad we were able to make big plays when Jimmy fouled out as well. We had some guys who played a lot of minutes, but everyone gave us good minutes and competed at a really high level."
The win puts the Flashes in a five-way tie for second place heading into the final game of the year Friday against Akron. Heading into Friday, the Flashes are the fifth seed of the MAC Tournament due to the tiebreaker, but can still play for a first-round bye.
Tuesday, Jimmy Hall continued his torrid pace with 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting. He posted team-highs of 15 rebounds, six on offense, and four assists. Jaylin Walker scored a team-best 18 points and dished out a season-best three assists. Deon Edwin posted 15 rebounds and seven rebounds.
The Flashes had some rough shooting stretches in the first half, but fought through to keep pace against the Falcons on their senior night. Throughout the first 13 minutes of the game, neither team could build more than a one-possession lead. Bowling Green created some breathing room with a 7-0 run, thanks to a hot streak of 3-point shooting.
BGSU eventually went up 29-23 with 3:29 left in the first half. However, Kent State ended the first half hot, shooting 5-for-7 down the stretch. The Flashes ended the period on a 9-4 run and entered the locker room down by a point, 35-34.
For the fifth straight time, the Flashes would have to win after trailing at halftime. Fortunately, the Flashes continued to shoot well, making four of their first seven shots. Kent State retook the lead almost immediately, and a 10-2 run would give them a 54-46 lead with 12 minutes left.
The eight point lead would be the largest of the game. Kent State went on a stretch of over seven minutes with just one field goal. Although Bowling Green threatened, they never caught up, despite cutting its deficit to 58-57 with five minutes left. A Kevin Zabo 3-pointer and a pair of jumpers from Walker extended the lead back to eight, but Bowling Green scored 10 of the next 13 points to bring the score to 68-67 with 1:22 left.
The Flashes faced the Falcons and a hostile crowd without Hall in the last two minutes due to fouls. However, the Flashes played through adversity and came up with three straight stops in the final 1:20 of the game. Once again, the game was sealed at the foul line. Avery stepped to the line to knock down two with 26 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, Edwin came up with a steal in the post and was fouled, sinking both to put the game out of reach.
"The resiliency of the team in the second half has really shown through here over these last 5 games," noted Senderoff. "We just have to try and continue to do it as we move forward."
Overall, Kent State shot 46.7 percent (28-for-60) from the floor and 37.5 percent (9-for-24) from 3-point range. Bowling Green finished at 43.1 percent (25-for-58) and were held to 5-for-19 from distance. The Flashes only committed eight turnovers to Bowling Green's 11.
Mitch Peterson finished with eight points on 3-for-5 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers. Jalen Avery scored seven points on 2-for-3 shooting. He committed one foul, completing a run of five straight starts without a foul.
Kent State will end the regular season and celebrate senior night when the Flashes host Akron in the second leg of the Crystal Clinic Wagon Wheel Challenge Friday at 9 p.m. on ESPN2.
