Live Blog: Men's Basketball vs. Loyola Chicago

SECOND HALF

FINAL: Loyola 69, Kent State 61

Loyola held off three second-half runs by Kent State.

The Flashes fell behind 40-22 in the first half behind 25.9 percent shooting from the field. For the night, they shot just 43.8 percent from the foul line and missed too many free throws late. Add in 13 turnovers and you have some numbers that are hard to overcome.

Christian Thomas was very good again against Kent State. The Loyola forward led all scorers with 16 points to go with seven rebounds. Montel James added 11 points and 8 rebounds. Devon Turk added 15 for the Ramblers and Jeff White scored 13 off of the Ramblers' bench.

Derek Jackson scored 15 to lead the Flashes. Jimmy Hall and Kellon Thomas added 10 each. Khaliq Spicer grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds, but he struggled in the paint, shooting 1-for-6 from the field while missing several layups

3:38 ... The Flashes keep battling back, and a string of missed free throws by Loyola have kept hope alive.

The Loyola lead is 58-54. The Ramblers will have free throws coming again out of this timeout, though, after a whistle on what appeared to be a clean strip by Kellon Thomas.

Derek Jackson has been very good off of the Kent State bench, scoring a team-high 12 points to go with four rebounds.

The Flashes are shooting 52 percent from the field in the second half.

Jimmy Hall has 10 and is in double digits for a sixth consecutive game in a KSU uniform.

9:06 ... The two missed free throws by Doyle have led to a bit of a Loyola meltdown ... a traveling violation and some point-blank misses have led to some empty possessions.

Back-to-back threes by Jackson and Brewer have led a run that has cut the Ramblers lead to 50-45. Brewer's three was a contested shot from the right corner while Jackson's came from the top on a recycled offensive rebound by Spicer ... his 11th rebound of the night.

Officials also missed a mugging of Kris Brewer on a drive to the basket that could have allowed the Flashes to cut further into this lead.

11:40 ... Loyola has answered the run with a couple of threes. The Ramblers have kicked the lead back out to 13 at 50-37.

The momentum killer was an illegal screen whistled against Marquiez Lawrence when the Flashes had the ball and a chance to cut the lead to five. From there, Turk and Thomas hit back-to-back threes.

Doyle just missed a pair of free throws coming out of the timeout.

15:01 ... Marquiez Lawrence with great energy has led this comeback. His blocked shot out of the timeout of a jumper by Doyle set the stage on the other end for a three by Jackson at the top of the key.

Loyola lead has been trimmed to 42-35. The lead had been 20 with 2:08 to play in the first half.

A 13-2 run for KSU.


16:08 ... A fast start to the second half for the Flashes has forced Loyola to call timeout.

Jimmy Hall has a short jumper, Marquiez Lawrence an offensive rebound and a outback, Kris Brewer a driving layup, and just before this timeout Kellon Thomas hit a 15-footer after a steal by Derek Jackson.

Flashes within 10 at 42-32 and applying full court pressure.

FIRST HALF

HALFTIME

The Golden Flashes shot a miserable 28 percent from the field in the first half (7-of-25), including 3-of-9 from three-point range.

Loyola, meanwhile, shot 16-for-28 from the field and 4-of-7 from beyond the arc ... both 57.1 percent.

Christian Thomas has picked up where he left off in his sophomore season against Kent State, scoring 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including a wide-open 15 footer just before the buzzer.

Leading scorer for KSU is Dev Manley, who has two threes for six points.

3:56 ... Loyola lead is 32-15 and Kent State trying to find some energy on the defensive end by trapping full court. Maybe a Derek Jackson block of a Devon Turk three on the left wing can help the cause heading into this timeout. The blocked shot led to a traveling violation after Loyola grabbed the loose ball.

Ramblers are shooting 59.1 percent from the floor (13-for-22) and 66.7 percent from three (4-for-6), while the Flashes are hitting at just a 28.6 percent clip (6-for-21).

7:55 ... The Flashes trail 22-12, but if there is some good news it is that they are starting to get Jimmy Hall the basketball in the post. Hall has four points with both layups coming in the last two minutes of action.

Derek Jackson scored earlier to surpass the 1,000-point milestone for his career.


11:32 ... A very poor start to the first half for Kent State on both ends of the floor.

Defensively, the rotations have been very late, leading to the early threes by Turk and just seconds ago an easy layup by Donte Ingram. The Flashes are shooting just 2-for-11 from the field offensively.

It all adds up to a 15-7 Loyola lead.

15:26 ... The Golden Flashes trail Loyola early 8-5 as the Ramblers have a pair of threes by Devon Turk from the left wing. On both shots the rotation was just a step late.

The Golden Flashes have been aggressive on the offensive boards, getting three shots on the first possession, but without a bucket. 

Devareaux Manley opened the game with a three, which is a good sign after he struggled against Yale.

LINKS

• Internet Audio on iHeartRadio's WHLO 640 AM 
• Live video on www.kentstatesports.com

PREGAME

Tonight's game is the last business remaining from the old BracketBuster. The Flashes beat Loyola in the finale of the event two years ago. These return games always saw the visiting team bring officials from their conference. That's the case again today as a Missouri Valley crew of Daniel Chrisman, Ed Crenshaw and Donnie Olson will work the game.

My guess is Kent State fans don’t quite know what to make of tonight’s game with Loyola Chicago at the M.A.C. Center. This is not an easy game in large part because of 6-foot-4 guard Milton Doyle, who is off to a great start to his sophomore season at 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while shooting it at a 58.1-percent clip from the field and an even better 58.8-percent pace from three-point range.

Doyle is another nice early-season challenge for Derek Jackson on the defensive end. Look for Jackson to pressure Doyle for 40 minutes, contesting everything on the perimeter and trying to force him to drive. That doesn’t mean he dislikes attacking the rim. Doyle loves to get into the paint, but when he does Jackson will have some long-armed help from the likes of Khaliq Spicer, Jimmy Hall, Chris Ortiz and Marquiez Lawrence.

Loyola is a very good transition team. Led by Doyle, the Ramblers are also a very good three-point shooting team. More than 44 percent of their points come from beyond the arc, which is second in the country.

The Ramblers apparent weakness is on the defensive end where their opponents’ effective field goal percentage is 58 percent. That ranks 325th in the nation. They are also doing a poor job of defending the arc, where opponents are shooting 42 percent. That number is 324th in the nation. Opponents also have a 2-to-1 offensive rebounding advantage on Loyola in the first four games this season, so look for Hall, Spicer and the rest of KSU’s bigs to hunt second-chance opportunities.

Loyola doesn't have a great deal of size. The tallest player on the entire roster is 6-foot-7 junior post Montel James. The starting lineup has all 6-foot-4 wings in Doyle, Devon Turk and Joe Crisman along with a physical 6-foot-5 four man in Christian Thomas. The Ramblers are capable from beyond the arc one-to-four.

Thomas had a career night two years ago against Kent State, scoring 30 in Loyola's BracketBuster loss.

Live Blog: The 44th Battle for the Wagon Wheel

FOURTH QUARTER

FINAL ... Kent State 27, Akron 24

... AND THE WAGON WHEEL RETURNS TO KENT STATE

0:54 ... A throw from Pohl to D'Orazio tipped and intercepted by Jordan Italiano. Two knees, and the sprint for the Wagon Wheel for the Flashes.

1:00 ... Kent State 27, Akron 24

Chris Humphrey with a brilliant catch in the left corner of the end zone has put Kent State back into the lead. The 5-yard score, if it proves to be the game winner, would be one to remember for Humphrey in his final game at Dix Stadium.

It capped a 10-play, 77-yard march that would be one to build upon for the Flashes heading into the offseason if the defense can keep the Zips from scoring

4:30 ... Akron 24, Kent State 20

A good march for Kent State's offense leads to a fourth-and-one attempt from the Akron 19 ... and ultimately to disaster for the Flashes.

Akron's Pittman and Boxen combine to drop Holley for a 1-yard loss on the run...

... and on the next play, Akron's Chisholm breaks free for an 80-yard touchdown to put the Zips ahead.

A good move at the line to get into the secondary and then Chisholm was off to the races. The Zips running back now has a career high 184 yards on 19 carries along with the three touchdowns.

8:53 ... The punt by Melchiori proves big as the Flashes force Akron to punt after Jon Cunningham sacks Pohl for a loss of 9 on 3rd-and-11.

The punt Paul – short, but a great bounce adds about 20 yards. Downed at the Kent State 13.

11:01 ... The Flashes get a booming punt from Anthony Melchiori when they absolutely had to have it. His 56-yarder, all in the air, is downed at the Akron 24. 

With momentum shifting in Akron's favor, the Flashes needed this chance to flip the field.

Some numbers: Pohl is 16-for-37 for Akron for 175 yards and an interception. Reardon is 16-for-30 for 193 yards, a touchdown and an interception for the Flashes.

Chisholm has been the difference today with 106 yards on 18 carries and the two touchdowns.

THIRD QUARTER

0:00 ... Akron won the third quarter, controlling the football with 27 plays to Kent State's 10. The Zips are also now ahead in total yardage, 291-281.

2:52 ... Kent State 20, Akron 17

Akron pulls closer thanks to a 41-yard Chisholm touchdown run through the middle of the Kent State defense.

Stats starting to even out a bit. Both teams have 102 yards, Akron on 23 carries, Kent State on just 15.

Total yards also now just about even with Kent State holding a slight advantage at 283-277.

Akron's defense is also starting to play better. Reardon was just dropped for a sack to set up a 3rd-and-12 with 2:11 to play in the third quarter.

7:04 ... Kent State catches a break as a long drive by Akron ends with a missed 25-yard field goal by Stein. The kick was sailing left as soon as it left his foot.

The Flashes defense gave up some big plays, but settled in again when the Zips reached the red zone.

13:00 ... Kent State 20, Akron 10

Colin Reardon to Casey Pierce for a 19-yard touchdown – a perfect throw by Reardon dropping it in over the defender at the goal line.

The touchdown was set up by a 39-yard run by Holley, who broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage and exploded into the secondary.

Reardon also hit Pierce for 19 yards on the drive. The short pass broke into the open courtesy of a great block by wide receiver Ernest Calhoun.

Good answer to the Akron field goal, making this one a two possession game and atoning for some of the missed opportunities of the previous half.

12:50 ... Kent State 13, Akron 10

A 41-yard Robert Stein field goal to open the second half has cut into the Kent State lead.

Akron took advantage of blown coverage on a 38-yard throw from Pohl to Andrew Pratt. But when Pohl misfired on second and third down (and the second throw should have been a pick), the Zips were forced to settle for the long field goal.

SECOND QUARTER

HALFTIME ... Kent State 13, Akron 7

Demetrius Monday ended the Zips drive, reading Pohl and baiting him into a pick at the Kent State 5. His interception return of 50 yards gave the Flashes a chance at the end of the second quarter, but a tipped ball interception at the Akron 10 ended that threat as well.

Some halftime numbers:

The Golden Flashes are out gaining Akron 203-to-98 despite only 33 offensive plays compared to 35 for the Zips.

Holley has 8 carries for 45 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Pohl has struggled for Akron, going 8-of-19 for 61 yards with the pick late in the first half. Reardon also has his late pick on an 11-for-21, 142-yard first half.

0:40 ... A second pass interference call against Refuge on 3rd-and-10 gave the Zips a first down at the Kent State 13.

Akron now faces a 3rd-and-8 at the 11 after a time out.

1:28 ... Final Akron drive of the half has received a second life after a questionable interference call on a 4th-down throw from Pohl to Imani Davis. Penalty was against Elcee Refuge.

9:56 ... Another chance gone by as the Flashes march inside the Akron 30. Reardon missed Holley on a 3rd-and-4 screen pass that would have gone for big yardage. Nobody was within 15 yards of Reardon, who had the right sideline in front of him, but the lob was just over his reach.

Melchiori came on to try a 46-yard field goal that came up about 5 yards short.

Plays in opposing territory so far: Kent State 21, Akron 1.

11:26 ... The Flashes have missed an opportunity to add to their lead as Anthony Melchiori missed a 31-yard field goal attempt wide left. Wind was blowing in and slightly in that direction.

The Flashes had a first down at the Akron 14 after a nice 22-yard pick up on a wheel route from Reardon to Pierce.

The drive stalled from there, however, after Anthony Melchiori was dropped for a 5-yard loss on first down Reardon followed with two straight incomplete throws.

Akron offense has stalled again, however, thanks in large part to a sack by Marques Moore on first down.  Flashes will get good field position again after a fair catch by Calhoun at the Akron 46.

FIRST QUARTER

0:51 ... The Flashes have a short field on drive No. 4 after the defense forces a quick three-and-out.

The 30-yard punt was downed by the Zips at their own 48.

3:00 ... Kent State 13, Akron 7

Another pretty easy drive for the Golden Flashes ends with a 24-yard touchdown run by Holley that saw him weave right through the middle of the Akron defense.

A 17-yard connection between Reardon and tight end Casey Pierce set up the score on the next play.

Unfortunately, the Flashes tried for a two-point conversion and failed. At least it appeared that they tried for two. Either that or the timing was off on the kick, leading to a run by holder Chris Humphrey that came up just shy of the goal line.

Reardon is 5-of-9 for 80 yards. Holley already has two touchdowns and 42 yards on his seven carries.

6:47 ... Akron 7, Kent State 7

Akron has tied the game thanks to a blocked punt by Akron's Dylan Evans. The block set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Jawon Chisholm.

You could almost see the blocked punt coming. Kent State realized it didn't have enough muscle to protect the edge and moved gunners in to help with the protection. The issue on that side of the line along with appeared to be slow mechanics opened the door for Evans. Melchiori then attempted to kick the ball a second time at the 4. That penalty moved the ball to the 2-yard line. Chisholm scored on the very next play.

10:50 ... Kent State 7, Akron 0

A Nick Holley 1-yard touchdown run has put Kent State up early.

The Flashes with a quick march of eight plays and 73 yards that included a bit 3rd-and-5 pickup of 38 yards when Colin Reardon found senior Chris Humphrey in front of the Akron sideline.

Reardon with a nice 4-for-5, 63-yard drive to start. He also hit Kris White for 14 yards and a first down at the Akron 7.

The Flashes defense is about to step on the field and Nate Vance is prepared to start, fighting back from a string of injuries to play in his final college game.

Fifth-year starter Marcus Wright also gets the start defensively for the Flashes on senior day.

Elcee Refuge will be wearing No. 8 instead of his usual No. 7, possibly because he will play some special teams along with Casey Pierce, who wears 7 on offense.

PREGAME

The teams are on the field with Akron here on Senior Day. The Zips are dressed in all white. The Flashes are wearing their white pants with the blue tops ... which is the same look they wore two years ago here against Akron.

It's senior day and the last chance to cheer for players like tight end Casey Pierce and wide receiver Chris Humphrey for the Flashes.

The best part of the day is that so many of the seniors who have been out with injury are trying to give it a go today in their farewell to Dix Stadium. Most impressive of the list is Nate Vance, who is trying to play despite four injuries. Terrell Johnson will start at left tackle after a scary injury a few weeks ago that we all assumed would end his season. Richard Gray is back at defensive end.

Some of the young guys are also coming back today, including freshman Nathan Puthoff, who is listed as the starter at right guard.

Basically, it is all hands on deck as the Flashes will try to win back the Wagon Wheel and deal a blow to the Zips hopes of returning to a bowl game.



Saturday Morning ... The Live Blog will begin about an hour before today's 1 p.m. kickoff.

You can listen to the game live on WHLO 640 AM and on iHeartRadio's Golden Flashes Channel.

Live Blog: Men's Basketball vs. Yale

SECOND HALF

FINAL: Yale 66, Kent State 59

The Flashes lose their first game of the season.

Unfortunately, they forgot a bit about Jimmy Hall, who finished with 22 points but didn't get a shot in the final six minutes of the game.

Hall was the only player in double figures after Kent State had four score 10 or more in the last two games.

Yale had five in double figures, led by Jack Montague's 13.

0:19... Dev Manley just missed an open three out of the timeout. It would have tied the game. Yale now adding to the lead at the foul line ... Sears hits two and its 64-59.

0:28.8 ... Yale now up 62-59 after two Sears free throws.

Kris Brewer couldn't get a call down one and driving to the rim. Senderoff furious with officials, slapping his hands on the scorers table.

1:58 ... A Derek Jackson three pointer on a pass from Jimmy Hall, beating a double team, has put Kent State up 57-56. The shot answered a three by Yale's Montague.

Bulldogs have called timeout.

3:48 ... Kent State back into the lead, but its a slim one at 52-51 ... and Yale heading back to the foul line after a questionable call by Courtney Green, whistling Khaliq Spicer as he tried to fight for an offensive rebound.

The Flashes have gotten away from feeding the post. Hall needs more touches. It's been a while since he has seen the ball on the offensive end.

7:44 ... Yale leads 48-46.

Defense has picked up for Kent State in the last minute as Jimmy Hall and Khaliq Spicer both have blocked shots.

The first block turned into a two-handed dunk by Spicer on a nice find Hall. Big-to-big passing has been such a key to the Flashes over the years.

Hall's 22 leads all scorers.

Yale is 9-for-14 from the field in the second half while Kent State is 6-of-13.



9:10 ... Justin Sears and Jack Montague are starting to get things going for Yale in the second half after getting shut down by the KSU defense in the first 20 minutes.

Yale leads 46-44 and has the ball coming out of the timeout.

11:01 ... Jimmy Hall has 20 points and Kent State is up 42-41 after briefly giving up the lead for the first time in this tournament at 37-36 on a split of free throws by Sears.

Yale really has no answer for Hall when he gets a deep touch in the post. The Flashes often posted Hall higher on the floor in the first half, and he had a few troubles. He is getting better position and making the Bulldogs pay for it.

The Bulldogs have got it going offensively, too, though, shooting 70 percent so far in this half (7-for-10) after just 35 percent in the first half (7-of-20).

15:47 ... A rocky start to the second half continues. Yale has now tied the game at 36-36 after a fallaway from 18 feet by Jack Montague.

Hall is on the bench going into this media timeout, but he can't stay there for long. Hall has 16 points on 8-of-13 shooting in his 18 minutes of work.

The Flashes are waiting for Devareaux Manley to catch a little fire from the perimeter. He missed two threes in the last minute and is now 0-for-3 from the arc.

Manley has been very good in other areas, though. He just blocked a shot with good anticipation on some help defense. It was Manley who also beat the buzzer with a driving layup to give the Flashes their 32-24 lead into halftime.

18:41 ... Jimmy Hall has a layup on a nice pass from Kris Brewer, but that's the only thing that has gone right for the Flashes in the first minute-plus of the second half. An 8-2 run has allowed Yale to cut the KSU lead to 34-32.

FIRST HALF

1:15 ... Second foul on Kellon Thomas earlier has forced KSU to play most of the final two minutes without a true point guard. Kris Brewer had picked up his second foul. Derek Jackson is running the offense.

3:42 ... The Flashes have fought through a tough stretch for both teams that featured some pretty ugly basketball.

The Kent State lead is 24-16 but Yale's Javier Duren will go to the line out of this timeout.

Officiating by Todd Van Sosson, Courtney Green and Kelly Pfeifer has been pretty awful on both ends today. 

7:04 ... Defense has been excellent.

Yale getting very few good looks at the basket and shooting just 33 percent (5-for-15). The Bulldogs are also just 1-for-5 on threes.

Jimmy Hall has 8 to lead the Flashes.

11:41 ... The Flashes have never trailed in this tournament. Could they get a wire-to-wire three game tournament victory?

Right now they are up 15-9 and have the basketball coming out of the timeout after forcing a 35-second violation.

Kent State's defense late in the shot clock has been excellent early. That will be a key today, according to Senderoff during pre game.

14:34 ... Kent State leads 8-7 at the first media timeout.

Kris Brewer has hit a three, and Khaliq Spicer has a powerful two-handed dunk courtesy of Craig Brown, who ripped an offensive rebound away from two Yale players and had the presence of mind to find the Golden Flashes center standing all alone on the right block.

PREGAME

This is a great mid-major college basketball game today at the M.A.C. Center with Yale facing Kent State for the championship of the Men Against Breast Cancer Classic.

As Rob Senderoff said, this will be like playing a very good Mid-American Conference team, similar to an Ohio University or a Buffalo. In fact, the Bulldogs run some actions that are very similar to what Buffalo does offensively.

The Flashes will have to defend at a high level, just as they have in their wins over Southern Illinois and Illinois-Chicago. Those games saw Kent State defend as well as a team as they have in several seasons. Lots of talking. Great at challenging the three. Aggressive around the rim. Good rotations. No team has shot 40 percent or above against the Flashes in their four games so far this season.

That could change tonight as Yale has several players who shoot it at a high percentage, including two guard Jack Montague, who is hitting the three at a 75-percent clip (15-for-20) so far this season.

The best player on the floor this whole weekend, according to Senderoff, could be Yale junior Justin Sears – a bouncy 6-foot-8 junior forward who comes in averaging 47.9 percent from the floor. He is similar around the rim to Kent State’s Jimmy Hall. That will make two difficult matchups in a row at the four defensively in the last two games for KSU.

Yale also welcomes back 6-foot-7 center Matt Townsend, who has been away for the last two games while interviewing for a Rhodes Scholarship.

Final from first game, Southern Illinois beat Illinois-Chicago 67-60

Live Blog will start soon ...

You can listen to the game this afternoon on WHLO 640 AM and on iHeartRadio.

Live Blog: Men's Basketball vs. Illinois-Chicago

SECOND HALF

FINAL: Kent State 78, Illinois-Chicago 60

The Flashes cruised to a win that wasn't as close as the 18-point difference ... or "diff" if you are a Cleveland Cavaliers fan.

Derek Jackson led four double-digit scorers for the Flashes with 17. Dev Manley added 15, Kris Brewer scored 14 and Jimmy Hall had 10.

Ten different Flashes scored.

Wiegand led UIC with 26


3:25 ... Kent State is up 76-53 at the final media timeout.

Raasean Davis just became the 10th Golden Flashes player to reach the scoring column.

Jimmy Hall also just hit 10 points for his fourth double-digit scoring performance in as many games in a Kent State uniform. He has also become the fourth KSU player to hit double figures tonight. That makes two nights in a row with double-figure scorers.

Wiegand for UIC has 24 points on 11-of-14 shooting. Jay Harris has quietly added some support in this half with 14 points now – 10 coming in the second half.

7:00 ... Derek Jackson just missed a jumper from the left corner with time running out on the shot clock.

But prior to that miss, he was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field, 3-of-3 from three-point range and 4-of-4 from the foul line while scoring a team-best 17 points. Jackson also has two assists in a turnover-free 21 minutes. Add in Kris Brewer's 12 points, three assists and zero turnovers in 26 minutes and its hard to find fault with the play of the starting guards for the Flashes.

Lead for Kent State is 70-48.

11:45 ... Gary Akbar, Chris Ortiz, Kellon Thomas and Marquiez Lawrence have all been very active off of the bench, especially during this shift that has answered a mini-run by UIC that briefly cut the lead inside 20 points.

Flashes lead is 63-41 at the moment. Add that quartet to Dev Manley and his 12 points, and the depth for the Flashes has been extremely encouraging. KSU's bench has outscored UIC's 25-2.

14:49 ... Jake Wiegand is keeping UIC somewhat in touch. He has 22 of his team's 38 ... and on 10-of-11 shooting.

The rest of the Flames are 4-for-24 from the field and 0-for-9 from three.

Flashes still ahead big, though, 58-38.

17:29 ... Dev Manley has drilled another three. He is now 5-for-6 from the arc. Derek Jackson also has a three and five points overall to start the second half as the Flashes are up 57-31.

A fast start to the second half as the Flashes are in control in every way ... with the exception of the fact that they haven't found a way to slow Jake Wiegand of UIC. He is all the Flames have going for them tonight.

FIRST HALF

HALFTIME

2:38 ... The third three of the night by Dev Manley has helped the Flashes push the lead to 40-23.

The Flashes are now 6-of-11 from three and 13-for-25 overall. The Flames are still looking for their first three pointer on eight attempts.

Spicer has six rebounds to lead the Flashes.

Nice numbers for the Flashes ... 8 assists on 13 baskets with just 3 turnovers.

Jake Wiegand has 13 of UIC's 23 on 6-of-7 shooting. Take him out of the lineup, and UIC hasn't had a lick of offense.

7:00 ... Kris Brewer has stayed hot after a good game last night. His three from the top of the key has the Flashes ahead 17-7, and he'll go to the line after the timeout trying to extend that advantage after.

Brewer and Manley both have 6 points, but nine different players are in the scoring column.

10:19 ... The Kent State lead is 22-13 after back-to-back threes by Devareaux Manley and a transition basket by Gary Akrbar.

The Akbar drive was set up by Kellon Thomas, who ripped the ball from Wiegand on the sideline after a long rebound, then raced the length of the floor to find Akbar.

Flashes are 4-of-8 from the arc and 8-of-16 overall.

UIC has made just 5-of-15 shots and is 0-for-6 from three.

14:31 ... Another fast start for the Golden Flashes, who are leading 12-4.

Kent State made a point of going in to Khaliq Spicer on the first play of the game. While Spicer didn't convert on the jump hook, getting him involved early has paid off. The 6-foot-9 junior has been extremely active, scoring 4 points and grabbing 5 rebounds. Two of his points have come on a soaring tip dunk.

Kris Brewer and Craig Brown both have threes while UIC is 0-for-3 from the arc.

PREGAME

Tonight's pre-game show is on now on WHLO 640 AM and on the internet on iHeartRadio.

Unfortunately, there is no video stream as our system was hit by a virus. We were told that it would be up and running earlier today, but that is now not the case. Kent State University apologizes for the inconvenience to those hoping to watch from home.

Yale beat Southern Illinois 53-46 in tonight's first game. With a win over Illinois-Chicago in the nightcap, the Golden Flashes would face Yale tomorrow for the championship of the Men Against Breast Cancer Classic.

Illinois-Chicago lost to Yale last night, 70-58. The Flames have also lost a tight 72-71 game to DePaul and squeaked by Western Illinois 67-64 prior to this trip to Kent.

This is yet another game where Kent State needs to be focused on playing hard defensively without fouling. Illinois-Chicago is No. 12 in the country from the foul line, shooting 82-percent through three games.

Three Illinois-Chicago starters average in double figures led by 6-foot-8 junior Jake Wiegand, a physical power forward who scores 17.3 per night while also adding 9.3 rebounds. Two guard Paris Burns and wing Marc Brown both add 12.3 points per game.

All of the Flames will push the ball in transition, so Kent State needs to be aware of getting back defensively. While they have more size than Southern-Illinois did in last night's game, the Flames are not as aggressive on the offensive glass and they don't block many shots. Only starting five Tai Odiase and 6-foot-5 reserve Ahman Fells worked for second chances in last night's loss to Yale. Illinois-Chicago also ranks in the bottom third of the country in blocked shots, so look for Kent State to go inside early and often.

Weigand vs. Kent State's Jimmy Hall at power forward is the obvious big matchup of the night with Hall averaging a double double and Weigand less than one rebound shy.

Live Blog: Men's Basketball vs. Southern Illinois

FINAL

SECOND HALF

6:14 ... Some numbers as Kent State is up 22 points and in control ...

Kent State is 10-for-17 from three-point range and 25-for-48 overall.

Brewer alone is 3-for-3 from the three-point arc, but he has also been aggressive in trying to get to the hole while not just settling from three.

7:06 ... Kris Brewer with a bust-out dunk and then adding a three. He has 17 points and now the Flashes are up 69-45. The 24 point difference is echoed by the three-point shooting. Flashes have 10 to Southern Illinois' 1.

11:37 ... Three Golden Flashes now in double figures led by Hall's 14 and now Jackson and Brewer each with 12.

A long break here for Hall, getting some rest with a double-digit lead and two more games to play on Saturday and Sunday.

Flashes shooting 8-for-15 from three and 21-of-44 overall.



15:55 ... The Flashes lead is 48-34. Only issue to this point is second-chance opportunities allowed to Southern Illinois. 

Despite a lineup that has only 6-foot-6 or 6-foot-7 as the tallest man on the floor, the Salukis are still outworking KSU on the offensive glass. Southern Illinois has 10 offensive rebounds and have outscored the Flashes on 9-6 on this second chances.

FIRST HALF

HALFTIME ... Kent State 43, Southern Illinois 28


Jimmy Hall's 12 points still lead it.

Flashes defense has been led by Derek Jackson, who has two steals and has been very good guarding Southern Illinois guard Anthony Beane.

Jackson also has four assists and seven points in his 17 minutes of work.

Flashes are 7-for-12 from the three-point arc and 16-for-31 overall, while Southern Illinois is 10-for-23 from the field and 1-of-3 from the arc. The 12 turnovers against just four assists have not helped the Salukis cause.

3:31 ... Jimmy Hall now with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. He has hit two 15-footers and the rest have come in the paint. Hall also has three rebounds to lead the Flashes.

Southern Illinois turnover total is 10, including a steal by Dev Manley anticipating the passing lane on a pass by Southern Illinois' Anthony Beane.

6:39 ... The Flashes adding to their lead, up 31-16 thanks in large part to a defense that has already forced nine turnovers and is allowing 38-percent shooting.

Flashes are 5-for-10 from the arc after an awful game from the perimeter on Tuesday night.

Good to see Craig Brown find his shot, hitting two threes already.

Jimmy Hall had his 10 points in the game's first eight minutes. He has already secured his third double-digit scoring effort in three games.

11:55 ... The Kent State lead is 19-11. Only negative so far to the start is five fouls already against the Flashes facing a team that is adept at getting to the foul line.

A Dev Manley three coming off of a screen at the top briefly had KSU up 10 at 19-9. Flashes are 3-for-5 from beyond the arc.

Defense has been excellent, already forcing seven Southern Illinois turnovers.

15:39 ... This is as good a start as you could ask for from Kent State. Defense has been excellent, forcing three turnovers in first three Salukis possessions.

Jimmy Hall has two 15 footer jumpers and a beautiful lefty hook in a 3-for-3 start. Craig Brown has also drilled a three.

Flashes up 9-2 at first media timeout.

PREGAME

It's 6:45 p.m. and we are inside an hour to tip-off of tonight's Kent State vs. Southern Illinois game. Yale and Illinois-Chicago have 2:19 to play in the second half of their opener to the Men Against Breast Cancer Classic and Yale is in control, up 66-52.

Yale looks like it is as advertised and will be tough to beat on Sunday afternoon. Justin Sears is long and athletic, and is easily one of the top two or three players in this event along with Southern Illinois guard Anthony Beane, who comes in averaging 23 points per game and shooting 57 percent from the field, 62 percent from three and 92 percent from the foul line in the Salukis' 1-1 start.

Southern Illinois is an excellent challenge tonight. Beane and Sean O'Brien, an undersized four at 6-foot-6, are a one-two punch offensively who account for about 60 percent of the team's offense.

With a starting lineup of 6-2, 6-2, 6-3, 6-6 and 6-6, the Salukis are not very big, but they are active They work hard on the offensive glass, and if the Flashes do not do a good job of boxing out, they could give up a slew of second-chance opportunities. Southern Illinois was in the top third in the nation in offensive rebounding last season.

The Salukis are also aggressive on the offensive end, drawing a ton of fouls. They rank 25th in the nation in getting to the foul line.

O'Brien moves around quite a bit and is going to be a difficult guard for Jimmy Hall. Look for him to get help on the defensive end.

Live Blog: Men's Basketball vs. Malone

SECOND HALF

FINAL ... Kent State 62, Malone 52

The Golden Flashes escaped a scare. Jimmy Hall took over in the second half, finishing with 18 points, 16 rebounds, 4 blocked shots and 3 assists.

Malone started to run out of gas a bit. Ben Haraway was outstanding in the first half. He finished with a team-high 16 points, but as a true freshman he started to wear down against the full-court pressure of Kent State. That's not an simple challenge for a veteran Division I guard. Malone fans have something special to watch over the next four years in Haraway.

Hall was the only player to finish in double figures for Kent State. Take his 6-of-8 out of the final box, and Kent State was 11-of-45 from the field. The Flashes shot 32 percent for the game, and just 24.4-percent without Hall.

Kent State won it from the foul line, going 25-for-39, including 21-of-28 in the second half.

3:32 ... Kent State has battled into the lead at 52-48 with a chance to add more as Kris Brewer will head to the foul line after the break.

Little things matter, and Gary Akbar with a close out under control, refusing to bite on a pump fake by Malone's Gus Simmers in front of the Pioneers bench forced an extra pass and a long attempt late in the shot clock. That was the reason for the stop that led to a fast break and now these Kris Brewer free throws.

Jimy Hall has taken control late. He has 17 points, 13 rebounds, four blocked shots and three assists in 28 minutes of work.

7:59 ... Malone picked up its 10th foul with almost nine minutes to go. With Kent State's length and athleticism advantage, the Flashes need to find a way to take advantage by attacking the paint.

The Flashes are just 2-for-17 from three-point range tonight.

Kent State will have the ball coming out of this timeout after catching a break when Kellon Thomas deflected the ball out of bounds. It did not appear to touch a Malone player, but the Flashes were awarded the basketball.

Jimmy Hall has 13 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Flashes.

11:51 ... The Flashes are playing better, getting good looks at the basket. But the field goal percentage is still below 30-percent.

Defense is improving, leading to transition opportunities. But Kent State has too many misses right on top of the basket.

Lead for Malone is 42-39 after two free throws by Kris Brewer.

The Flashes are shooting just 27 percent from the field for the game and 24 percent for the game.

15:46 ... Malone lead is 36-28, but Flashes starting to get some second-chance opportunities.

Hall heading to the line now after one of those chances.

Flashes intensity starting to heat up. Best inside player for Malone, Brian Stone, just picked up his fourth foul. Pioneers look like they are starting to tire.

FIRST HALF

0:00 ... Maybe a little momentum going into the half as Dev Manley hits a long 3-pointer just before the buzzer.

Manley was 4-of-6 from three in the win over Youngstown State. Just 1-for-5 now in this one, but hopefully that last jumper will get him going. The Flashes are also just 2-of-13 as a team from the arc.

Ben Haraway for Malone has been the best player on the floor. The freshman guard has 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting and is 2-of-3 from three-point range in 19 minutes.

A layup by Jimmy Hall with ended a field-goal drought of more than 10 minutes.



3:59 ... As ugly a start as we've seen at Kent State in a long time.

The Golden Flashes trail Malone 26-15.

The field-goal drought for the Flashes is 8:38.

Malone, meanwhile, is patient on offense, not just settling for the three, attacking the basket, finding open teammates .... Basically they are doing everything Senderoff wants his team to do.

Malone has turned the ball over nine times and committed 10 fouls to Kent State's 2 ... and still the Pioneers are leading, shooting 57.9 percent to Kent State's 27.3.

7:59 ... The Flashes offense is struggling. Just two points since a Kris Brewer elbow jumper with almost 15:30 to go.

Malone has built a 19-14 lead.

11:51 ... The Flashes and Pioneers are tied, 14-14 at the second media timeout.

Despite forcing three turnovers during the three-plus minutes since the last media timeout, Kent State has watched its lead evaporate. The only basket for the Flashes was a potential three-point play with Chris Ortiz missing the free throw.

Freshman Ben Hardaway has played well so far for Malone, hitting a pair of long jumpers, including a three over Ortiz to tie the game.

14:54 ... A 7-0 run has helped the Flashes to a 12-9 lead at the first media timeout.

Derek Jackson off to another good start, going 2-for-2 including a three off of a Spicer screen at the top.

Flashes showing pressure, which Malone has handled well for the most part. The pioneers have hit some perimeter jumpers early, including a three by Brandon Bapst.


7:32 p.m. ... Kent State vs. Malone pre game show is on now on WHLO 640 AM and iHeartRadio.

Dave Wilson and I will be calling the game on the radio and we'll be fielding questions and comments via Twitter and discussing them on the air.

Send your questions to me at @CarducciKSU

7 p.m. ... We are about an hour from tip-off. The Kent State women's game with Youngstown State is in the second half and the Golden Flashes are trying to battle back from a 49-36 deficit.


The Golden Flashes' men's game will feature a Malone University team that can shoot it from distance. The Pioneers may be a Division II squad, but there's always a little bit of fear against a team that shoots it well from three-point range. Last year's team averaged 22 shots from three-point range and finished in the top 50 in the nation in Division II in three-point percentage.


Led by guards Ben Hardaway and Stephen O'Daniel, this year's Malone team is also capable of getting hot from deep. Hardaway is a lead guard who likes to get into the lane and create for teammates or hit floaters, but he is also a capable shooter from the arc, shooting 37-percent in his freshman year.


Fellow freshman Mitch Spottleson is an undersized forward at 6-foot-4, but he's shooting 60-percent from three as a starter in his first season.

Stephen O'Daniel III is one of two juniors on a young starting lineup. He cal play the two and the three, and is hitting the three at a 33-percent clip as primarily a catch-and-shoot perimeter player.

The Pioneers don't have a great deal of size with their starting center, Neil Gingerich averaging just 2.0 points in his 18 minutes per night. They bring 6-8 junior Brian Stone off the bench, and he has been productive, averaging 8.5 points in 13.5 minutes.

Malone is on the small side. It can also give up points by the bunches in transition, so look for the Flashes to try to get out and run. From talking to Rob Senderoff earlier this week, a focus tonight will be on getting a body on opponents and controlling the defensive boards ... an issue primarily in the first half of Saturday's win at Youngstown State.

The Flashes are a significant favorite in this one. It'll be important for Kent State not to look at this game in that way, though, and to avoid getting lazy on the defensive end. This is not a time to form bad habits on the defensive end and get into foul trouble the way they did against the Penguins.

Live Blog: Men's Basketball at Youngstown State

SECOND HALF

SECOND HALF

FINAL: Kent State 69-61

Hall leads the Flashes with 14 points and five rebounds.

Brewer and Manley score 12 each.

Spicer scores eight and grabs team best seven rebounds.

0:48 ... Jimmy Hall has fouled out. YSU, misses another free throw, though. Kent State lead is 68-59.

1:14 ... Chris Ortiz has been ejected for a flagrant foul, possibly throwing an elbow on a tie-up.

Flashes in control, though, up 68-58.

YSU has helped the KSU cause all night, continuing to miss free throws. The Penguins are just 10-of-22 from the line after just missing another.

1:52 ... Kris Brewer injured and helped off the court. Right leg. Will update as soon as possible.

He was injured on a driving layup attempt. Hall grabbed the miss, put it up and in for a 67-57 lead.

2:35 ... Layup by Kellon Thomas set up by a blocked shot on the other end by Khaliq Spicer.

Add another stop and Flashes trying to add to lead.

3:32 ... The Flashes are playing good defense, forcing misses, but struggling to control the defensive rebound. Second chance opportunities keeping YSU in this game.

Kent State still clinging to a 63-57 lead. Hall still on the bench for the Flashes, but Chris Ortiz has given them some good minutes on both ends. His two-hand dunk on a beautiful find from a driving Jackson a big part of the Flashes holding this advantage.

7:45 ... Jimmy Hall just picked up his fourth foul, an offensive foul losing his balance on a drive and knocking over a YSU defender with his left elbow.

Hall has been very good in this half with nine of his 11 points. He flipped in a layup on a perfect pick and roll with Brewer a little over a minute ago to put the Flashes ahead 59-50. That's still the score.

Hall and YSU's Amiker have been the best players on the floor in this half.

11:02 ... The Flashes are having all kinds of trouble with 6-foot-5 power forward Shawn Amiker of Youngstown State. The Penguins senior has 18 points and has been active on the offensive glass.

11:14 ... With Hain on the bench, Youngstown still managed to battle back into the lead at 48-47, but Kent State has answered with a mini run highlighted by an old-fashioned 3-point play by Spicer and a corner 3 by Brewer,

It's 55-48 Flashes

15:03 ... Big break for Kent State as YSU risks keeping 6-10 center Bobby Hain on the court with three fouls early ... he picks up his fourth and is now forced to the bench.

Let's see if Kent State can exploit a size advantage inside with 6-5 Amiker guarding Hall in the post.

Kris Brewer has caught fire with two driving shots, scoring on back-to-back possessions after being held scoreless since the game's opening minute.

Flashes lead 47-41 and have the ball coming out of the timeout.

18:00 ... Quick timeout for the Penguins as the Flashes are off to a 6-0 start to the second half.

Jimmy Hall being aggressive to start, using a variety of pump fakes while scoring 4 quick points in the first two minutes of 2H.

FIRST HALF

HALFTIME: Kent State leads 35-33

The fouls evened up a bit at the end. Flashes finished with 13 personal fouls while YSU ended up with 10. The Penguins were just 6-for-15 from the foul line in the first 20 minutes.

Due in large part to early foul trouble for Hall and Spicer, KSU has lived on the perimeter with 12 of its 21 shots taken from beyond the arc. Led by a 4-of-6 by Dev Manley, the Flashes have made half of their threes.

Hall picked up two quick quick fouls and Senderoff ended up playing offense-defense with him for most of the final five minutes to try to protect him on the defensive end.

Manley leads all scorers with 12 points. Bobby Hain has 11 for the Penguins.

Biggest disappointment so far for Kent State has to be on the boards where the Flashes are being out rebounded 19-15 by the undersized Penguins.

YSU was 329th in the nation last year in offensive rebounding. Already 9-2 advantage for Penguins on offensive glass, leading to a 8-3 advantage in second chance points.

Led by Manley, the KSU bench has outscored YSU's 19-4.

3:53 ... Dev Manley is red hot from the arc, hitting four of his first five.

Flashes foul trouble continues, though, with 11 so far in this first half. Fortunately for the Flashes, YSU hasn't taken advantage shooting just 5-of-13 from the foul line.

That's a Penguins team that was 74 percent as a team last year from the foul line and in the top 50 in the nation.

Led by Manley, the Flashes are 6-of-11 (54-pct) from three tonight.

7:28 ... Youngstown State has inched ahead at 24-22 and will be heading back to the foul line after the timeout.

Fouls mounting against Kent State. Flashes have already been whistled nine times tonight.

Jimmy Hall is on the flour with two fouls. He needs to avoid picking up a third before halftime. Senderoff believes its worth the risk to keep Hall in the game.

11:57 ... Defending without resorting to fouling has been a point of emphasis for Rob Senderoff coming into this season.

So far, the Flashes have had a difficult time doing that, getting whistled for six fouls already. Jimmy Hall already has two fouls and is on the bench.

Derek Jackson with a fast start with seven points on 2-of-2 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 from the line.

Dev Manley is 2-of-2 from the arc off the bench.

15:36 ... Kent State leads 12-9 on a good shooting start.

Derek Jackson hit the first shot of the season, a three from the left wing on an extra pass from Kris Brewer. 

Chris Ortiz also has a three from the top. KSU is 2-for-2 from three, 4-of-5 from the field, and 2-of-2 from the foul line.

PREGAME

7:02 p.m. ... Almost time for tipoff tonight. A veteran crew tonight with NBA veteran Joe DeRosa, ACC’s Jamie Luckie, & MAC veteran Glenn Mayborg.

6:41 p.m. ... Some pre-game thoughts ... Youngstown State was one of the worst offensive rebounding teams in the country at 329th. And with the Flashes size and athleticism inside, Kent State should expect to dominate the boards on both ends.

The Flashes have been working hard on blocking out in the preseason. A big key to this one could be limiting YSU to one and out on the offensive end the way they expect to do it, then getting out and scoring in transition.

YSU doesn't have the length that Kent State has. I'm looking forward to seeing what Jimmy Hall can do tonight against some of the Penguins' undersized fours.

Defensively, the Flashes need to get back in transition and keep D.J. Cole and Marcus Keene from getting to the rim, find shooters like Shaun Stewart in, and then be ready to get to Bobby Hain as the trailer.

The 6-foot-10 Hain provides YSU is a worry for the Flashes. He is skilled, can finish with both hands, and he has range going out to the arc.

Other than Hain, this is a small YSU team with starters in Cole, Keene and Stewart standing just 5-11, 5-11 and 6-foot. Their 6-foot-5 four man, Shawn Amiker, is one of their better offensive rebounders and an energy guy that the Flashes need to get body on.

I'm anxious to see how Kris Brewer, Derek Jackson and Dev Manley get their senior season started. They should be helped by the added length on this team as well as the post presence of Hall. In fact,  Hall as a scorer in the post against Amiker could be the big matchup of the night.

6:30 p.m. ... Pregame show is live on WHO 640 AM and on WHLO's iHeartRadio channel.

Ty Linder with play by play again this year. I'm doing the color commentary, so any questions or comments, tweet me at @CarducciKSU, and we'll talk about them on the air.

6:22 p.m. ... Here's a little "Did You Know" for tonight's game...

Youngstown State has a 6-foot-4 power forward coming off of the bench named Larry Johnson Jr..

He is the son of former UNLV and NBA star Larry "Grandmama" Johnson. While Johnson doesn't have a great deal of college experience despite being a junior, the scouting report on him is that he is a physical, under sized four who can score around the rim ... not unlike his old man in that regard.

5:49 p.m. ... I just talked to Rob Senderoff for a moment. He is pretty eager to get this season underway.

I'll be back in a minute with some notes on today's game. In the meantime, here's a shot of Jimmy Hall getting taped up for his first game in a Kent State uniform, and a shot of Senderoff looking over tonight's game notes at the Beeghly Center. 

The teams are on the floor now for pre game.

3 p.m. ... I'll be blogging live from Youngstown State beginning at around 6 p.m.

Tip for tonight's game is scheduled for 7 p.m.

You can listen live on WHLO 640 AM and on the internet on WHLO's iHeart Radio station: http://www.iheart.com/live/640-WHLO-3520/

ESPN3 is also broadcasting video of the game tonight.

Live Blog: Football at Bowling Green

FOURTH QUARTER

3:36 ... Bowling Green moves the chains on the ground.

Going to come up short again, by the same score as last week.

Great effort and fight. Just have to hope that this team builds on experience of all of these close games and better times are ahead. I know that's tough for fans, but I believe that the future is bright.

6:05 ... Another great series of throws followed by a bad decision. Reardon with passes to Humphrey of 15 and 28 yards, but then he makes a bad throw into double coverage, and has it picked off by Ryland Ward at the BGSU 3.

The Flashes had a first down at the BGSU 24.

7:47 ... Bowling Green 30, Kent State 20

Suddenly this game is a shootout.

A 5-play, 78-drive in just 1:47 ends with Givens 2-yard touchdown run.

The Falcons used two big throws – a 45-yarder to Burbrink, and then a crushing 33-yarder to Lewis at the 1-yard line on a 3rd-and-12 throw by Knapke. Lewis pulled in the football despite pass interference.

9:40 ... Bowling Green 23, Kent State 20

The Golden Flashes answer quickly, driving 60 yards in six plays and scoring again on a 14-yard strike from Colin Reardon to Casey Pierce in the back of the end zone.

A 24-yard throw to Chris Humphrey set up the score. Humphrey showed great concentration pulling in the football on the sideline, even as he was being interfered with. Officials threw the flag, but the Flashes didn't need it.

11:59 ... Bowling Green 23, Kent State 14

Bowling Green extends its lead on a 21-yard Tate field goal.

12:45 ... The Bowling Green drive continues. The Falcons will face a third and goal at the Kent State 4 after a stoppage for injury.

Freshman linebacker Marques Moore attended to on the field.

THIRD QUARTER

0:07 ... Kent State catches a big break as officials ruled a deep throw from Knapke to Gehrig Dieter on the sideline incomplete.

Replay looked like it should have been ruled a catch as Dieter had a foot down and control. The catch would have given the Falcons a first down inside the Kent State 10. But after a long look in the booth, officials said the call on the field would stand.

Is that the first break to go Kent State's way this season?

1:49 ... Reardon has been brilliant most of the way, but he just threw an interception that is hard to figure out. After just a beautiful throw for 29 yards to Pierce for a first down in BGSU territory, Reardon threw the football right into the hands of BGSU linebacker Gabe Martin.

Reardon was off balance while throwing on the run. A very poor decision as momentum was continuing to build in Kent State's favor.

The pass came on a first-down throw from the BGSU 37. The pick was made by Martin at the 32.

The catch by Pierce for 29 yards gave Pierce the most catches by a Kent State tight end in one season with 51.

4:25 ... Flashes defense holds again, and Kent State has the football again at its own 12 after the Bowling Green punt.

As I type, Reardon hits Pierce for 11 yards and another first down.

6:09 ... Bowling Green 20, Kent State 14

The Golden Flashes finally have their touchdown and have made this a one-possession game.

Three plays after the fumble recovery, Reardon hit Humphrey again, this time on a 4-yard fade to the right corner.

From 20-0 to 20-14.

Reardon is now 14-for-23 for 150 yards, two touchdowns and the one interception.

7:34 ... One more great opportunity missed as Reardon intercepted at the 3-yard line.

Flashes gave themselves the chance with great defense and a nice punt return by Ernest Calhoun to the 15 ... An illegal-block in the back penalty moved the ball back to the 30.

But as I type, the Flashes have the football back on a Bowling Green fumble ... Jordan Italiano forced it. It looked like Najee Murray fell on the ball at the 6-yard line of BGSU.

9:35 ... Reardon has stayed hot, but the drop on the first series, another drop by Kris White on the second series, and then a missed call on what should have been a clear pass interference call against BGSU cornerback Jude Adjei-Barimah (with an arm-bar bump on Calhoun) have kept Kent State from building on its momentum.

Reardon is 13-for-20 for 146 yards, and with two big drops and the pass interference call, those numbers could be even better.

13:38 ... A big drop by Josh Boyle on a perfect 3rd-and-10 throw by Reardon forced the Flashes to punt on first down.

Boyle was wide open on a seam route, and Reardon hit him in the hands at around the 25 yard line. There was a Falcon defender in the area who may have made the tackle, but a catch in stride may have gone for a 58-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 20-14.

That happens, and maybe Bowling Green starts to feel a little pressure in its bid to clinch a division title.

SECOND QUARTER

0:00 ... Some halftime numbers:

Bowling Green has outgained Kent State 322-to-138. The Falcons have also doubled Kent State's first down total, 14-7 ... and four of those first downs were converted on 3rd-and-6 or longer.

Reardon is 9-of-11 for 112 yards and a touchdown. Strock is 3-of-10 for 22 yards.

When Strock was in, the Flashes ran 12 plays for 20 yards. Since Reardon has been in, the Flashes have run 17 plays for 118 yards. Similar to last week when Strock was the one who gave the offense a lift in relief of Reardon
.

The Flashes are a bit fortunate just to be in this one when you look at the lopsided numbers.

Kent State gets the football to start the second half. Get just a field goal to pull within two scores on this first drive, and the Flashes are in this fight.

0:38 ... Bowling Green 20, Kent State 7

This week it is Colin Reardon's turn to provide a spark on offense. Reardon marched Kent State 92 yards in 11 plays. The 5 minute and 51 second drive ended with a perfectly executed bubble screen from Reardon to Humphrey, who had an escort service of offensive linemen leading him into the end zone for a 21-yard score.

Reardon was a perfect 7-of-7 for 86 yards on the drive.


6:18 ... Colin Reardon is in for his second possession at quarterback.

His first throw on the previous possession demonstrated some excellent touch as he dropped the ball over the hands of BGSU linebacker Austin Valdez for a 21-yard pickup to Casey Pierce. Unfortunately, after moving the ball into Falcons territory for the first time, the drive stalled.

Reardon has a 23-yard hookup with Chris Humphrey early in this second drive and the Flashes are near midfield.

11:15 ... Bowling Green 20, Kent State 0

The Falcons have added a 22-yard Tate field goal.

Bowling Green already has 272 yards of total offense and there are still more than 11 minutes to play.

Kent State's offense has struggled to just 20 yards on 14 plays.

Colin Reardon was warming up on the sideline during the last Bowling Green drive. We may see him on the next possession. KSU's coaches said Reardon would play tonight.

14:34 ... Another three and out for the Flashes offense, but the drive could have been extended as Strock made a great throw running to his right and threading the needle between three defenders to feet the ball to Casey Pierce. Unfortunately, the usually sure-haded tight end couldn't make the catch.

15:00 ... Some quick numbers from the first quarter:

Bowling Green has outgained Kent State 212-to-20.

The Falcons have seven first downs to Kent State's 1.

The Flashes are averaging just 1.67 yards per play compared to BGSU's 7.85.

And the worst stat of the first quarter ... it took 54 minutes... 54 minutes for 39 plays.

FIRST QUARTER

0:30 ... Bowling Green 17, Kent State 0

The defense did its job, holding the Falcons to just a 37-yard Tate field goal.

The Flashes just can't afford mistakes like the one that handed the Falcons a short field and a free possession.

2:06 ... A major error on special teams for Kent State. The Flashes finally forced a punt by Bowling Green from deep in its own end, but when the rolling punt hit the foot of Kent State's Jerrell Foster, the Falcons recovered at the KSU 35. Bowling Green looking to add to the lead.


5:47 ... Bowling Green 14, Kent State 0

The Falcons turned a 3rd-and-12 into an easy 82-yard touchdown as wide receiver Roger Lewis got behind the defense on the post, an easy mark for quarterback James Knapke.

The chance to get off the field on third and long, however, came courtesy of Elcee Refuge, who made a nice play in the backfield to drop Givens for a 5-yard loss. Refuge is playing linebacker tonight as the Flashes try to get more speed in the secondary to match the Falcons.

8:17 ... Bowling Gren 7, Kent State 0

The Falcons strike first with a 58-yard drive ending in a 6-yard touchdown run by running back Andre Givens.

Travis Greene is out for this game, so Fred Coppet got the start at running back for Bowling Green. But Coppet limped off the field earlier in this first quarter, leading to Givens taking over.

All three running backs have had an impact for the Falcons offense this season.

Givens already has five carries for 55 yards, including a 33-yard run to set up the score.

Kent State has had trouble bringing down Givens, missing several tackles on that 33-yarded, and then allowing Givens to carry a tackler into the end zone.

10:50 ... The Flashes lost three yards on their first drive as Strock was sacked by Gus Schwieterman on third and six.

After a short punt, Bowling Green will begin its second drive at its own 42.

12:13 ... Bowling Green's first drive reached the red zone, thanks to a long pass connection. But the Falcons were forced to settle for a 36-yard field goal attempt by Tyler Tate that missed wide left.

The Flashes offense is on the field with Nate Strock making his first start.

PREGAME

7:48 p.m. ... Even with Bowling Green hoping to clinch an East Division title tonight, there isn't much of a crowd in the stands as we close in on kickoff.

Hard to blame the fans with temperatures just over 30 degrees and falling.

The warm press box is packed, however.

With top running back Travis Greene out for the Falcons tonight, Fred Coppet will get the start.

7:37 p.m. ... The Flashes have given us some surprises during warm-ups with a few changes to the apparent starting lineup.

In an attempt to get faster to match the speed of Bowling Green, the Flashes appear to be prepared to move Najee Murray from cornerback to the star position. There had been some talk earlier in the week of freshman corner Jerrell Foster playing the star spot while Elcee Refuge moved from star to linebacker.

Foster was working out wight he twos during practice.

Tad France will make his first career start at right guard. His first career action on the offensive line came in the fourth quarter of last week's game against Toledo.

6:45 p.m. ... Bowling Green will be wearing their "soot" uniforms tonight. Soot means a dark grey, and with orange numbers. In person, the grey looks quite a bit darker than the picture in this tweet from Matthew Daley to the right.

From the press box, it is difficult to read the orange numbers against the dark background. That or my 44-year-old eyes aren't what they used to be.

6:30 p.m. ... We are an hour and a half away from kickoff here at Doyt L. Perry Stadium in Bowling Green, Ohio.

The team arrived just a few minutes ago and quarterbacks and wide receivers are on the field warming up.

This will be the first career start for Kent State redshirt freshman Nathan Strock at quarterback. Head coach Paul Haynes said Colin Reardon will also see action for the Golden Flashes. When we will see Reardon and how much he will play is not known.

There are a few other changes for the Flashes, who are battered and bruised along the offensive line coming into this one.

Eli Sayre, a fifth-year senior defensive lineman, has moved to offensive line this week. The Flashes were worried they may not have enough bodies with Terrell Johnson and Nathan Puthoff both unlikely to play due to injury, and Wayne Scott and Jim Katusha both expected to play despite injuries.

Sayre had to switch his number from 55 to 58 this week because left tackle Reno Reda wears the No. 55 on the offensive side of the football.

Freshmen Connor Shinsky and Stefano Millen are on the trip this week, but don't expect the Flashes to burn their redshirts.

The Flashes will also be without Nate Vance on the defensive line. He will not be in uniform tonight.


6:15 p.m. ... When we parked our car here at Doyt L. Perry Stadium, we happened to find a spot right next to some Kent State tailgaters led by family and friends of Golden Flashes freshman defensive back Marcus Elliott. Hope they have a good time, along with some more friends from the Toledo area who are reportedly on their way.

Elliott and teammates Nick and Nate Holley all played their high school football at nearby Toledo Whitmer, and we expect a large contingent of Panthers fans to be in the stands tonight.