Live Blog: Kent State Men's Basketball at Bowling Green

SECOND HALF

FINAL: Bowling Green 73, Kent State 66

The stretch of misses by Jackson, Brewer and Goodson after cutting the lead to 53-50 loom large.

Bowling Green tried to help out by missing some free throws down the stretch and Manley hit a few threes, including one from NBA distance at the top, but it's hard to overcome all of the misses on top of the rim.

Kent State only shot 15 three pointers in its 63 shots, and still the Flashes shot just 34.9 percent from the field (22-for-63).

Manley led with 16. Brewer scored 14 and Henniger added 10 points.

Goodson's 1-for-12 from the field was a killer. The senior tries so hard, but continues to struggle.

Jehvon Clarke scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Falcons. Holmes added 14 points and 10 rebounds and Parker scored 12 for BGSU.


3:16 ... Flashes just can't make a layup. Jackson, Brewer and Goodson all miss at the rim on consecutive plays ... the Falcons turn all three into buckets on the other end, the last leading to a potential three-point play.

If Clarke hits the free throw out of this timeout, the Falcons lead will be 59-50 after KSU had pulled to within three.

Goodson is now 1-for-12 from the field in just 11 minutes.

5:33 ... Kent State making a run after being down by as many as 12 points earlier in this half.

Two Kellon Thomas free throws have trimmed the Bowling Green advantage to 53-50.

Flashes getting a great whistle. Some very questionable calls have helped KSU cut into this lead.

Demarkeo Lyche has 8 points on 3-of-6 from field, 2-of-4 from the line off of the bench. That's a killer. He is averaging just 1.3 points and shooting both the two and the three below 28 percent.

11:39 ... Kent State will go to the free-throw line on every foul the rest of the way. The Flashes, who are 12-for-16 from the line tonight, need to take advantage of that. They are getting a very good whistle tonight, and that hasn't happened very often this season.

The Flashes also need Darren Goodson to get going. He is 1-for-10 from the field tonight, and on the bench. He'll be needed at some point tonight, so he has to stay positive.

Two Dev Manley threes have kept Kent State in this one.

The Flashes have gone small over the last few minutes with four guards, but that's led to problems rebounding the basketball. Fortunate to be within nine right now. Keep attacking the rim and getting to the foul line.

15:49 ... Still a strange game. Bowling Green is playing some pretty sloppy basketball, yet the Falcons lead by 11 at 41-30.

Flashes running some good offensive sets and getting nothing out of them. Goodson just missed right on top of the basket. He is 1-of-8 field and just hasn't been able finish at the rim. 

The good news is he just drew a foul in the right block and will head to the foul line after this timeout. Flashes are 9-for-10 from the line tonight. Need two here, cut it under 10 and then start a little run.

FIRST HALF

HALFTIME ... Bowling Green 31, Kent State 26

This is a strange one.

It feels like Kent State is controlling most of the action, yet the Flashes trail 31-26.

The Falcons have been very sloppy, turning the ball over eight times, and almost losing the ball even more ... like on the last play of the half when Lyshe dribbled the ball off of his knee, but right to a teammate. Lyshe got it back and flipped in a layup just before the buzzer.

KSU is getting to the rim and often not finishing. The Flashes have attempted just four threes in their 27 shots. But they've made just eight field goals. Three of those makes have come on four Kris Brewer shot attempts. He is also 1-for-1 from three and 4-for-4 from the foul line in scoring a game-high 11 points in the first half.

Cameron Black has been a problem for the Flashes again, scoring nine points on 4-of-6 shooting in the post and also getting five rebounds.

Kent State simply has to do a better job defending the paint.

A big reason the Falcons are leading this one is a 25-12 advantage on the boards. Fortunately, their nine offensive rebounds have led to just seven second-chance points.

Kris Brewer during halftime layup lines ... clapping his hands, nodding and telling his teammates "come on guys, let's make some shots. Let's make some shots."

3:09 ... Kent State switched to a 2-3 zone over the last few minutes, and it has Bowling Green's offense out of sorts.

The Falcons are chucking up air balls and turning the ball over on alternating possessions.

Flashes seem to have some momentum now, cutting it to 23-20 after a free throw by Spicer.


7:57 ... Khaliq Spicer has played very well in an extended shift since checking in at the the 15-minute mark. Two blocked shots and a nice finish at the rim.

And even still, Kent State is having some trouble with the Bowling Green bigs. It is now 15-13 Bowling Green.

Spicer has brought energy after giving an unusually inconsistent effort vs. Buffalo. That's the reason he didn't start, and Spicer got the message. He is a great kid and some of that effort may have been due to being wide eyed against probably the best player in the MAC in that one.

15:33 ... Kent State trails 8-5 at the first timeout, and the Flashes are having a difficult time with the size of the Falcons.

The combination of Holmes and Black are 4-for-5 in the paint and the Falcons are 4-for-6 overall. The Flashes are 2-for-6, but one of those is a transition three by Brewer on a nice cross-court find by Jackson.

Spicer checking in to add some length defending against Black.

PREGAME

6:59 p.m. ... Changes to the starting lineup are official: Brewer and Henniger in and starting with Jackson, Ortiz and Thomas.

Tisdale, Parker, Clarke, Holmes and Black start for Bowling Green.

Anthem coming up ...

Listen in on WHLO 640 AM and online at http://www.iheart.com/live/Golden-Flashes-Radio-6068/

6:15 p.m. ... Some keys to the game today from head coach Rob Senderoff:

Bowling Green is very opportunistic in transition. They are capable of going on big runs when they are able to get out and run. We saw that as the Falcons jumped out quickly in both halves at Kent back on Feb. 12. In that game, BGSU scored 23 points in transition. KSU has to have two guys get back, keeping the ball out of the paint and locating shooters when the Flacons try to run.

In the half court, keeping the ball out of the paint is just as important. The Falcons score 62 percent of their points in the paint, and that percentage is third in the country. They'll look to post up both Holmes and Black all night long, and the Flashes guards will need to be ready to help out by digging down.

The Falcons play mostly man-to-man, unlike earlier years under Louis Orr. It's an aggressive defense that likes to pressure and get steals. Anthony Henderson and Jehvon Clarke rank No. 4 and 6 in the MAC, respectively, in steals.


5:45 p.m. … Another big game for Kent State tonight as the Golden Flashes try to get back to building momentum into March. After losing to probably the best team in the MAC at the moment on Saturday in Kent, the Golden Flashes hope they don’t need another buzzer-beating shot to escape Bowling Green tonight.

The last meeting in Kent came down to a last second three by Devareaux Manley from the left corner that lifted the Flashes to a 62-61 win on Feb. 12. The Falcons jumped out to a quick start in both halves in that game. They also found a career game by Kent native Cameron Black when the 6-foot-10 center scored 18 and grabbed nine rebounds.  

Pre-game warmups at the Stroh Center at Bowling Green

The Flashes have spent lots of time talking about defending Black in the post, and really about handling the Bowling Green size as a whole.

With an potential change in the starting lineup, Kent State could lose a bit of size to open this one. We’ll see if they still use Chris Ortiz to guard the 6-foot-7 Spencer Parker in the three or if Ortiz slides down to the four. 

Bowling Green relies of course on its starting five for just about all of its production. In the last meeting, the Kent State bench outscored the Falcons 45-2. That was also the first game back from injury for Craig Sealey, who was 1-for-6 from the field with two rebounds in 12 minutes and put up all of the numbers for the Falcons reserves. The BGSU bench accounted for five points and no rebounds in a loss at Miami on Feb. 23 and just four points and sxi rebounds in a Feb. 20 loss to Toledo. 

Both of those games were close, though, so this team has not given up on head coach Louis Orr. The Falcons only lost 60-58 to Toledo after BGSU stormed back from a 39-23 halftime deficit to and held the Rockets to just 21 second-half points.

Remember that Derek Jackson had a big game in the last meeting with the Falcons, coming off of the bench to score 25 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including 5-of-7 from three. He also had four rebounds and two steals. Manley added 14, also off of the bench.

Bowling Green has been a difficult place for Kent State teams in the past. The Flashes only two visits to the Stroh Center have not gone well… Losing 70-55 last year and 74-58 two years ago. Neither game was close. 

Both Stroh and old Anderson Arena, to me, are places where the tide always seems to turn. When Kent State was going well, as they were in 2008 when they cracked the top 25 a few days earlier, it was embarrassed by Bowling Green at Anderson. When things weren’t going so well for some teams, Anderson was a place where the Flashes got themselves back on track.

I felt good about Kent State’s chances heading into the last two visits here at the Stroh Center, and the Flashes weren’t competitive in either. With a younger group that capable of going through growing pains on any given night, it’s almost comforting not to feel as confident tonight.

Live Blog: Kent State Men's Basketball vs. Buffalo

SECOND HALF

FINAL ... Kent State 78, Buffalo 69

KSU briefly cut the lead to 5 points on threes by Brewer and Manley separated by just seven seconds thanks to a turnover in full-court pressure. But a three-point play by McCrea on the other end ... after officials missed a three-second call that was more like eight seconds on Regan ... helped to secure the win.

McCrea led the way with 31 points and 11 rebounds. He was 13-for-16 from the foul line while Kent State as a team was just 8-for-17.

Kellon Thomas played well again for the Flashes, scoring 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting. He also had four assists and no turnovers in 30 minutes.

Kris Brewer led four Flashes in double figures with 16 points. Manley added 11 and Jackson scored 10.


3:55 ... Kent State's coaches are furious with the officials, who missed two clear turnovers by Buffalo ... out of bounds on a trap in front of the Bulls bench and no call, and then an obvious travel.

Some of the calls against Buffalo have been head-scratchers as well, though. Both teams have reason to be frustrated with Jim Schipper, Bryan Anslinger or Dave Cronin today.

4:54 ... A Will Regan three may be an early dagger after KSU found some life with an old-fashioned three-point play that drew foul No. 4 on McCrea. Now a 67-56 Buffalo lead.


7:48 ... Buffalo lead is 61-51 as Kent State's offense continues to struggle. Just four points since the Manley three put Kent State up 47-45 with 13:33 to play.


11:39 ... A Dev Manley three from the right corner gave Kent State a brief 47-46 lead, but Buffalo has answered with a 7-0 run to take a 53-47 advantage.

McCrea picked up his third foul on a Goodson drive just 10 seconds after the charge call. But instead of attacking McCrea and trying to pick up No. 4, the Flashes have settled for all perimeter jumpers. Senderoff spending much of this time-out talking to the Flashes about attacking McCrea ... who has now checked out. With Senderoff calling this timeout, the under-12 media timeout is still to come at the next break, so McCrea is likely to check right back in after a short rest.



14:50 ... Kellon Thomas stood his ground to draw a charge on McCrea and stop a fast break just before this timeout.

The Flashes looked a little sluggish coming out of the half. But a Kris Brewer three to answer a Joshua Freelove three has cut the Bulls lead to 43-40. That combined with the Kellon Thomas play on defense seems to have reenergized the Flashes.

FIRST HALF

HALF ... Buffalo leads Kent State, 33-32

Some shaky officiating has put Kent State in a bind. A very week call saddled Mark Henniger with his third foul late in the first half. Khaliq Spicer already had two. That forced KSU to go with true freshman Marquiez Lawrence against probably the best player in the league, and McCrea took advantage.

McCrea has 16 points and six rebounds, and all after an 0-for-5 start that saw him do very little in the game's first 10 minutes. He is good enough. When officials give him every call, they make him pretty hard to stop.

Jackson has seven points on 3-for-4 shooting to lead Kent State.

Flashes led 29-27 in Buffalo earlier this year, but an awful first seven minutes allowed Buffalo to take complete control of that one. Let's see how KSU comes out in this second half.


3:27 ... Buffalo has battled back to tie the game at 24-24 as McCrea has been getting deep touches inside against the KSU bigs. He has made his last three shots and is also 3-for-3 from the line. Nine points after going 0-for-5 to start.

7:43 ... Kent State offense has started to stagnate a bit in the last few minutes, and that has allowed Buffallo to cut the lead to 19-12.

McCrea missed his first six shots before finally getting on the board with a layup during this mini spurt.

This is the first game where we've seen the Flashes make an effort to try to work the ball in to Khaliq Spicer in the post.


11:18 ... Flashes lead is 14-5 as defense has been the key to this fast start.

Buffalo is just 2-for-12 from the field as Kent State's rotation and hustle on the defensive end has been as good as we've seen all season long.

McCrea is 0-for-3 from the field with a turnover and one assist to start this one.

Flashes are 6-for-13 overall, but have missed last four shots from three. Early shots from beyond arc came on good inside-out action or extra pass. Since then, most of the threes have been flat-footed or early in the shot clock.

15:52 ... A good start for Kent State, leading 8-2 with Derek Jackson heading to the foul line to try to convert a three-point play coming out of this timeout.

The Flashes jumped out 6-0 on back-to-back threes by Kellon Thomas and Darren Goodson to open the game. Good job of penetrating and kicking by Derek Jackson to set up the Thomas three, and then the extra pass by Thomas on the Goodson three.

Good job on McCrea early as Spicer's length has had an impact.

Buffalo just 1-of-6 from the field to start.

PREGAME

11:20 a.m. … A big game for Kent State today in the hopes of continuing to build momentum heading into March.

Buffalo and Kent State are the two hottest teams in the Mid-American Conference East Division in the month of February, both at 4-2 while Akron and Ohio University have struggled a bit with their 3-3 marks this month.

For the Flashes to win their fourth in a row, containing Javon McCrea is obviously a huge key. McCrea was more of a distributor for the Bulls in this year’s previous meeting in Amherst, N.Y., and while he didn’t dominate as he has in previous meetings, he still had an impact while stepping aside for teammate Will Regan to lead the way with in a 25-point, 10-rebound performance. McCrea finished with 12 points and seven rebounds in 36 minutes.

As Regan proved in that game, the Bulls are more than just the Javon McCrea show. KSU also needs to worry about players like transfer two-guard Joshua Freelove, who is coming off of a 21-point night in a 96-90 win over Akron on Wednesday. Three Bulls scored 20 or more in that one, including a 20-point, 13-rebound game by McCrea and 20 by guard Jarod Oldham, who was 8-of-9 from the field in scoring his 20.

Oldham is usually a pass-first point guard, but at 6-foot-3 he has length to take away the advantage Kris Brewer often finds against opposing MAC point guards. Kellon Thomas will likely open up with the assignment on Oldham, who is No. 2 in the MAC in assists at 5.3 per game and has a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Oldham is pretty much a drive-first scorer. He has only made 11 jumpers all season long. 

Derek Jackson draws Freelove, a fifth-year transfer who along with Regan is the team’s most dangerous perimeter threat. Freelove has already attempted 126 threes this year, and half of Regan’s shots from the four spot have come from beyond the arc.

KSU has managed to get hot from long distance during this winning streak, but the Flashes can’t just rely on the three in today’s game. The play has to go inside first to either set up the three or finish strong at the basket. The Flashes played well in the first half at Buffalo in taking a lead after 20 minutes, then started to settle a bit in the second half. Hopefully they’ll be patient enough to turn the offense over and not just hoist up the first shot. 

Defensively, the Flashes will need to stop the ball early in transition, locate shooters and have the bigs beat McCrea down the floor and keep him from getting deep touches early in the possession. Khaliq Spicer, Chris Ortiz, Mark Henniger and KSU’s bigs can’t just sit behind McCrea and let him get simple touches. They have to make him work hard, and then get help as soon as McCrea puts the ball on the floor.

Live Blog: Kent State Men's Basketball at Miami University

SECOND HALF

FINAL ... Kent State 75, Miami 63

Brewer finishes with 28 points on 7-for-7 shooting.

Dev Manley added 15 on 5-of-8 from the arc.

KSU was 15-for-26 as a team on threes


3:31 ... Kent State leads 68-52 and trying to protect the lead by running clock and not running much of an offense.

The Flashes are caught in that awkward area of trying to shorten the game while avoiding taking the foot too far off of the gas. The way they've dominated this one, I'd say keep doing the things that they've been doing. Close it out strong.


6:56 ... The Kent State lead is 64-46 with Mark Henniger heading to the foul line trying to convert a retro three that will be the Flashes' first free throw attempt of the night. Miami has attempted 21.

Before that, Brewer drilled yet another three with Miami's Willie Moore draped all over him late in the shot clock.

Brewer is now 7-for-7 from three ... Kent State is 14-for-21 as a team.

Henniger hit the free throw, by the way, to go up 65-46.


11:59 ... Brewer is sizzling... 6-for-6 from three-point range with the last one coming at the shot-clock buzzer. Inbound came with 4 seconds and Brewer coming off a double screen at the top of the circle. He rose with two defenders on him and couldn't have found the rim until he reached the top of his shot. Nothing but net.

It is now 52-34 Kent State.

Flashes are 12-of-20 from three as Manley has added two more threes this half.

Coming out of the timeout, an offensive rebound and putback by Spicer has Kent State up 54-34.



16:58 ... Kris Brewer has stayed hot, rattling home another three from the top on a nice drive and kick by Jackson. Brewer is now 4-for-4.

Add in a Spicer two-handed dunk on a great feed from Ortiz and Miami forced to call timeout. Flashes lead 35-24.

FIRST HALF

HALFTIME: Kent State 28, Miami 22

Kent State has outplayed Miami in just about every phase, but only has a six-point lead. A few too many turnovers are part of the reason. While both have 10 turnovers, Miami has turned those errors into 12 points compared to just five by Kent State.

It has pretty much been the Kris Brewer and Derek Jackson show on offense for the Golden Flashes.

Brewer has 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting including a perfect 3-for-3 from the three-point arc. He has made seven of last eight dating back to Saturday's win over Central Michigan.

Jackson is hot as well. He has 10 points on 4-of-6 from the field and 2-of-3 from three-point range.

The rest of the Flashes have combined for just seven points.

Will Sullivan has five points to lead Miami, but he has actually been quiet. Those five points came on just two shots, both in a one quick stretch midway through the first half.

While Brewer and Jackson are scorching the nets, there is still room for both to up their games in the second half. Neither has an assist, but Brewer has three turnovers and Jackson has one.


3:39 ... A blocked shot by Khaliq Spicer leading to an open three by Derek Jackson on the other end has helped the Flashes answer the mini run by Miami.

Kellon Thomas made the extra pass to assist for the second time on a Jackson three. Flashes lead is 24-18.


4:43 ... Rob Senderoff calls timeout as the Flashes have lost a little bit of momentum from missing opportunities on the offensive end and allowing them to turn into easy baskets for Miami on the other end.

Flashes still hold a 21-18 lead.

Brewer has stayed hot. He is now 4-for-5 from the field and 3-for-3 from three-point range.


6:49 ... The Flashes have stayed hot from three since the opening four minutes. Add a Jackson three from the left corner on a perfect setup by Kellon Thomas, drawing the defender with penetration, and a wide-open layup from Mark Henniger, who slipped a screen, and Kent State's lead is 18-11.

It was 18-9 before a layup by Will Felder put the RedHawks' most dangerous player in the scorebook for the first time. It took him 13 minutes to get his first points. Will Sullivan, the RedHawks only real three-point threat, has yet to attempt a shot.


11:27 ... Two threes by Kris Brewer and one by Dev Manley have Kent State ahead 11-6 at this timeout.

Going back to Saturday's win over the Chippewas, Kris Brewer has hit six of his last seven threes. The junior is starting to heat up when the Flashes need a late-season run.

15:52 ... It took Miami almost four minutes to get its first points of they game on a transition bucket by Geovonie McKnight.

Thanks to a 1-for-8 start by Kent State, the game is still just tied at 2-2.

KSU getting better looks than Miami, though. RedHawks offense is stagnant.

PREGAME

6:20 p.m. ... Tonight's officials are Bo Boroski, Todd Von Sossan and Dan Nowakowski.

This will be the first time we've seen Boroski this season. After spending many years as a fixture in the Mid-American Conference, his schedule is now mostly Big Ten games. He is still works some MAC games, however, along with some Missouri Valley and Horizon League.


6:05 p.m. ... As always tonight's game will be broadcast on WHLO 640 AM. The internet simulcast will be on the station's iHeartRadio channel.

Head coach Rob Senderoff and play-by-play
voice Ty Linder record tonight's pre-game interview

Kent State's women's basketball game vs. Buffalo at the M.A.C. Center will be on the Golden Flashes iHeartRadio network.

Ty Linder and I will be calling the action here at Miami University. I've been enjoying doing the color commentary for the last two seasons of Kent State men's basketball. This is something I always wanted to do when I was growing up. My first love was always writing, however, so that's the career I pursued, spending the first 20-plus years of my professional career as a sportswriter at the Record-Courier.

Since coming to work at Kent State as director of new media, I've had a chance to do more and more radio. It's a skill I'm hoping to improve. I'm not close to retirement age yet, but I've already started thinking about the possibility of staying active even after I stop working full-time. I can't think of anything more fun than staying on as a color commentator after I retire. I keep thinking of my mom who probably works more now than she did before she retired from her career because she is working as an artist. Watching her is a reminder that staying active with the things you love can keep you young.


5:35 p.m. … Players are on the floor at Millett Hall here at Miami University.

Gold uniforms tonight for the first time in a while for those who like to keep track.

Darren Goodson works with assistant coach Eric Haut
prior to tonight's game at Millett Hall in Oxofrd

Kent State hopes to win three straight for the first time since its six-game winning streak stretched from mid-November to the first day of December.

Miami, meanwhile, is on a four-game losing streak after winning four-of-five in MAC play from mid-January to early February. 

Millett Hall shouldn’t provide much of a significant home-court advantage considering the RedHawks have not drawn more than 1,448 for a MAC home game this season. Their largest crowd this season was the opener against Wilmington when they announced a crowd of 1,932.

The biggest concern tonight has to be 6-foot-7 senior Will Felder at the five spot. Kent State hopes the combination of Khaliq Spicer’s length and Mark Henniger’s craftiness can make it difficult for Felder to match the 14.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game he is averaging.

Felder is a big body down low who works hard and finds ways to get to the foul line, where he is 75-for-92 (82-percent this season). The Golden Flashes bigs will need to match the effort of Felder, who runs the floor hard in transition for easy baskets. He is also a good shooter to around 17 feet.

There are only two true three-point threats on this Miami team in Will Sullivan, an energetic 6-foot-3 junior who is shooting the three at a 45-percent clip. The length of Chris Ortiz starting at the three could make it harder for him to spot up for easy looks from the arc. Backup Jaryd Eustace, a 6-foot-7 native of Australia, will play everything from the one to the five coming off the bench. He shoots the three at 35 percent. Everyone else is under 30 percent.

Miami has some athletes, though. While point guard Quenten Rollins has yet to make a three this season (0-for-3), he is quick and active, and along with backcourt mate Geovonie McKnight, he is a terrific defender. Miami is a threat in large part because Rollins, McKnight and Sullivan love to gamble and create turnovers. The RedHawks play a scrappy man-to-man that is No. 15 in the country and No. 1 in the MAC in creating steals. Those lead to transition baskets as Rollins and McKnight both look to push the ball coast-to-coast for layups.

Kent State's team during film study today
at 2:45 p.m. in the team hotel in Oxford

The Flashes need to protect the basketball. When the RedHawks don’t create turnovers, they give up buckets. Their defensive three-point and two-point percentages are among the worst in the country. Driving and kicking and feeding the post against Miami’s small front court will be big keys for Kent State.

This is a big one. Both teams 5-7 in MAC play, and neither wants to go on the road for a first-round game in the MAC Tournament.

5:05 p.m. … This visit to Oxford seems like more of a business trip than previous road trips this season. There is a little less levity on the bus. There is nowhere near as much background chatter as players are quiet and focused, reading scouting reports during meals or while sitting around the team hotel.

I don’t want to predict how that will translate to the play on the court tonight, but I have enjoyed the shift in atmosphere. I don’t think it is due as much to players feeling a sense of urgency late in the year as finally understanding what the coaching staff has tried to impress on them since day one … that there is a businesslike approach to winning basketball games at the Division I level. 

Some growing up needed to take place, and I think that is starting to happen with several key players. We are even seeing some change in leadership roles as younger players are taking over more and more minutes. 

Live Blog: Kent State Men's Basketball vs. Central Michigan, take 2

SECOND HALF

FINAL ... Kent State 83, Central Michigan 75

Kellon Thomas was solid from the foul line in the final minutes and bust-out layups by Chris Ortiz and Kris Brewer helped the Flashes hold off Central.

Five Golden Flashes scored in double figures led by Thomas and Ortiz, who both finished with career highs with 17-point nights.

Add in 14 by Brewer, who broke out of a slump by going 5-for-7 from the field and 4-for-5 from the arc, another 13 by Derek Jackson, who also grabbed seven rebounds, and 10 points by Henniger, who was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, and the Flashes found contributions from all over the lineup.

Chris Fowler was outstanding for Central, scoring 19 points. Hibbitts and Rayson added 12 points each while Simons finished with 11.


3:49 ... Central Michigan has called timeout after a Simons three trimmed the Kent State lead to 65-56. The Flashes scrambled nicely early in the possession, but then lost track of Simons in the left corner.

Just before that Central three, a steal and fast-break layup by Derek Jackson had the Flashes up by 12.


5:01 ... Chris Ortiz has a career high with 15 points after spinning in a flip with the left hand on a hard drive down the lane.

Earlier, Ortiz and Brewer hit back-to-back threes as the Flashes kicked the lead back out to double digits.

At the moment it is 63-53 and the Flashes have the basketball.

7:48 ... Kent State is starting to regain control.

Brewer with another three now has nine points on 3-for-4 shooting, all from beyond the arc.

Add a retro three-point play by a driving Thomas and the Flashes have kicked the lead back out to 55-48.


10:51 ... Back-to-back threes by Ortiz and Brewer have answered a Central run. The Chippewas led by three. It is now Kent State 49-43.

Brewer made the extra pass on the first three by Ortiz, finding the hot hand. Ortiz now leads all scorers with 10 on 4-of-5 shooting, 2-for-2 from three.

Mark Henniger has also helped Kent State handle this run, keeping possessions alive with a couple of rebounds. He has 8 points on 4-for-4 from the field.


13:46 ... The poor play of the second half continues as Central's 15-4 run has the Chippewas in the lead at 41-39 following a transition three by Hibbitts.

Flashes have made 2-of-7 to star the second half while the Chippewas have hit 5-of-6.

15:30 ... All of the life we saw from Kent State in the game's first 20 minutes has been absent in the opening 4:30 of the second half.

A 10-2 run by Central, with Fowler heading to the line after this timeout, has Central within three at 39-36. Fowler free throws likely to pull it even closer.

Too many turnovers, some quick shots, and some flat-footed defense.

Similar start to the second half as last week in Mount Pleasant as Kent State was in control only to watch it slip away.

FIRST HALF

HALFTIME ... Kent State leads 35-26

The Flashes shot it at a 61-percent clip in the first half (14-for-23, including 4-of-10 from three-point range) in the first half and could easily lead by more if not for some loose play in the final five minutes of the half.

After struggling with full-court pressure in Mount Pleasant last week, KSU has had no difficulties with the press tonight. All of KSU's four turnovers have come in the half court tonight.

The sophomores have been fantastic. Kellon Thomas, Chris Ortiz and Khaliq Spicer are a combined 7-for-10 from the field with 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 0 turnovers so far tonight.

Ortiz leads the Flashes with 7 points on 3-for-4 shooting (1-of-1 from the arc). His 3 rebounds also lead the team. Thomas has 6 points (3-for-5). Derek Jackson has 5 points, making just one of his four shots from the field, but he has 4 assists and 2 steals.

Central Michigan's Chris Fowler leads all scorers with 8 points. The Chippewas are making just 31 percent of their shots (9-of-29) and 25 percent of their threes (3-for-12).

KSU was in a good position last time, winning by seven points at the half and then struggled early in the second half.


2:49 ... Central has cut a 13-point Kent State lead down to 30-22.

Hate to have a sloppy couple of minutes unravel all of the good things the Flashes have done in this first half... and just like that Chris Ortiz answers with a three from the right corner.


6:20 ... Flashes lead is 26-15 after a Manley transition three on a Jackson steal, that followed by a Thomas mid-range jumper.

Chippewas forced to take timeout.

Flashes are 11-for-16 from the field and now 3-of-7 from three-point range after Jackson and Manley hit from long range.

That's 68.8-percent shooting overall ... and KSU is off to the hot start Ty Linder was praying for prior to the start of tonight's game.

Thomas is 3-for-4 with 2 rebounds and an assist from the point guard spot.

10:10 ... Flashes are just 1-for-5 from three-point range. They are 5-for-6 from inside the arc, though, and have a 14-12 lead.


15:36 ... Kent State leads 4-3 at the first media timeout, and already Khaliq Spicer is having an impact.

Spicer has two blocked shots and he has drawn two fouls on the offensive end. He missed his first two free throws, but will head back to the line after this timeout.

The Flashes are attacking the 2-3 zone, taking just one three on the game's very first possession. Since then, Thomas has a driving layup and Ortiz has drilled a 12-footer.

Kris Brewer and Mark Henniger checking in to the game.

Simons drilled a three from the left corner on Central's firs possession... Since then the Chippewas have missed five straight shots ... thanks in large part to Spicer's defense.

PREGAME

5:58 p.m. ... Remember, you can listen to tonight's game live on WHLO 640 AM or online on iHeartRadio's Golden Flashes Station.

Questions or comments for Ty Linder or for me, post here or tweet @CarducckiKSU and we will discuss on the air.

We are live .... now!


5:51 p.m. ... The lineups have been posted on the M.A.C. Center scoreboard.

Derek Jackson returns to the starting lineup that includes senior Darren Goodson and the sophomore triumvirate of Thomas, Ortiz and Spicer.

Remember, Spicer played only the first five minutes at Central Michigan last week after injuring his wrist earlier that day in practice. Having his size and athleticism inside could make life difficult for Central bigs John Simons and Blake Hibbitts at least on the defensive end. Look for the Flashes to try to attack the paint.


4:25 p.m. ... Kent State has spent much of the last two days working on breaking full-court pressure.

Difficulties against the press, especially early in the second half last week, were a big reason the Golden Flashes suffered a 78-73 overtime loss to Central Michigan last week in Mount Pleasant, Mich.

The Chippewas used man-to-man and 1-2-1-1 pressure against Kent State in that game. But in their two losses to Buffalo and Northern Illinois since then, they have mixed in a 1-3-1. The Huskies found an easy solution to that 1-3-1 look that the Flashes expect to see tonight. KSU also believes it has found some answers to the pressure that created so many problems in the previous meeting.

Expect Rob Senderoff to start at least three sophomores for the third consecutive game with Kellon Thomas, Chris Ortiz and Khaliq Spicer. All three are growing and giving the Flashes a better chance to win now while also allowing the program to develop for the future.

I talked with Senderoff about that group of young players earlier today, and you can read what he had to say in the Kent State Men’s Basketball Blog by clicking here.

If the Flashes can find another spark from whatever veterans come off of the bench, they should have a good chance of avenging last week’s loss to the Chipewas. Led by Derek Jackson, KSU’s bench outscored Bowling Green’s 45-2 on Wednesday night here at the M.A.C. Center.

Other than the potential tweak of adding a 1-3-1 full-court pressure, Central Michigan shouldn’t be much different than the team we saw in Mount Pleasant. It is still a team that likes to score inside with penetration from the guards while the bigs stand on the perimeter and try to pump in jump shots.

Central’s 6-8 forward John Simons connected on 6-of-11 from three-point range in a 22-point, 11-rebound performance against KSU last week. The Flashes have to find Simons tonight when Chris Fowler, Braylon Rayson and Austin Stewart decide to penetrate and kick. 

Derek Jackson is of course a former Chippewa, and you know he doesn’t want to go down twice in one season to his old school. Against Central earlier this year he was a fine 4-for-9 from the field and 3-for-8 from the arc in scoring 12 points. Jackson is coming off of a brilliant 25-point performance off of the bench against Bowling Green. 

Senderoff hasn’t said yet whether or not he plans to bring Jackson off of the bench again or trust that he’ll bring the same effort if reinstated to his usual starting spot. Knowing the superstitious nature of KSU’s coaching staff, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jackson in a sixth-man role again tonight. 

If Jackson is the sixth man again, then Devareaux Manley would be the primary candidate to return to the starting lineup. It was Manley who hit the game-winning three on Saturday. There are not many other options. Devin Carter did not play well given the chance to start against Bowling Green. K.K. Simmons didn’t see the floor in that game, and Kris Brewer continued a shooting slump that has seen him go a combined 2-for-20 from the field in his last two games. 

Tip-off is an hour early. We look forward to seeing you at the M.A.C. Center.

Live Blog: Kent State Men's Basketball vs. Bowling Green

SECOND HALF

FINAL ... Kent State 62, Bowling Green 61

Dev Manley drills a three from the left corner to give the Flashes a win in another home thriller.

Just nine seconds earlier Manley appeared to make a critical mistake after missing a three in a tie game and then fouling Bowling Green's Spencer Parker on the baseline. Parker hit two free throws to put the Falcons on top by two.

Brewer missed a drive racing to the other end with three seconds to go, but Henniger kept the ball alive, giving the Flashes another chance.

Manley took advantage of that chance, atoning for his earlier mistake by drilling the three in front of the KSU bench with 0.9 seconds.

BGSU did not get a shot off in that final second.


0:57.3 ... KSU and BGSU are tied, 59-59 and the Flashes have called timeout with 20 seconds on the shot clock.

Two beautiful possessions leading to a layup and a dunk both by Henniger briefly gave Kent State one-point leads. We are tied after BGSU's Jehvon Clarke split a pair of free throws.

3:54 ... Jackson hits two free throws to cut a 5-point BGSU lead to three, then steals the inbound pass for an easy layup. He has 25 and Flashes down just 56-55.

Whale of a game for Jackson... Updated numbers 8-for-11 from field, 5-of-7 from three, 4-for-5 from line, four rebounds, two steals in 31 minutes.

7:50 ... Kent State can't quite get over the hump. In the last few minutes, the Flashes have had several possessions with a deficit of just a point.

They'll have another opportunity coming out of this timeout ... and Dev Manley misses a three.


11:58 ... Derek Jackson's 21 points has Kent State in this one, trailing 47-44.

Jackson is 7-of-9 from the field and 5-of-6 from three. He is also sprinting back on defense to break up Falcons fast breaks and leading the Flashes in rebounding as well with four.


16:00 ... Another slow start to a half has been answered by Kent State ... this answer coming a little earlier.

The Falcons jumped out to a 13-point lead early, only to have Kent State race back behind two Thomas layups, shielding off bigger defenders on both, and a Jackson three pointer. The second layup by Thomas came on a fast break set up by a ridiculous behind-the-back block by Khaliq Spicer. It was actually a behind-the-back block, twisting in the air to adjust to the shot and slapping the blocked shot ahead to start the break.

Derek Jackson is now 5-for-6 from the field and 4-for-5 from three.

FIRST HALF

HALFTIME ... Bowling Green 35, Kent State 27

A poor finish to has undone some of the good work the Golden Flashes did from the 15-minute to the 5-minute mark of the first half.

Derek Jackson had a brilliant first half off of the bench for Kent State, scoring 13 points on 4-for-5 shooting, including 3-of-4 from three-point range.

Kris Brewer's shooting woes continue, however. After a 1-for-10 night at Eastern Michigan, the junior point guard is 1-for-7 tonight. He does have three assists and no turnovers, however, and was on the floor for the Flashes' big comeback.

Jehvon Clarke and Cameron Black lead Bowling Green with 10 points. The Falcons as expected have attacked inside, outscoring Kent State 22-8 in the paint.

Turnovers are an issue again for Kent State ... 12 of them so far leading to 14 of Bowling Green's points. Fortunately, the Falcons have been just as careless with the basketball. Their 12 turnovers have led to 10 Kent State points.

The Golden Flashes' bench has outscored BGSU's 18-2.


4:00 ... We apologize to everyone listening at home.

We are having all kinds of troubles with tonight's broadcast. One of the team's managers accidentally kicked out the our broadcast line earlier tonight, shredding it and bumping us off of the air.

Fortunately Ty Linder knows how to play MacGyver. He fixed the line using some chewing gum, red-rope licorice and an old Mountain Dew bottle cap.


8:00 ... Derek Jackson scored 13 points in just four minutes to lead a furious Kent State run that put the Flashes back into the lead at 23-22.

A Brewer jumper from about 10 feet gave the Flashes the lead and ended an 0-for-4 start for the Flashes point guard. Hopefully that gets him going after going 1-for-10 vs. Eastern on Saturday.

11:58 ... The Falcons jumped out to a 13-0 start before Kent State's bench brought some energy with an 8-2 run.

The Flashes' young lineup struggled in the first five minutes missing all of its first eight shots. Since then, veterans have come in and answered by making four of last six. 

It's now 19-12. Derek Jackson broke the drought with a three at 14:45, and Manley added another three. A steal and dunk by Jackson continued the run. Jackson has brought nice energy challenged with coming off of the bench. 

PREGAME

6:59 p.m. ... Mike Sanzere is apparently the new in-house official for the M.A.C. Center. The NFL referee is back in the house tonight in an officiating crew that includes Mike Sanzere and Bryan Anslinger.


6:49 p.m. ... The starting lineup has been announced at its the youngest I can remember for Kent State.

Four sophomores get the start tonight with Kellon Thomas at point guard, Devin Carter at the two, Chris Ortiz at the three and Khaliq Spicer at center. Senior Darren Goodson rounds out the starting lineup.


4:33 p.m. ... The Golden Flashes are back at home again, and just like they were the last time they were in the M.A.C. Center to host an East Division rival, they are in need of a win.

Back-to-back losses at Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan last week could lead to more changes in the starting lineup as Rob Senderoff continues to try to build towards next season and beyond by playing his underclassmen.

I've received several emails over the last month asking why players like sophomores Khaliq Spicer and Chris Ortiz and freshman Marquiez Lawrence were not playing more. The answer is that Senderoff was building those minutes for quite some time now.

It's hard to take a player like Spicer and jump his minutes from 10 minutes per game right to 25 or 30 minutes. The increases have come in stages. The minutes for Spicer, Ortiz and Kellon Thomas have been steadily going up since the start of the Mid-American Conference season, with only some blips on the radar like Spicer playing just five minutes at Central Michigan. Of course, that was due to injury. Thomas would have played much more than 19 minutes at Eastern on Saturday if not for early foul trouble.

Lawrence is also closing in on more playing time thanks to his enthusiasm and hustle, as is sophomore Devin Carter. In fact, Lawrence probably would have played significantly more against Eastern Michigan if the Eagles were not a difficult zone team.

Bowling Green used to be all zone under Louis Orr, who like Eastern Michigan's Rob Murphy is part of the family tree of zone-aficianado Jim Boeheim. Now the Falcons are about 70-percent man-to-man. They still play the 2-3, trapping the corner after the first pass, but usually they are a solid man team picking up in the half court. Add in the fact tha Jehvon Clarke and Anthony Henderson are ranked No. 2 and 4 in the MAC in steals and the Falcons' defense creates some challenges, especially for a young team like the one Kent State will put on the parquet floor tonight.

When Kent State is on defense, the focus will be on defending the paint and getting back in transition. The Falcons score 60 percent of their points inside the three-point arc, which ranks them No. 11 in the country. No team in the MAC scores more in the paint than the Falcons, who will post up 6-foot-8 forward Richaun Holmes (14.2 points per game), 6-7 wing Spencer Parker (12.5 per game) and 6-10 Kent Roosevelt High School grad Cameron Black (5.6 per game). Clarke and Henderson are averaging 12.1 and 11.1 points per game, respectively. Both are 6-foot-1 and love to score in transition.

Bowling Green hasn't been getting much from its bench, so Kent State needs to have an advantage in its second unit. The Flashes should expect production off the bench considering most of tonight's backups were starters earlier in the season, and many of those players are averaging or have averaged double-digit points. But that group has been sent to the bench for  a reason. They'll need to prove they deserve more minutes in the second half of the MAC season.

Live Blog: Kent State Men's Basketball at Eastern Michigan

SECOND HALF

FINAL ... Eastern Michigan 70, Kent State 53

The Eagles have ended a 17-game losing streak against Kent State.


1:11 ... Kent State is going to lose this one ... down 66-51 with 1:11 to play ... but the spark provided by the youngsters needs to force some veterans to take more ownership.

Some veterans have not been locked in. Their minutes have been going down already as the sophomores have been playing more and more. Now some seniors and juniors are going to have to find ways to up their production with fewer minutes.


3:19 ... The youngsters cut the lead to 56-49 after a Jackson steal led to a Johnson layup.

Eastern has answered a bit and leads 59-49. Flashes need a stop.

The problem now is that the youngsters who have changed the game and provided some momentum have expended quite a bit of energy in last five minutes... The veterans have to start filtering in. Can they keep up the momentum?


6:46 ... Young lineup has outscored Eastern Michigan 8-1 with a chance for more after Eastern Michigan whistled for an intentional foul. Officials changed to intentional after going to monitor.

Now 9-1 after Ortiz goes 1-for-2 from the line. Flashes inbound under basket.

Four sophomores and one junior still even after Thomas subbed in at the point for Simmons. Thomas came up with a quick steal after entering the game, leading to the fast break that turned into the intentional foul on Ortiz attacking the basket.


8:19 ... Kent State going younger and younger as the veterans have done very little.

Lineup now has four sophomores in Dev Carter, Ortiz, Spicer and Simmons along with a junior in Jackson.

That group has trimmed four points off of a 20-point Eastern lead. Now 55-39.

11:23 ... Another long drought. Kent State has just two points during an ugly stretch since the 17:23 mark and is now down 53-34.

The run is 18-2.


15:49 ... The youngsters cut the Eastern Michigan lead to three points with a 7-0 run to start the second half.

It turned, however, when the veterans entered the game. Eastern has pushed the lead back to 43-32 as the Flashes are settling for poor, contested threes after attacking the inside of the zone in the early going of this half.

FIRST HALF

HALFTIME ... Kent State trails 35-25 despite shooting it at a respectable 45.5 percent (10-for-22). Most of those misses came during a scoring drought that lasted more than seven minutes.

Two Dev Manley threes have helped. He has eight points and has played well off of the bench.

Derek Jackson has seven points. He has been aggressive at both ends.

Unforced turnovers have killed the Flashes with most of them coming on the inability to catch passes on the baseline against the Eastern Zone.

In all, the Flashes have eight turnovers. Seven of those came very early in the game.

The Flashes have not done a good job of stopping the penetration of Eastern Michigan's guards. Combs has 12 points off of the Eastern bench, going 5-for-7 from the field. Raven Lee has nine.

The Eagles guards are playing one-on-one ball, and when they get by the defender, the help has been inconsistent. Spicer does have two blocked shots, and he drew a charge on Eastern's last possession to keep the deficit at 10.

Eagles are shooting it at a 56-percent clip (14-for-25) including 4-of-8 from three-point range.

The Flashes are 3-for-10 from three with Manley at 2-for-4 and Jackson at 1-for-2.


3:12 ... A jumper by Manley finally ended the Kent State drought of a little over seven minutes.

Manley also drilled a three from the left wing that has helped to keep Kent State in the game.

Spicer has checked back in and blocked a shot leading to a three-on-one break that ended with a Manley missed three just before this time out. Spicer kept the play alive hustling for the offensive rebound that tipped out of bounds off of an Eastern player.

Need to score out of this timeout to cut the Eastern lead inside double digits and hopefully end this half with some momentum.


7:28 ... Kent State hasn't scored in 6:19 and trails 23-12.

Khaliq Spicer has missed two entry passes, possibly due to the injured right wrist. He has not checked back in after leaving the floor early.

The Flashes are looking for a spark with Marquiez Lawrence on the floor. The freshman is at least talking on defense and has blocked a shot in his first minute on the floor.

10:44 ... The Flashes are shooting a fine 5-for-9 from the floor ... and that was 5-for-7 before Kris Brewer missed back-to-back threes.

Five turnovers are killing Kent State early, however.

Eastern is 9-for-15 ... six more shots with no turnovers and the game's only two second-chance points.

Eagles lead is 20-12.


15:27 ... Poor defense is a big reason Kent State finds itself down 11-6 at the first media timeout.

The Flashes are letting both Lee and Talley get to the rim. Lee also has an NBA three off of an inbounds play.

Three early turnovers also on offense as two Darren Goodson passes have been hard to handle on the baseline for Chris Ortiz and Khaliq Spicer. 

When the Flashes get shots, they are hitting ... 3-for-4 so far.

PREGAME

1:45 p.m. ... The starting lineups have been posted and Kent State will indeed start what is believed to be its youngest lineup in over a decade.

Chris Ortiz moves into the starting lineup. He will play the three.

That makes three sophomores starting when you include Kellon Thomas at the point and Khaliq Spicer at the five.

Darren Goodson starts at the four and Derek Jackson at the two.

That means Kris Brewer will come off of the bench for the first time this season.


1:40 p.m. ... Officials today are D.J. Carstensen, Todd Van Sossan and Daniel Dorian. Supervisor J.D. Collins is also in the building. He was one of the best we had in the MAC before an injury shortened his career as an official.


1:09 p.m. ... We are less than an hour away from today's tip-off here at EMU. Pregame show on WHLO 640 AM and on iHeart.com will start at 1:30 p.m.

Khaliq Spicer in pre-game at EMU Convocation Center

Khaliq Spicer is hard at work here in pre game and appears to be ready to give it a go. If he is available, we could see one of the youngest starting lineups in the last decade for Kent State men's basketball.


11:52 a.m. ... In case you missed it, Kent State practiced at the Detroit Pistons practice facility on Thursday. I talked with Rob Senderoff about the opportunity yesterday and posted it on the Men's Basketball Blog.

Senderoff's friendship with the Pistons assistant GM helped make that happen. It was a good experience for the guys, seeing the Pistons championship trophies, then getting to practice in a real NBA facility.

Joe Dumars, Henry Bibby and some other Pistons officials were on hand to great the team.

This is the second season for this impressive scoreboard
here at the EMU Convocation Center

11:50 a.m. ... Pregame meal and personnel video on Eastern Michigan is over and the players are getting ready to pack up for the team bus to Eastern Michigan's Convocation Center.

Several of us were at the Convocation Center on Thursday night to watch the women play the Eagles. The arena has a spectacular new scoreboard that is even more impressive than what Buffalo has. With that and a few other upgrades, the Eagles' home is probably the No. 2 facility in the Mid-American Conference behind Toledo's Savage Arena.

After the frustrating second half in Mount Pleasant, Mich., this is an important game for the Golden Flashes, who hope to have Khaliq Spicer back from injury.

Spicer played the first five minutes on Wednesday and couldn't continue after getting hurt in that morning's shoot around at Central Michigan.

My guess based on seeing him at breakfast and the team meeting is that he will give it a go today, but that decision probably won't come until just before tip and he has had an opportunity to go through pre-game to test the injury.

11:33 a.m. ... Who starts for the Golden Flashes against the big and athletic Eagles will be determined by that injury. We could see a change or two even if Khaliq Spicer can start.

After struggling with pressure in the second half of the last two games, Kent State knows Eastern's defense has to be drooling coming into today. The Eagles are known for defense. They will use a 1-2-1-1 diamond press and then a 2-2-1 three-quarter-court press dropping back into their 2-3.

That 2-3 zone is extremely active with guards like Mike Talley and Ray Lee gambling at the top and playing the passing lanes. They like to turn steals into quick offense. Their points off of turnovers are top-25 in the country, more than 20 per game.

The 2-3 leads to poor defensive rebounding. The Eagles are among the worst in the country in that area, so Kent State needs to try be thinking second-chance points, especially if they struggle from the perimeter. Getting Kris Brewer, Derek Jackson, Dev Manley and K.K. Simmons going from the perimeter early would be a plus, but if they aren't hitting, Spicer, Henniger, Ortiz and everyone who plays up front needs to attack the offensive glass.

Talley, Lee and 6-7 forward Karrington Ward are very aggressive in transition. In the half court, pretty much everyone is looking to go 1-on-1. Defense on those players will be key early. The Eagles are streaky, and if they get hot early, they tend to stay hot. If they struggle early, they tend to struggle the entire 40 minutes.

Eastern is more bigger and for the most part more athletic at almost every position, so Kent State's coaches have been preaching staying aggressive and focused for 40 minutes.

Focus has been an issue for this group.

Senderoff and his staff keep using words like "locked in."

Struggling against pressure comes down to being locked in. For those of us who attend practice, we know what the responsibilities are against full-court pressure. Run the baseline, cut hard and and flash when you are supposed to and this team can break pressure easily ... but time after time on Wednesday and late against Akron, players weren't bothering to follow though on those simple assignments. Will they wan tot today? If so, Kent State will find another opportunity to potentially turn its season around. Fail to learn those lessons again and take coaching and it'll be difficult to win.

Live Blog: Kent State Men's Basketball at Central Michigan

OVERTIME 

FINAL – Central Michigan 78, Kent State 73

The Flashes had the ball with 19 seconds to play, down three, but didn't get a shot off after an illegal screen call against Darren Goodson. 

It's a tough time for a call like that. I couldn't see it, so I have to assume that it had to be obvious for Cornell Kincaid to make that call at that point in the game. If it wasn't obvious, the players need to settle the game.

But it shouldn't have come down to that...

The Flashes fouled twice in overtime as Central players drove to the hoop for layups. Two old-fashioned three-point plays were killers.

And the turnovers that turned the game around in the second half. Play with poise against the pressure and you build on a nine-point lead. Instead, that lead gets flipped into an 8-point Central lead in the second half.

SECOND HALF

0:00 ... On to overtime... Fowler missed from 12 feet and Keel missed a tip in with two hands at the buzzer.

0:25 ... Simmons with another three ties it at 61-61

0:43 ... K.K. Simmons drills a three on a nice pass by Kris Brewer, cuts Central lead to 59-58.

Simmons helped with two missed free throws.

3:12 ... Mark Henniger will head to the foul line after this timeout, trying to cut into the 58-54 Central lead.

The Chippewas switched to a 2-3 zone and the Flashes were patient, reversing the ball for a nice entry pass by Jackson in to Henniger, who almost flipped in the lefty hook while drawing the foul.

Central outscoring Kent State 33-22 this half.

3:41 ... Central lead is 58-54 and Kent State calls timeout after giving up a fast-break layup by Braylon Rayson.

Kent State defense has been better in last few minutes in the half court, forcing tough shots.

Goodson has a favorable matchup inside against Hibbitts, getting easy looks after backing down the Central forward. He gave up the ball against Hibbitts in the left post on the last possession however and after a mishandle the Flashes were forced into a long jumper by Jackson at the buzzer, which led to the Central break.

7:41 ... A nightmare of a second half for Kent State so far. Central has turned a nine-point deficit early in the second half to a 55-47 lead.

Fowler playing with much more confidence is starting to take control.

Flashes guards are missing open jumpers, and that's not helping.

11:52 ... Kent State still not cleaning up its play against the press. The Flashes now have 15 turnovers. The Chippewas are turning those miscues into easy points ... The lead for Central is 46-43 and the Chippewas have a 20-6 advantage off of turnovers.

13:40 ... Flashes having trouble with full-court pressure and now down 43-41 after a careless turnover leads to a bustout layup by Braylon Rayson.

15:46 ... Kellon Thomas with a three-pointer to answer three in a row by Central's John Simons.

Threes by Simons are keeping the Chippewas in it... He hit those three from long range after Kent State opened up a nine-point lead.

Derek Jackson continues to cut off every attempt to get to the basket by Fowler, who is still 1-for-8. 

FIRST HALF 

HALFTIME ... Kent State lead is 32-25.

Flashes have their largest lead with a nice finish to the half.

Flashes shooting 58.3 percent from floor (14-for-24) and 33-percent from three (3-for-9)

Derek Jackson has been solid with a game-high nine points. Goodson has just two points, but a team-best four rebounds.

Austin Stewart is 2-for-2 for Central, but the rest of the Chippewas starting lineup is a combined 4-for-23. That includes a 1-for-8 for Fowler against Jackson.

Chippewas are shooting 32-percent from the field (9-for-28).

The lead would be bigger for Kent State if not for some carelessness with the basketball... Nine turnovers in the first half. Central also has nine turnovers, but the Chippewas are outscoring the Flashes 8-4 off of those turnovers.

Kent State dominating the paint, 16-8.

Kris Brewer is 4-for-5 from the field. I really think the addition of Kellon Thomas to the starting lineup is helping Brewer focus a little more on his offense.



3:41 ... Officials are letting a whole lot go ... which is kind of nice.

Central Michigan's guards could be called for an offensive foul on just about every possession for clearing their way to the rim. But Kent State could have been whistled for four or five traveling calls and several fouls in the paint.

KSU lead is 26-23.

Henniger has provided another lift off of the bench. Four points and two offensive rebounds.

7:48 ... Derek Jackson injured, poked in the eye after hitting a short pull-up to put Kent State ahead 22-18.


11:36 ... A hot start offensively for the Flashes, who are shooting 7-for-10 from the field and 2-of-3 from three-point range.

They lead by just two points, however, at 16-14 due to some carelessness with the basketball... Already five turnovers.


13:54 ... Quick timeout after Dev Manley hits a three against 2-3 zone, and the Flashes lead is 12-9.


15:05 ... Central Michigan is up 15:05 at the first media timeout. 

As expected, Chippewas guards are trying to penetrate while the bigs are hanging out at the three-point line. Darren Goodson bumped 6-foot-7 Blake Hibbits on a three in the first few minutes to draw a foul. 

CMU is also pressing after every made basket.

As we break out of the timeout, Derek Jackson knocked down a three from the top for a 9-7 lead.

PREGAME 

6:15  p.m. ... Some bad news ... starting center Khaliq Spicer may not be available tonight for the Golden Flashes. The sophomore suffered an injury in a fall during shoot around earlier today.

He is taped up and on the floor warming up, but his availability will be determined at game time.

The officials tonight: Frank Spencer, Jim Ferrari, Cornell Kincaid.

Kent State is 0-2 with Spencer working games this season, losing to Cleveland State and at Buffalo. This Flashes have won three straight games with Ferrari at the whistle, at home vs. Bowling Green, Buffalo and Central Michigan last season, but this is the first game with him this season. We also have not seen Kincaid this year.


5:46 p.m. ... Kent State and Central Michigan are on the floor getting ready for tonight's game, which can be heard live on WHLO 640 AM and online at the Golden Flashes iHeartRadio channel.

The seating configuration at McGuirk Arena could serve offer a hint at what Kent State could do in a renovation to the M.A.C. Center.

The space Central Michigan had when it turned old Rose Arena into McGuirk Arena is similar to the M.A.C. Center. Actually, we may have more space with which to work in Kent, and that's pretty exciting when you see what Central Michigan has been able to do with limited space in its lower level. While there is a walkway around the arena that is similar to the upper level walkway of the M.A.C. Center, the seating here at McGuirk feels as if it begins at the floor and rises all the way to the back row without a visual break.

There are 16 rows of chair-back seats - comfortable and cushioned - starting from from the floor with comfortable bleacher seats in the same color taking up the final 12 rows.



4 p.m. ... There is already quite a bit of talk during this trip about Derek Jackson's return to Central Michigan.

The Kent State junior takes on his former team tonight at 7 p.m. here in Mount Pleasant, Mich. in what is a rare opportunity for Mid-American Conference players to face a former team.

This type of homecoming is obviously more familiar in professional sports. The rare exceptions in the MAC include Bubba Walther moving from Akron to Ohio University, where he gave his old team all kinds of problems, and before that Jason Grunkemeyer moving from Ohio University to Miami, where he hit one of the most memorable shots in that rivalry's history – a last-second bomb in the 2001 Mid-American Conference Tournament in Cleveland to lift the RedHawks to a 62-61 win over the Bobcats, and setting up a matchup with eventual MAC champion Kent State.

When Jackson walked into McGuirk Arena last night for practice, his Kent State teammates started chanting his name. 

Jackson left Central Michigan soon after Keno Davis replaced his old coach, Ernie Ziegler, as head coach in 2012, although he considered staying with the Chippewas for a while. At Central, he averaged 7.5 points per game as a freshman and 11.5 as a sophomore. At Kent State he is averaging 10.7 per game while filling a key role as the Golden Flashes' defensive stopper. 

Tonight Jackson draws the night's most important assignment 6-1 Central Michigan sophomore Chris Fowler. A big part of slowing down Fowler will be keeping him from getting out in transition and containing his penetration.

Fowler and fellow guard Braylon Rayson are both drive-first guards while most of the Chippewas bigs are spot-up shooters who want little to do with the paint and instead want to pick and pop. This should be a game where Kent State wins the points-in-the-paint battle. Central doesn't have a great deal of size, anyway, with four Blake Hibbits at 6-foot-7 and five John Simons at 6-8. Both hunt threes in transition and their offense is primarily based on jumpers. They don't have any size backing them up as the only three players who get significant minutes in their rotation stand between 6-3 and 6-4.

Central likes to press for the better part of 40 minutes, so that could be a challenge for a Kent State team that has struggled breaking pressure in recent weeks ... including during crunch time against Akron on Saturday.

The Chippewas are 0-8 in league play this season, but they've given teams like Ohio University and Akron a tough time. They will get a win here sooner or later. The Flashes just need to make sure it isn't against them tonight.

I posted some pictures from this long road trip over at the Kent State men's basketball blog. Check it out if you are interested in what a basketball team does during a trip like this.

Live Blog: Kent State Men's Basketball vs. Akron

SECOND HALF

FINAL ... Kent State 60, Akron 57

After almost 35 miserable minutes in which he couldn't buy a basket and was on the bench with four fouls, Darren Goodson turned into the hero ... several big shots down the stretch ... including a banked-in 25-footer with 1.6 seconds to play.

The action was so fast and furious ... we'll let Twitter tell the story:

0:50 ... A foul and a turnover part of a 4-point Akron swing. 

That followed by Goodson and Diggs layups as KSU still leads by 2.


1:51 ... Kent State lead is 55-49 thanks to a Goodson three.

Jackson set up the three, tying up Treadwell after an offensive rebound. Arrow to the Flashes.

3:59 ... Goodson comes through after checking in with four fouls, hitting a tough layup against Treadwell while drawing contact with no call.

Brewer did draw a foul a few seconds later. He drilled two free throws for a 49-47 lead.

And now a silly foul by Akron's Diggs will send Jackson to the foul line for three shots as the KSU guard was settling for a tough, contested three pointer.

Jackson from the line ... Good, Good, Good ... and Flashes lead is 52-47.


7:08 ... Some great defense by K.K. Simmons has helped Kent State keep this lead.

Simmons playing the passing lane for a steal and bust-out layup extended the lead to 43-39.

On the next possession, Simmons with another steal, setting up a foul as Manley drove to the basket.

Officials call the foul on the ground ... so Flashes will have the ball trying to add to this advantage out of the timeout.


8:15 ... KSU has pushed its way into the lead at 41-39.

That's the good news. Some bad news, though, in Goodson picking up his fourth foul after he finally started to find some fortune on the offensive end with a difficult jump hook over Harney.

Two free throws by Treadwell pulled the Zips back to within two, and the Flashes will have the ball coming out of this timeout.

Brewer is back on the floor with three fouls.

11:42 ... Flashes are down 37-35 at this timeout and struggling a bit offensively.

Treadwell is giving Kent State problems with 10 points now to go with his 10 rebounds.

KSU bench has been outstanding, outscoring Zips 17-8.

Goodson is checking in after this timeout. Flashes need something from him. He is 0-for-4 with 1 rebound, three personal fouls and a turnover in nine minutes. Maybe being a facilitator and setting the stage for his teammates will help him get going?

Kris Brewer on the bench with three fouls is a killer right now.

15:32 ... Kent State is up 30-29 at the first media timeout of the second half, but looking to add more with Derek Jackson heading to the foul line after an athletic play to tip his own defensive rebound and drive the length of the floor.

KSU was up five, but Akron answered with two transition buckets – an alley-oop dunk by Treadwell and a layup by Harney.

Kellon Thomas continues to be aggressive going to the basket. He has a scoop layup using his body to shield off Treadwell, and another near layup that had Senderoff and the KSU bench screaming for a foul call.

FIRST HALF

HALF ... Kent State leads Akron 26-22.

The Golden Flashes have found a spark, beginning with Henniger and now carrying over to the rest of the team.

Dev Manley drilled a late three to help KSU build this lead. He had been struggling.

Melvin Tabb nailed a 15-footer from the right wing. He had been a bit of a forgotten man after a DNP-CD against Northern Illinois.

Kris Brewer is showing an aggressiveness that was missing against Northern. He has 6 points and 2 assists with no turnovers.

Kellon Thomas has been outstanding with 3 assists against 0 turnovers. Playing excellent defense, and even grabbing a defensive rebound to set up a last possession that nearly extended this current lead.

Tabb's tip in at the buzzer was initially called good by Steratore, but it was then waved off after an instant replay review.

Some key stats:

Akron only-outrebounding Kent State 19-17 after having a big early advantage.

The Zips have committed nine turnovers against just three assists on nine made baskets (8-for-21 from field)

Kent State has seven assists and four turnovers while shooting 12-for-31 from the field. The Flashes started out 3-for-11.

Treadwell leads Akron with six points and five rebounds, but his three turnovers played a big in Kent State's comeback as the Flashes turned those turnovers into points. In all, KSU has outscored Akron 11-2 off of turnovers.


2:23 ... Thanks to Mark Henniger, Kent State has forged into the lead.

Henniger is playing like a senior should in a rivalry game. He is first to every 50-50 ball.

He is also 3-for-4 from the field for 6 points with four rebounds, an assist and one steal.

Brewer with a driving layup gave KSU the lead.

Flashes have outscored Zips 16-12 in the paint.

7:45 ... Kent State is down just 15-13 at the under-eight timeout and in it in large part due to its defense.

Thanks to seven Akron turnovers, the Flashes have outscored the Zips 7-2 off of turnovers, including a transition three by Jackson from in front of the Zips bench with just over eight minutes to go in the half.

That was followed by Henniger drawing a charge on Treadwell ... The third turnover already by the Akron forward.

Flashes will have the ball out of this timeout.

11:49 ... Poor shooting has the Flashes down seven.

It's 13-6 Akron as KSU is 3-for-11 from the field. Goodson is struggling, off to an 0-for-4 start.

A tip in by Henniger and a driving layup by Thomas the only points since previous timeout.


15:17 ... Flashes are 1-for-5 from field and 0-for-2 from three and trail 6-2 at first media timeout.

Only basket a transition jumper by Kris Brewer from the foul line. Other than that, the Flashes have been settling for long jumpers early in the clock. That has not been a recipe for good things this season. 

Khaliq Spicer has struggled a bit with the physical play of Treadwell, but still found a way to force two Akron turnovers. 

PREGAME

6:05 ... Just before tipoff and the M.A.C. Center is just about packed and it is loud, just like past games when these two teams were at their best.

Hard not to be up for an atmosphere like this.

5:45 ... Our video coordinator Nick Kane was in the Kent State locker room during pre game as several players spoke to the team.

According to Kane it was pretty emotional with key players taking ownership for what has has happened so far this season and for what needs to happen the rest of the way.

That's important because leadership has been one of this team's biggest question marks. Now we'll see how the emotion and the responsibility translates from locker room to the floor.


5:15 ... Officials for today's game are Gene Steratore, Donnie Eppley and Chris Beaver. Fitting to have Steratore, who is also an NFL referee, on the whistle here during Super Bowl week.


4:30 p.m. ... The Zips have arrived at the M.A.C. Center. Nick Harney is warming up on one end of the floor and Keith Dambrot just walked out to watch the early warmups on the Akron bench.

For Kent State, Darren Goodson is getting in another early workout, getting in a pretty serious sweat while running drills with assistant Eric Haut.

This is obviously a big day for the Golden Flashes, who need to get the season turned around similar to the way they did last year.

At this same point in time last season, the Flashes were 11-10 overall and 2-5 in the Mid-American Conference. This year they are actually better... although just a very little ... at 11-9 and 2-5.

Rob Senderoff has done several things in the last couple of days to try break this team out of its funk. They did a reboot similar to a few years back, even going so far to taking a new team picture. They are convincing themselves they are 0-0 ... quite a bit like a golfer drawing a line in the scorecard and "deciding those first 11 holes don't count, I'm going to shoot 28 on these last seven."

Looking at the Zips, obviously defending the arc is a key. Akron loves to run the floor and hunt threes in transition with shooters Kretzer and McAdams. The Zips are averaging better than eight threes per game in their wins, and that ranks top-50 in the country. Kretzer, McAdams and Diggs have accounted for 70-percent of those threes.

In addition to trying to get threes in transition, Akron likes to allow their bigs to leak out for easy baskets.  In the half court, most of their offense is designed to isolate the post with Treadwell, Harney, Forsythe and Johnson. And when they don't score in the half court, they are an outstanding offensive rebounding team – top 40 in the country.

The Zips are getting some improved play of late at the point guard spot where Carmelo Betancourt has started the last three games. That position has been a question mark this season. Kellon Thomas probably draws Betancourt while Kris Brewer's length will be needed against Quincy Diggs, a 6-foot-6 senior who is averaging 12.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

Khaliq Spicer is likely to get the start at the five, and the KSU sophomore may get is his biggest test of the year against Demetrius "Tree" Treadwell. The 6-foot-7 Treadwell is averaging 13.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. The Zips go-to player has upped that scoring average to almost 16 per game in MAC play. Sprinting back and pushing him off the block is a key, and Spicer has to use his length and try to outwork him in the post. Even though Treadwell looks to score on almost every catch, digging down is difficult because the Zips space the floor with so many shooters.