Live Blog: Kent State men's basketball vs. Niagara

SECOND HALF

0:00 ... No breaks on the air for quite a while, so no time to update.

Kent State closed out a 102-97 win at the foul line as Kellon Thomas kept the Flashes up two-possessions by going 6-for-6 from the foul line in the final 20 seconds.

1:41 ... Driving layup by Brewer drawing a foul for a three-point play puts Kent State ahead 93-86 and Niagara calls timeout.

3:25 ... Spicer led another mini run with another acrobatic slam on a feed from Goodson.

The lead had reached 12 points, but Niagara storming back behind Mason and relentless work on the offensive glass.

An and-one opportunity has Mason at the line trying to cut into what is now an 87-81 lead.

Mason has 24 after a slow start.

7:58 ... A two-handed thunder dunk by Spicer on a beautiful feed by Goodson has KSU up 79-69 with Spicer heading to the line to try to turn it into a three-point play after the timeout.

Niagara is staying in this one with its work on the offensive glass.

9:56 ... The hustle plays are starting to go Kent State's way, and that's why the Golden Flashes are now enjoying a 77-65 lead after back-to-back buckets by Henniger ... one on a perfect 30-foot feed from Simmons and another on a nice find by Goodson.

Simmons almost single-handedly turned this game around. It just continues to show the depth and potential this team has to find heroic performances from all over its roster. Simmons has played well this year ... diving for a big loose ball at Temple and hitting some key shots in other games, but now he's showing he can take over a game.

Henniger now has 20 points.

11:28 ... A K.K. Simmons single-handed 8-0 run vaulted Kent State back into the lead. He hit a three in transition and an old-fashioned three point play, shielding Joe Thomas with his right shoulder and flipping in the driving layup with his left hand ... Nice to be a lefty in that situation.

Add a Jackson three-pointer from the top of the key and Flashes lead 69-63 at this timeout with K.K. Simmons heading to the foul line.

15:11 ... Mason is heating up. He has 16 and Niagara has a 60-56 lead ... although it will be changed to 59-56 after correcting a three by Mason that was clearly a two.

That change has just been made.

Flashes continue to be out hustled.

FIRST HALF

0:00 ... Kent State was out-hustled by Niagara in the last eight minutes of the first half, and because of it the Flashes have watched an 11-point lead get clipped to just 44-43.

Top priority on the Kent State game plan coming in had been to get out and run. No. 2 was to attack a perceived weakness in the post. The Flashes got away from those goals early as they appeared to fall in love just a little too much from three ... and I guess who could blame them after setting a school record with 18 threes last night.

But even with decent 5-of-10 three point shooting (after 4-of-5 early), Rob Senderoff won't be happy with just two fast-break points against what should be a tired Purple Eagles roster.

We all thought Kent State's depth would be the difference. So far, Niagara's depth is the difference. The Purple Eagles' bench has outscored Kent State's 24-10.

The hustle plays have gone to Niagara.

The Flashes have also been unusually careless with the basketball. Their eight turnovers have led to 14 of Niagara's points.

Manley leads Flashes with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting, 3-of-4 from the 3-point arc.

0:45 ... Niagara catching fire has cut the Kent State lead to 42-41 on a three by Marvin Jordan.

3:37 ... Melvin Tabb is playing extremely well. He has been the bulk of the Kent State offense over the last few minutes as the Flashes have watched Niagara put some heat on with full-court pressure.

Kent State is starting to work a little harder at attacking inside. Tabb in the post with a nice move. Good pass from Goodson to a cutting Henniger for a two-handed dunk.

First bucket for Mason came at the 4:51 mark.

Jackson and Kellon Thomas have done a nice job of moving their feet and keeping Mason in front of them, forcing him to give up the basketball.

6:58 ... The Golden Flashes hit 4 of their first 5 three pointers, continuing their hot hand from last night. They've since missed two more.

The only issue with that, however, is that the Flashes haven't been attacking Niagara's perceived weakness in the post.

Lead was 31-20 briefly, bu tnow just 31-25.

Mason still scoreless with one forced shot.

11:05 ... Flashes had built a 20-11 lead after another three from Manley, but KSU has had some trouble on offensive boards in the last few minutes. Niagara on a mini run has cut it to 22-18.

Mason still has yet to score or even take a shot from the field.

15:37 ... Flashes lead 10-7 at the first timeout, and Dev Manley has kept his hot hand from last night. He has six points already, including 1-of-1 shooting from three-point range.

Derek Jackson working very hard on Mason early.

PREGAME

7:06 p.m. ... Just a little less than 10 minutes until tip.

Watching Antoine Mason warm up, and he looks impressive.

There's a good reason he wears No. 14 on his Niagara uniform ... It's the same number his father Anthony Mason wore with the New York Knicks, Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat during the bast days of his NBA career. Anthony was about four inches taller than his son. He was also more of a bruiser and even a point-forward than his son, who is a classic two guard and a scorer.

6:13 p.m. ... The tip time for tonight's Kent State vs. Niagara game is officially set for 7 p.m., but it will more than likely arrive closer to 7:30 p.m., just like the last two nights of the Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic here at the M.A.C. Center. As soon as Western Carolina and USC Upstate wrap up their 5 p.m. game, KSU and Niagara will have 30 minutes to warm up.

Here's a quick look at Niagara. The main guy Kent State needs to concern itself with is 6-foot-3 guard Antoine Mason, who is averaging 31 points while playing almost 39 minutes per game. The Flashes will want to test his legs early in what is the third game in three nights for both teams.

That's an advantage for the Flashes, who have made the most of their depth, playing 11 or more on a regular basis. KSU should still be fresh. Derek Jackson will draw the assignment of guarding Mason, and Jackson played just 29 minutes in Friday night's win over Western Carolina, while Mason barely left the floor in his team's loss to Western Carolina.

Mason's 31.3 per game has him ranked 5th in the nation in scoring, and he can score in a whole lot of different ways. He is good in transition. He will drive and shoot and he'll get to the line. He is also an adequate and streaky three-point shooter at 31-percent. Kent State will need to handle the ball screen, because that's where Mason likes to attack, and when he drives, he is not looking to pass ... so help the Flashes' bigs need to be ready to rotate and help.

Niagara also gets just over 10 points per game from 6-5 freshman forward Ramone Snowden. That matchup at the four should be favorable for Darren Goodson, who won't have as much trouble getting his shot off against the smaller four man. The Flashes will need to be aware of Snowden when they block out. He averages 7.8 rebounds per game and is a very active offensive rebounder.

Marcus Ware is a 6-8 sophomore at the five. He averages 9.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, and is coming off of a 16 point, 5 rebound effort against Western Carolina. He's a little different than the posts KSU has faced lately in that he's a pick-and-pop guy with range to about 19 feet. Ware is also the team's best offensive rebounder.

Niagara gives up a lot of points ... 83 vs. Seton Hall, 81 vs. Buffalo, 83 vs. USC Upstate and 98 last night against Western Carolina. With what have to be tired legs for Niagara, Kent State should be thinking first about getting out in transition and trying to score in bunches. Niagara is also at its best in transition, but a track meet should favor the Flashes' depth.

When the ball is in the half court, look for Kent State to pound the ball inside and challenge players the 6-foot-4 Snowden and the 215-pound Ware. The Flashes have a size advantage in there, so if they are going to hit threes like they did last night, they have to come out of inside-out action. With Niagara's tired legs and problems on defense so far this season, the Flashes should expect to get some very good looks at the basket.