SECOND HALF
FIRST HALF
PREGAME
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.
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.
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.
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