Live Blog: Kent State Men's Basketball vs. USC Upstate

SECOND HALF

0:00 ... Ricardo Glenn misses at the buzzer on a shot from the right block. Flashes hold off USC Upstate for a 79-78 win behind a school record 18 threes. Flashes were 18-for-34 from long distance

The record - Manley tied it, Jackson broke it.

0:05 ... Kris Brewer splits a pair of free throws to give Kent State a 69-68 lead

0:09.9 ... Tie game after a driving layup by Torrey Craig drawing a foul by Ortiz tied the game on the three-point play.

Looked on replay like Ortiz' feet were outside the circle and he beat Craig to the spot on the baseline and was outside the circle.

Timeouts by both teams here with 9.9 to play, Flashes looking for a game-winner.

This was Holt or Evans time last year... who this year?

0:29 ... Kellon Thomas two clutch free throws gives Kent State a three-point lead with 29.7 seconds to go after USC Upstate calls a timeout.

1:19 ... The school record for three pointers is now 18 after a Jackson three with the shot clock running out.

And with all of the threes, an offensive rebound and put-back by Chris Ortiz may be the biggest play of the night, putting Kent State ahead 76-72 heading into this timeout.

Henniger tipped to keep the ball alive.

3:53 ... Flashes are finally hitting a few. Jackson and Manley drilled a couple of threes to give Kent State brief leads, but USC Upstate keeps answering.

A three by Thomas just before this timeout gave Kent State a new record for threes in one game with 16, tying a ark set against Marshall in 2002.

That is a game I will never forget, by the way.

8:11 ... A more than nine-minute drought for Kent State ends with a three by Derek Jackson from the left wing to give Kent State a 55-52 lead... But poor defense on the other end lead to four quick Spartans points, including an alley pop to Glenn.

Spartans up now 56-55.

Now a timeout with 7:26 to play and Kent State is down 59-57.

So far, the Flashes are shooting 4-for-18 (22-pct) in the second half compared to 10-of-18 (55.6-pct) by USC Upstate.

Ty Greene has caught fire. He has 15 to lead the Spartans. He is 5-of-8 from three, and all in the second half. He had just three points in the first half.


11:56 ... Kent State back into the lead, but by just one point at 51-50.

Melvin Tabb has been aggressive with a quick first step to the rim, helping him get to the basket twice in the last minute.

Still cold shooting, though, as a team ... 2-for-11 overall. But sensing that the shooting has cooled off, the Flashes are trying to get to the basket, and that's led to 6 free throws in the second half after just 4 in the first half.

15:08 ... Awful start to the second half for Kent State, who are shooting a bit flat footed.

Flashes 1-of-5 from the field

USC Upstate 5-of-7, including 4-of-6 from three ... and Spartans have surged into the lead at 48-47.

FIRST HALF

0:00 ... The Golden Flashes connected on just 2-of-18 from three-point range in last night's win over Western Carolina.

Tonight, they are 11-of-18, and that's why they lead USC Upstate 42-34 at the break.

After a tough shooting night last night, Darren Goodson has heated up, connecting on 4-of-6 from the field and all three of his threes. Goodson leads the Flashes in rebounding with four.

Dev Manley also has 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting, and all of those shots have come from beyond the arc.

Khaliq Spicer has had some good minutes off the bench again for the Flashes, grabbing three rebounds and scoring four points, throwing down a tip-dunk for his only basket and going 2-for-2 from the foul line.

Good minutes by Kellon Thomas off the bench, dishing out three assists and hitting a three in his nine minutes. Thomas now has 14 assists and just one turnover this season.


2:19 ... Kent State coaches are warning their players not to fall in love with the three, but as our friend Sans Cheese said via Twitter, its hard not to when you are shooting 75-pct.

It's actually 64.7 percent at 11-for-7,

And that's why KSU has a 40-32 lead.

Goodson is 3-for-3 from deep and also has 12.


5:01 ... Free throw by Darren Goodson have put Kent State up 34-27.

Three-point shooting continues to be scorching. At the 7:21 timeout, the Flashes were 9-for-12 from the arc, including 4-of-5 from Manley, who leads KSU with 12.

Torrey Craig has 14 for USC upstate.

9:13 ... Threes by Kris Brewer and K.K. Simmons, and both on penetration and kicks by Kellon Thomas have tied the game at 22-22.

Those were assists No. 12 and 13 on the season by Thomas, who has turned the ball over just once this season while averaging almost 20 minutes per game as the backup point.

15:49 ... Kent State leads 15-10 at the first timeout thanks to a hot start from the perimeter, hitting 3-of-4 from 3-point range, including 2-of-2 by Dev Manley.

Nice to see after struggling from long range last night.

They rebounded, though, last night, and that's been a problem so far. Too many offensive rebounds already for Upstate.

PREGAME

6:49 p.m. ... Ty Linder and I will be on the air at 7 p.m. for tonight's pre game show. You can listen in on WHLO 640 AM or online on the iHeart Radio Golden Flashes Radio Network.

It's been a fun night with lots of Kent State fans stopping me in the hallways of the M.A.C. Center to tell me how much they are enjoying this year's team. They appreciate the hustle and love the depth.

Jackson, as predicted, has certainly already become a fan favorite for his poise, hustle and defense. He doesn't care about how many points he scores, or how he scores them, as much as he does about locking down on defense.

Fans also seem to be falling in love with Khaliq Spicer, who has been productive just about every time he has stepped on the floor as the No. 3 post. Several people have talked about how much they like his upside. Fans have been encouraged by Mark Henniger and Melvin Tabb of late, but they are also feeling good about the future with Spicer taking over the post duties after that duo graduates.

I had hoped Spicer would be redshirted last year, but as it turns out, that was some valuable experience in the second half of the year with some success against top-tier MAC teams like Akron and Ohio. It allowed him to avoid the butterflies he would have found if this was his first taste of Division I basketball. Having him calm, cool, collected and ready to contribute is a big part of this team's depth and versatility. He's already played alone at the five in some lineups and at the five next to Tabb in others.

By the way, Western Carolina is about to beat Niagara. It's 89-80 with 1:52 to play, and Sumler has 32.

6:04 p.m. ... It's halftime of game No. 1 with Western Carolina leading Niagara.

Here's what I learned during that first half ... or reconfirmed might be a better word. Derek Jackson can really defend.

Jackson basically shut down SoCon preseason player of the year Trey Sumler, holding him to just four points on 1-for-9 shooting.

Well, Sumler already has 23 points at halftime against Niagara tonight.


5 p.m. ... Tonight's first game between Western Carolina and Niagara is about to start.

In the meantime, here are a few thoughts about USC Upstate. The Spartans may be the most difficult matchup for Kent State in the Coaches Vs. Cancer event.

USC Upstate is another very good offensive rebounding team, so it will be important to block out again tonight and limit second-chance points. Torrey Craig at the forward spot is an excellent rebounder at 6-foot-6, averring 8.3 per game. The Flashes will be just as worried about getting a body on 6-8 Jodd Maxey, who is at 7.3 per game.

Craig is also a great scorer at 22.5 per game so far. He is the pre-season player of the year in his conference and the go-to guy for the Spartans. He has range out to 26 feet and can drive and score with either hand. And again, when he does miss or a teammate misses, he hits the offensive glass. Fundamentals will be a key. Close out and challenge those long jumpers, but stay down and in control with that close out to be ready when Craig chooses to drive.

Ty Greene is the Spartans No. 2 scorer at 17 per game. The 6-foot-3 guard has a high basketball IQ and has the green light to shoot.

USC Upstate tries to get those scorers free with a lot of movement ... staggers and back-screens, pin downs, UCLA cuts. That's a lot to defend and recognize, so the Flashes will need to be alert and talking on defense.

As always, Kent State will need to take advantage of its depth and athleticism by trying to push the ball every chance it gets and find some easy baskets.

It would be a nice bonus if the Flashes can rediscover their stroke from the perimeter. Winning the way they did last night with pure hustle isn't easy. It's akin to playing poker where you can win by grinding and using the well-placed bluff, but it sure is a whole lot easier to catch great cards all night long.

I'm really hoping to see Mark Henniger continue his fine run of play. He shouldn't have much of a size disadvantage as the Spartans start two 6-8 guys on the front line in Maxey and Ricardo Glenn. Michael Buchanan will give them 6-11 and 250 pounds for 10-to-12 minutes off of the bench, however.

Henniger, Tabb and Spicer all played well against Western Carolina last night, and Henniger and Tabb were fantastic on Sunday against Saint Peter's. Keep getting strong play in the post with the talent and depth on the perimeter, and the Flashes could get this thing rolling early this season.