SECOND HALF
0:58 ... Ohio has trimmed some off the lead, which is 67-53... But Blake Vedder and Jon Flemming are in.
Flashes will improve to 12-5 overall and 3-1 in Mid-American Conference play.
3:57 ... A three by power forward Antonio Campbell has kept some slim hope alive for Ohio, down 61-45 now after falling behind by as 21 at the 5-minute mark.
Derek Jackson drilled three straight FT's after getting whacked on a three from the left wing with the shot clock running down. He leads the Flashes with 16 points, building on a very good 14-point game against Eastern Michigan on Wednesday night when he hit 4-of-5 from three-point range.
Ohio is under 30-pct again for the night at 29.5 percent ... 13-for-44.
6:35 ... A 6-0 run since that timeout by Senderoff has helped Kent State to a 20-point lead at 58-38.
First Jackson hit a three, getting slapped on the backside by Senderoff as he raced by the KSU bench following the shot.
A stop at the other end led to a left-wing three by Kris Brewer. Four players now in double figures as Brewer now has 12.
7:48 ... Kent State takes a time out to set up a play. The Flashes want to delver the knockout blow soon as they haven't quite been able to shake the Bobcats.
The Flashes have led by 16 twice as Ortiz has hit a pair of threes in the last few minutes. Right now it is a 14-point advantage at 52-38.
Hall, Jackson and Ortiz all have 10 points. Ndour has 13 points to lead the Bobcats in what is his best game against Kent State in the last two years.
11:42 ... Spicer and Marquiez Lawrence have really been the story of this half for Kent State.
Both long and athletic bigs have been extremely active, getting their hands on just about every loose ball. Lawrence had a steal just before this timeout to set up this possession, and Spicer fighting for an offensive rebound and getting fouled by Antonio Campbell kept the possession alive.
And coming out of the timeout, Manley gets fouled in the corner from just in front of the Flashes bench. Manley will have three shots, trying to build on a 39-29 Kent State lead.
Flashes haven't been able to shake Bobcats despite 30-pct shooting. And Ohio has had to get hot to reach 30.
15:06 ... Kent State lead is 34-24 with Ohio shooting just 2-for-7 (28.6 percent) so far in the second half and actually trimming a point off of the Flashes halftime lead.
Flashes will improve to 12-5 overall and 3-1 in Mid-American Conference play.
3:57 ... A three by power forward Antonio Campbell has kept some slim hope alive for Ohio, down 61-45 now after falling behind by as 21 at the 5-minute mark.
Derek Jackson drilled three straight FT's after getting whacked on a three from the left wing with the shot clock running down. He leads the Flashes with 16 points, building on a very good 14-point game against Eastern Michigan on Wednesday night when he hit 4-of-5 from three-point range.
Ohio is under 30-pct again for the night at 29.5 percent ... 13-for-44.
6:35 ... A 6-0 run since that timeout by Senderoff has helped Kent State to a 20-point lead at 58-38.
First Jackson hit a three, getting slapped on the backside by Senderoff as he raced by the KSU bench following the shot.
A stop at the other end led to a left-wing three by Kris Brewer. Four players now in double figures as Brewer now has 12.
7:48 ... Kent State takes a time out to set up a play. The Flashes want to delver the knockout blow soon as they haven't quite been able to shake the Bobcats.
The Flashes have led by 16 twice as Ortiz has hit a pair of threes in the last few minutes. Right now it is a 14-point advantage at 52-38.
Hall, Jackson and Ortiz all have 10 points. Ndour has 13 points to lead the Bobcats in what is his best game against Kent State in the last two years.
11:42 ... Spicer and Marquiez Lawrence have really been the story of this half for Kent State.
Both long and athletic bigs have been extremely active, getting their hands on just about every loose ball. Lawrence had a steal just before this timeout to set up this possession, and Spicer fighting for an offensive rebound and getting fouled by Antonio Campbell kept the possession alive.
And coming out of the timeout, Manley gets fouled in the corner from just in front of the Flashes bench. Manley will have three shots, trying to build on a 39-29 Kent State lead.
Flashes haven't been able to shake Bobcats despite 30-pct shooting. And Ohio has had to get hot to reach 30.
15:06 ... Kent State lead is 34-24 with Ohio shooting just 2-for-7 (28.6 percent) so far in the second half and actually trimming a point off of the Flashes halftime lead.
Ohio is now 9-for-34 on the evening.
Khaliq Spicer has given the Flashes a lift in this half, opening the action with a jump hook over his left shoulder on the first possession and then seconds later drawing a charge. He leads the Flashes with six rebounds.
FIRST HALF
HALFTIME
Kent State 30, Ohio 19
The story of the day so far is defense. The Flashes have held Ohio to 7-for-27 shooting from the field while forcing 11 turnovers. KSU has a 10-2 scoring advantage off of those Ohio miscues.
The Flashes have not shot the ball well, 11-for-29, missing too many shots in the paint, including a few dunks. Jimmy Hall has 9 points to lead the Flashes on 4-for-9 shooting.
Maurice Ndour leads Ohio with 7 points on 3-of-8 from the field. He also has a game-high 7 rebounds.
Ohio is winning the rebounding advantage 23-16.
3:37 ... Kent State will try to add to a 23-15 lead coming out of the break as Khaliq Spicer will head to the line after getting whacked trying to throw down a dunk while flying through the lane late in the shot clock.
Ohio is now 5-for-20 from the field with 10 turnovers. Kent State defense has been very good, but Ohio has also been extremely sloppy.
Jimmy Hall leads everyone with 8 points.
7:30 ... The defense continues to be excellent for the Flashes, who are up 19-13 at this media timeout.
Heading into this break, Derek Jackson, Dev Manley, Chris Ortiz, Marquiez Lawrence and Gary Akbar did a great job of forcing the Bobcats into a 35 second violation without coming even close to getting a shot off.
Ohio is 4-for-14 from the filed with 7 turnovers.
Threes by Kris Brewer, who has 5 points and is in attack mode tonight, and Derek Jackson helped the Flashes eclipse Ohio's brief lead.
11:50 ... Ohio University has dodged a bullet. The Bobcats trail by just a point at 9-8 despite an awful 0-for-6, 4-turnover start.
Kent State is getting great looks inside and just can't convert, shooting 4-for-13 so far.
Chris Ortiz has missed a dunk. Khaliq Spicer had a pretty jump hook rattle in and out. Jimmy Hall's two misses have been on top of the rim.
15:29 ... Good start for the Golden Flashes, who have a 7-0 lead at the first media timeout.
Jimmy Hall has 4 points and is getting good position inside on both Ndour and Campbell in the early going. If he keeps getting deep touches like this, he's going to have a big game.
Devareaux Manley has added a three from the right wing on his only attempt so far. That's a good sign for one of the nation's top three-point shooters, who is coming off of a rare off night on Wednesday vs. Eastern Michigan.
Ohio is 0-for-5 and has 3 turnovers.
Kent State 30, Ohio 19
The story of the day so far is defense. The Flashes have held Ohio to 7-for-27 shooting from the field while forcing 11 turnovers. KSU has a 10-2 scoring advantage off of those Ohio miscues.
The Flashes have not shot the ball well, 11-for-29, missing too many shots in the paint, including a few dunks. Jimmy Hall has 9 points to lead the Flashes on 4-for-9 shooting.
Maurice Ndour leads Ohio with 7 points on 3-of-8 from the field. He also has a game-high 7 rebounds.
Ohio is winning the rebounding advantage 23-16.
3:37 ... Kent State will try to add to a 23-15 lead coming out of the break as Khaliq Spicer will head to the line after getting whacked trying to throw down a dunk while flying through the lane late in the shot clock.
Ohio is now 5-for-20 from the field with 10 turnovers. Kent State defense has been very good, but Ohio has also been extremely sloppy.
Jimmy Hall leads everyone with 8 points.
7:30 ... The defense continues to be excellent for the Flashes, who are up 19-13 at this media timeout.
Heading into this break, Derek Jackson, Dev Manley, Chris Ortiz, Marquiez Lawrence and Gary Akbar did a great job of forcing the Bobcats into a 35 second violation without coming even close to getting a shot off.
Ohio is 4-for-14 from the filed with 7 turnovers.
Threes by Kris Brewer, who has 5 points and is in attack mode tonight, and Derek Jackson helped the Flashes eclipse Ohio's brief lead.
11:50 ... Ohio University has dodged a bullet. The Bobcats trail by just a point at 9-8 despite an awful 0-for-6, 4-turnover start.
Kent State is getting great looks inside and just can't convert, shooting 4-for-13 so far.
Chris Ortiz has missed a dunk. Khaliq Spicer had a pretty jump hook rattle in and out. Jimmy Hall's two misses have been on top of the rim.
15:29 ... Good start for the Golden Flashes, who have a 7-0 lead at the first media timeout.
Jimmy Hall has 4 points and is getting good position inside on both Ndour and Campbell in the early going. If he keeps getting deep touches like this, he's going to have a big game.
Devareaux Manley has added a three from the right wing on his only attempt so far. That's a good sign for one of the nation's top three-point shooters, who is coming off of a rare off night on Wednesday vs. Eastern Michigan.
Ohio is 0-for-5 and has 3 turnovers.
PREGAME
Ohio University is still trying to catch its stride under first-year head coach Saul Phillips. But even after three winless games in Mid-American Conference play, the Bobcats are still not an appetizing foe for the Golden Flashes. According to Kent State head coach Rob Senderoff, this team has plenty of talent, and once the Bobcats get their act together, their going to be a team nobody wants to face as we roll into March.
Maurice Ndour comes in averaging 14.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game in his senior season. The 6-foot-9 forward has struggled with Kent State, however, scoring nine points on 4-of-10 shooting in his visit to the M.A.C. Center last season, then going just 1-for-7 from the field in an 8-point outing when the Bobcats lost at home to the Flashes in early March. He averaged 5.5 rebounds per game in those two contests.Jimmy Hall will get the assignment of guarding Ndour. The 35 pounds Hall has on the 200-pound Ndour could be valuable. Ndour is extremely skilled and capable of hitting mid-range jumpers on pick-and-pops and pick-and-rolls. He is a very good offensive rebounder at 2.4 per game, so getting a body on him will be important.
Three other players average double figures for the Bobcats with 5-foot-11 senior transfer Javarez Willis at 15.1 per game, 6-5 freshman two Ryan Taylor at 10.3 per game and 6-8 sophomore forward Antonio Campbell.
Kent State will need to stop Ohio in transition. The Bobcats are at their best when they are able to get out and run. Willis is extremely quick, and he'll look for his own pull-up on the break as well as find Taylor spotting up and Ndour running the floor for easy baskets.
In the half court, expect Ohio to try to attack inside with Ndour and Campbell, who is a wide-bodied post player. This is a rare Bobcats team that is not very good from three-point range, hitting only 31 percent, which ranks 265th in the nation.
It's a different look for Kent State tonight after facing Eastern Michigan's 2-3 zone for 40 minutes on Wednesday night. Ohio will play man-to-man most of the night. The Bobcats have struggled defensively this year and rank near the bottom of the nation in forcing turnovers (316th). Derek Jackson, who has been great at avoiding turnovers this season, and Kris Brewer should be able to get the Flashes into their offense without much trouble if they are patient.
Devareaux Manley comes into the game ranked 14th in the nation with 52 three-pointers made so far this season. Jimmy Hall (14.8 ppg and 7.6 rpg) vs. Ndour should be the matchup to watch at the four.
It should be a fun night and we are hoping for a big crowd with Neon Night and the first 500 students receiving Neon Kent State T-Shirts.
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