Kent State University
12-4 (1-2MAC)
Eastern Michigan
8-8 (2-1MAC)
Kent State Drops Road Match Against EMU
1/12/2019 3:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
YPSILANTI, Mich.- The Kent State men's basketball team dropped its first conference road match in a 95-61 loss to Eastern Michigan on Saturday afternoon.
The Flashes drop to 12-4 overall and 1-2 in conference play.
Jaylin Walker led the Flashes with 14 points, four rebounds, and four assists, while Philip Whittington added 13 points and five rebounds.
Kent State found its biggest difficulties on the defensive end where it allowed Eastern Michigan to shoot 65.4 percent (34-of-52) from the floor and connect on 63.2 percent (12-of-19) from deep. Elijah Minnie scored 22 points and James Thompson added 18 points as the duo combines to make 14 of their 21 shots. Eastern Michigan also dominated the paint, outscoring KSU 34-18 around the rim.
The game started off with senior Jalen Avery igniting the offense with back-to-back 3-pointers that gave the Flashes an 8-7 lead. After being down by 11 points, the Flashes cut the Eagles' lead to seven after Frederick tipped in a last-second shot that ended the half 39-32.
After the break, EMU opened the second half with a 14-3 run before being stopped by a corner 3-pointer from Williamson. The Eagles' offensive scoring continued as they used a 14-3 scoring run to extend their lead to 74-43. Kent State's late scoring efforts would not be enough to climb back into the game as the Eagles came away with the 95-61 victory.
Although Eastern Michigan had 15 miscues to Kent State's 13, the Eagles made the most out of the turnovers, outscoring the Flashes 19-14 in points off turnovers.
The Flashes continue league play on the road, traveling to Athens, Ohio to play Ohio on Tuesday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. The fourth league contest of the season is scheduled to be aired on ESPN+.
