FINAL: Kent State wins 64-51.
Click HERE for a link to the game story.
Ohio is struggling, but as a wise man once told me, never take a win in Athens for granted!
The season sweep of the Bobcats is secure and the Flashes are now alone in first place in the MAC East. A chance for 20 wins and possibly to lock up a bye in the MAC tournament awaits on Tuesday at Miami.
4:30 ... Kent State has the ball out of this timeout, up 58-46.
With Bowling Green losing at the moment to Buffalo, the Flashes have a chance to move into first place all by itself in the Mid-Ameican Conference East Division.
7:22 ... The Kent State lead is 56-44. A Devareaux Manley 4-point play has helped the cause ... as has an old-fashioned 3-point play by Jimmy Hall on an offensive rebound and putback around the 10-minute mark that led to a double fist pump that said "I'm back."
Hall has 9 points and 3 rebounds.
12:49 ... Ohio cut the Kent State lead to 2 points, but the Flashes have answered the run.
Khaliq Spicer has four quick points heading into this timeout – a pretty jump hook from the right block and a nice adjustment in the air, flipping in a layup on the previous possession.
Spicer also blocked a jumper by Willis with a nice switch off a screen.
Kris Brewer has also been more aggressive going to the basket in the last few minutes.
15:41 ... The Flashes lead 41-34, but Ohio has Khari Harley going to the line trying to finish off a thee-point play out of this timeout.
Manley was whistled for the foul on the fast break, but it didn't look like there was contact on the play.
Some foul trouble now for the Flashes. Manley has 3 as does Jimmy Hall.
Senderoff will stick with Manley on the floor coming out of this timeout. Manley has nine points on 3-of-7 from three-point range.
HALFTIME ... Kent State 36, Ohio 25
Kent State used a 13-2 run to take a double-digit lead into the half.
The offense has picked up. It's been a struggle offensively most of the way, though, shooting 38.7 percent.
Lots of balance with 8 different Flashes in the scorebook, led by Ortiz and Manley's 67 points.
3:50 ... Jimmy Hall just drew a charge ... well, at least he should have. Officials called a block on a call that had Rob Senderoff incensed heading into the timeout.
Hall is moving better and playing better in an extended shift. He has 4 points and 4 rebounds.
Shooting still very poor on both ends. Flashes and Bobcats both at 29 percent. Both teams also have 19 rebounds.
7:29 ... Ohio and Kent State are tied up at 19-19. The Flashes offense has struggled, but work on the offensive glass has helped make up for early misses.
The Flashes are 7-for-24 from the field, but have grabbed the offensive rebound on 7 of those misses, scoring 10 second-chance points.
Hall had one great offensive rebound and put-back, working hard to grab the loose ball rebound, then spinning in the lane for his first basket of February.
10:26 ... It took a while to get to this first update. Internet can be a little spotty on the road. The signal was lost, but back up and running courtesy of a handy, dandy internet card.
The Flashes have a 15-11 lead. Defense has been very good so far for the Flashes, who have held Ohio to 4-for-17 shooting and just 1-of-7 from three-point range.
Willis has struggled for the Bobcats. The streaky senior guard is just 1-for-4.
It took a while for the Flashes to hit their first perimeter shot. Devareaux Manley broke the ice with a three-pointer just before the 11-minute mark. The Flashes are 5-for-17 from the field (29 percent) and 1-of-5 from three.
Chris Ortiz is off to a very nice start with 6 points and 4 rebounds. He is 4-for-4 from the foul line and his one field goal was a thundering 1-handed slam on a run through the lane.
Jimmy Hall is on the floor now for what is his second stint so far. He looked rusty in his first few minutes, going 0-for-2 and turning the ball over with a travel.
PREGAME
The snow has finally stopped here in Athens and the crews are out and hard at work clearing the way for fans to get to the Convo.
Ty Linder and I changed our plans of driving out on the day of the game and made the trip last night. Staying at the team hotel meant getting some good early news ... The Flashes learned during breakfast this morning that star forward Jimmy Hall has been cleared to play today after missing the last five games with mononucleosis.
I talked briefly with Rob Senderoff this morning, and he said he isn't sure how much Hall will play today. He has been doing cardio work since Sunday, and he isn't sure how close Hall is to game shape. Senderoff said Hall will come off the bench.
The Flashes will be wearing their home whites today as Ohio has planned a "Black Out" game.
Some keys for today:
No matter what happens with Hall, the Flashes are going to need Chris Ortiz and Khaliq Spicer to continue their run of fine play and force Maurice Ndour work defensively in the paint. The Ohio senior averages 14.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game and had 19 points and 12 rebounds against Kent State in the Jan. 21 meeting at the M.A.C. Center. Prior to that game, he had struggled in two previous games with the Flashes.
Kent State needs to keep Javarez Willis from getting off early. He is a very streaky, high-volume shooter who comes in averaging 15.2 points per game and shooting 38.3 percent from three-point range. Willis started out cold at the M.A.C. Center last month and stayed that way, going 1-for-7 from the field and 1-for-4 from 3-point range.
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