Kent State University
5-513-10; MAC
Miami (OH)
2-89-14; MAC
Men's Basketball Continues to Roll With 66-62 Win at Miami
2/4/2017 7:03:00 PM | Men's Basketball
OXFORD, Ohio – The Kent State University men's basketball team (13-10, 5-5 MAC) won its third-straight road game Saturday, defeating the Miami RedHawks (9-14, 2-8 MAC), 66-62.
"It was a great start to the game," said head coach Rob Senderoff. "We really needed to have a good start here, it helped our confidence. In the second half we turned it over a bit too much and probably didn't get the ball to the right spot as much as we should have. They did a good job getting back in the game, we were fortunate to make enough plays to win. To our guys' credit, when we got down, we stuck together and found a way to win."
Jimmy Hall earned his sixth double-double over the last seven games. Hall posted team-bests all around with 12 points, 12 rebounds four assists and three blocks. He picked up a team-high four offensive rebounds, leading the team to a total of 19. Deon Edwin matched Hall's point total of 12 and collected six boards. Jalen Avery finished with 10 points and was a spark early, registering eight of the team's first 10 points.
"Jimmy made some big plays down the stretch, as he always does," said Senderoff. "We had a number of guys step up and help us get this win. But late and down one, he hit a turnaround in the lane that gave us the lead back, and that was really important."
The Flashes led for almost 19 minutes in the first half and never trailed. Kent State played aggressively from the start, rebounding seven of their first 10 misses from the field. The domination on the glass allowed the Flashes to establish an 18-8 lead. For the rest of the half, Miami only came within eight points of Kent State.
The Flashes earned their biggest lead of the half with 3:27 left at 37-22. A Jaylin Walker 3-pointer at that mark was the Flashes' last field goal of the half, but Kent State still carried a 37-26 lead into the break.
For a seven-minute period that included the end of the first half and the start of the second, Kent State would hit a cold spell and only convert a pair of field goals. However, the Flashes played strong defense and earned its way to the foul line, keeping the RedHawks at a double-digit difference. Kent State would recapture its largest lead from the first half at 50-35 with 13:21 remaining.
Miami made its push midway through the second half, ripping off a 10-2 run to cut its deficit to seven points. Mitch Peterson hit a corner 3-pointer to seemingly end the run, but Miami followed up with a 11-2 run to make it a one-point game. Following a Hall bucket, Miami's Jake Wright hit a long 3 from the top of the key to tie the game at 59 with 2:19 remaining.
Kent State gave up the lead on a free throw with 1:39 left, but closed strong down the stretch. The Flashes worked the ball down low to Hall on the next possession, and the senior recaptured the lead for good. The Flashes stopped Miami on their next three possessions, allowing Kent State to stretch the lead to 64-60. In the last 20 seconds, Miami had a chance to tie the game down three, but were forced to throw up a contested shot. Edwin was fouled within the last second to finish the four-point win.
Overall, Kent State shot 36.5 percent (23-for-63) from the floor, while Miami shot 37.7 percent (20-for-53). Kent State held Miami to 4-for-14 shooting from outside the arc. Kent State won the rebounding battle, 42-40, and the turnover margin, 15-19.
Jaylin Walker finished with nine points and five rebounds. Desmond Ridenour scored six points, while Alonzo Walker and Kevin Zabo each tallied five.
Kent State will return home Tuesday to host Bowling Green at 7 p.m. in the M.A.C. Center.
