Flashes Open 2020-21 Season With Purdue Fort Wayne
11/29/2020 2:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball
KENT, Ohio- The 2020-21 season of Kent State men's basketball kicks off  Monday,  Nov. 30 at the M.A.C. Center as the Flashes host Purdue Fort Wayne for a 5 p.m. tipoff.
THE GAME
Kent State (0-0) vs. Purdue Fort Wayne (1-0)
Monday, Nov. 30 Â |M.A.C. Center | Kent, Ohio | 5 PM
BROADCAST
TV: KentState Network
Radio: Dave Wilson (pbp), Kent State Radio, Tune-In
PURDUE FORT WAYNE HEAD COACH
Jon Coffman
Record at Purdue Fort Wayne: 111-87 Â (tenth season)
KENT STATE HEAD COACH
Record at Kent State: 181-121 (tenth season)
ALL-TIME SERIES
Kent State leads series 8-0
Senderoff vs. Purdue Fort Wayne: 1-0
Last Meeting: The Flashes and Braves met last season with the Flashes coming away with a 75-68 victory.
FLASH FACTS
- Kent State is coming off its 19th 20-win season as the Flashes finished 20-12 overall and 9-9 in conference play. The Flashes defeated Eastern Michigan ,86-76, in the first round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament. Kent State was set to face Ball State in the quarterfinals when the postseason was canceled due to the emergence of COVID-19.Â
-Last season, the Flashes shot 45.4 percent (886-1952) from the floor and 33.9 percent (268-791) from long range.
- The Flashes return five players from last season's team, including starter Danny Pippen (14.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 47 blocks). Other notable returners are senior Tervell Beck (4.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg), sophomores Giovanni Santiago (2.4 ppg, 1.2 rpg, and 22 assists), Evan Bainbridge and Kalin Bennett.
- 2020-2021 will mark the debut of senior Mike Nuga, who sat last out last season after transferring from Portland State. Nuga led Portland State scoring 10.5 points per game, while having 17 games in double-figure scoring. This season will also mark the debut of redshirt freshman Jeremiah Hernandez.
- The incoming class is highlighted by freshman VonCameron Davis who comes from Walnut Ridge HS. Davis closed his highschool career with 2,201 points and won the 2020 All-Ohio Mr. Basketball (first Mr. Basketball award recipient to play at Kent State. Other notable new faces are juniors Malique Jacobs, Tekorian Smith, Justyn Hamilton, Gabe O'Neal, and James Jordan.
-Flashes were picked to finish seventh in the Mid-American Conference for the 2020-21 MAC Men's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Poll. Senior Pippen was named to the Preseason All-MAC Second Team.
SCOUTING PURDUE FORT WAYNE
The Mastodons, stand 1-0 the direction of ten-year head coach Jon Coffman. In its last outing, Purdue Fort Wayne improved to 1-0 after a 67-63 OT victory over SE Louisiana. Purdue Fort Wayne limited SE Louisiana to 1-of-28 (3.6 percent) shooting beyond the arc, making the Mastodons the No.1 3-point percentage defense in the nation. Jalon Pipkins led the way with 18 points, while Bobby Planutis and Demierre Black followed with 14 and 13 points.
Purdue Fort Wayne is averaging 67 points per game on 47.7 percent shooting from the floor and 33.3 percent from long range.
Defensively, the Mastodons have held its opponents to 63 points per game on 30.3 percent shooting from the field and 1-of-28 shooting from beyond the arc. Purdue Fort Wayne has 31 turnovers (31.0 tpg) while collecting 7 steals (7.0 stl/g) On the glass, Purdue Fort Wayne has been out-rebounded by their opponents 40-35 for a -5.0 margin.
Watch: https://boxcast.tv/view/kent-state-mens-basketball-vs-ipfw-113020-659589
Listen: https://kentstatesports.com/watch/?Live=283&type=Live
Live Stats: https://kentstatesports.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
