Kent State University
Cleveland State
Flashes Close Out Homestand with Cleveland State
12/6/2019 11:37:00 AM | Men's Basketball
KENT, Ohio-Â The Kent State University men's basketball team will close out its homestand this weekend as the Flashes welcome Cleveland State to the M.A.C. Center on Saturday night at 7 p.m.
THE GAME
Kent State (7-1) vs. Cleveland State (4-5)
Saturday, Dec. 7 |M.A.C. Center | Kent, Ohio |7 Â PM
BROADCAST
TV: ESPN+ w/ Ty Linder (pbp), Tanner Castora (analyst)
Radio: Dan Griffin (pbp), WHLO 640 AM (flagship), iHeart Radio
CLEVELAND STATE HEAD COACH
Dennis Gates
Record at Cleveland State: 4-5 Â (First season)
KENT STATE HEAD COACH
Record at Kent State: 168-108 (ninth season)
ALL-TIME SERIES
Saturday's game marks the 54th meeting between the two teams as Kent State boasts a 30-23 all-time series advantage. The two teams met last season as the Flashes came away with an 83-79 season-opener victory at the Wolstein Center.
LAST TIME OUT
The Kent State men's basketball improved to 7-1 on the season after a 92-57 victory over Detroit Mercy. The Flashes used a 26-5 in the beginning of the second half to take control of the game. En route to the victory, five flashes scored in double figures with Danny Pippen recording a double-double (18 pts, 11 rebs) and tying the school record with seven blocks. Anthony Roberts (13 pts), Phil Whittington (17 pts), Troy Simons (16 pts), and Antonio Williams (17 pts) rounded out the double figure scoring. Kent State shot a season-best 51.5 percent (35-of-68) from the floor, and 8-26 (30.8 percent) from long range. Defensively, the Flashes held the Titans to 29 percent (18-of-62) and only 6-of-22 (27.3 percent) from beyond the arc.
FLASH FACTS
- The Flashes have five players averaging in double-figure scoring with Troy Simons (12.3 ppg), Anthony Roberts (13.6 ppg), Antonio Williams (13.4 ppg), Danny Pippen (14.6 ppg), and Phil Whittington (10.0).
- As a team, Kent State ranks 20th in the country and leads the conference with 5.1 blocked shots per game.
-Kent State ranks 57th in the country in three-point FG per game (9.0), ranking fourth in the conference.
- Danny Pippen leads the team with 24 total blocks, five of which he had against Towson. Kent State ranks 14th in the nation in total blocked shots (46) and lead the conference. Pippen also ranks 12th in the nation and leads conference stats averaging 3.00 blocked shots per game.
- Troy Simons ranks 29th in the nation in 3-point FG per game (3.13) and is second in conference stats.
- As a team, Kent State ranks 28th in field goal percentage defense limiting teams to 32.7 percent from the field. Â
- Defensively, the Flashes have held its opponents to 64.6 points per game on 37.2 percent shooting from the field and 32.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
- Kent State has forced 126 turnovers (15.8 tpg) while collecting 67 steals (8.4 stl/g). On the glass, the Flashes have out re-bounded their opponents 316-286Â for a +3.8 margin.
SCOUTING CLEVELAND STATE
The Vikings, stand 4-5 on the season under first-year head coach Dennis Gates. In their last outing, Cleveland State dropped to 4-5 after an 80-65 loss to Toledo. Algevon Eichelberger recorded his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds while Thomas Kasheem rounded out the double-figure scoring with 11 points. Despite the Vikings cutting Toledo's lead to seven points in the second half, the Rockets responded with a 10-run that put the game out of reach .The Vikings shot 33.3 percent overall and sank 7-of-13 from behind the arc (53.8 percent). Cleveland State is led by Eichelberger who averages 13.0 points per game and averages 7.8 rebounds per game.
Defensively, Cleveland State has allowed its opponents to score 71.7 points per game on 39.7 percent shooting from the field and 34.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The Vikings have 148 turnovers (16.4 tpg) while collecting 71 steals (7.9 stl/g) On the glass, Cleveland State has been out-rebounded their opponents 361-327 for a -3.8 margin.
FOLLOW ALONG
Flash fans unable to attend the game can watch on ESPN+, listen through iHeart Radio and Tune-In and follow along with live stats via sidearm. All the links are located below.
Watch: https://es.pn/38fEM9x
Listen: https://www.iheart.com/live/640-whlo-3520/
Live Stats: https://kentstatesports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
