SECOND HALF
0.00 ... Kent State loses 81-78.
A Jackson three with just over 4 seconds to go cut the Toledo lead to just two, and the Rockets' top free throw shooter, Juice Brown, could only make 1-of-2.
Kris Brewer had a chance with a running three from in inside half court, but it missed ... although he claimed he was whacked on the wrist by Boothe without a call.
A valiant effort, but it's hard to beat the best team in the MAC when you can't get a call. The final foul numbers ... 29 against Kent State ... 15 against Toledo.
The Rockets shot 39 free throws compared to just 14 by the Flashes.
11.3 ... A Brown driving layup around Spicer followed by a Jackson missed three will force KSU to hope for a miracle.
A brave battle so far by Kent State.
Kent State whistled for 28 fouls. Toledo for 15.
Toledo 25-for-37 from foul line. Kent State 9 of just 14. Very one-sided whistle.
47.3 ... A Drummond dunk and foul for a three-point play gave Toledo a 5-point lead with one minute to play... That was followed by a Jackson three from the left corner.
It's 77-75 Toledo.
Henniger has fouled out on the Drummond dunk.
2:11 ... Toledo has forged into the lead on a dunk by Weatherspoon after Boothe blocked Brewer at the other end. A wild leap by Goodson at 3/4 quart helped Toledo get numbers the other way.
It's 72-70 Toledo and a timeout by Kent State.
5:03 ... Kellon Thomas has made several hustle plays ... two good box outs, a dive for a loose ball and a timeout ... Helping KSU build a 67-63 lead.
Brewer has 11 of his 14 in this half. He has been outstanding.
7:41 ... Flashes leading 63-59 and playing remarkably poised basketball for an 8-on-5 game.
Foul situation is getting a bit ridiculous. The Rockets keep going to the line ... 19-for-29... thanks to 23 whistles against Kent State.
Toledo has committed just 12 fouls, and the Flashes are 6-for-10 from the foul line.
11:47 ... Flashes lead 54-50, but will have to hang in there with some serious foul trouble. Derek Jackson and Mark Henniger both on the bench with four fouls.
Goodson just called for his third on a 50-50 block-charge call. Looked like he beat his man to the spot. Goodson coming out of timeout is arguing with Terry Wymer.
So far 20 fouls on Kent State, just 10 on Toledo.
14:57 ... Defense to quick points has Kent State in the lead at 46-45.
FIRST HALF
PREGAME
0.00 ... Kent State loses 81-78.
A Jackson three with just over 4 seconds to go cut the Toledo lead to just two, and the Rockets' top free throw shooter, Juice Brown, could only make 1-of-2.
Kris Brewer had a chance with a running three from in inside half court, but it missed ... although he claimed he was whacked on the wrist by Boothe without a call.
A valiant effort, but it's hard to beat the best team in the MAC when you can't get a call. The final foul numbers ... 29 against Kent State ... 15 against Toledo.
The Rockets shot 39 free throws compared to just 14 by the Flashes.
11.3 ... A Brown driving layup around Spicer followed by a Jackson missed three will force KSU to hope for a miracle.
A brave battle so far by Kent State.
Kent State whistled for 28 fouls. Toledo for 15.
Toledo 25-for-37 from foul line. Kent State 9 of just 14. Very one-sided whistle.
47.3 ... A Drummond dunk and foul for a three-point play gave Toledo a 5-point lead with one minute to play... That was followed by a Jackson three from the left corner.
It's 77-75 Toledo.
Henniger has fouled out on the Drummond dunk.
2:11 ... Toledo has forged into the lead on a dunk by Weatherspoon after Boothe blocked Brewer at the other end. A wild leap by Goodson at 3/4 quart helped Toledo get numbers the other way.
It's 72-70 Toledo and a timeout by Kent State.
5:03 ... Kellon Thomas has made several hustle plays ... two good box outs, a dive for a loose ball and a timeout ... Helping KSU build a 67-63 lead.
Brewer has 11 of his 14 in this half. He has been outstanding.
7:41 ... Flashes leading 63-59 and playing remarkably poised basketball for an 8-on-5 game.
Foul situation is getting a bit ridiculous. The Rockets keep going to the line ... 19-for-29... thanks to 23 whistles against Kent State.
Toledo has committed just 12 fouls, and the Flashes are 6-for-10 from the foul line.
11:47 ... Flashes lead 54-50, but will have to hang in there with some serious foul trouble. Derek Jackson and Mark Henniger both on the bench with four fouls.
Goodson just called for his third on a 50-50 block-charge call. Looked like he beat his man to the spot. Goodson coming out of timeout is arguing with Terry Wymer.
So far 20 fouls on Kent State, just 10 on Toledo.
14:57 ... Defense to quick points has Kent State in the lead at 46-45.
The Flashes needed a quick timeout after the Rockets jumped out to a 4-point lead with around 17:30 to play. Since then Kent State has answered the bell ... and with points in transition. Goodson leading the break twice in a row set up Spicer for a dunk and then K.K. Simmons for a three.
Then the 7-0 run was completed with a Spicer block leading to a fast break layup by Simmons.
Brown stopped the run with a floater to cut it to 1.
FIRST HALF
Halftime ... A three by Goodson at the buzzer cuts Toledo lead to 37-36 at the half. The Rockets had it to seven points at 33-26, but a nice little finish to the half by the Flashes.
Toledo had the ball trying to add to a four-point lead late, but a nice defensive play by Brewer forcing Brown to the baseline forced a turnover. Marquiez Lawrence cut off Brown's path, forcing him to step on the baseline.
With just six seconds to play, the Flashes did a good job of setting up Goodson for a three over the 6-foot-10 Zach Garber.
Flashes shooting 42.4 percent (14-for-33) from the field and 27.3 percent from three (3-for-11), which is positively blistering when compared to Thursday vs. Western Michigan.
The offense has been much more patient. Despite a few second chances by Toledo late in the first half, KSU won the rebounding battle 21-17.
Goodson has 12 points to lead Flashes on 4-for-10 shooting, 3-for-3 from the line, 1-for-3 from three, and also three rebounds in a difficult matchup with the athletic Weatherspoon (10 points, 4 rebounds to lead Toledo).
Spicer did a nice job in his starting role, going 2-for-2 from the field and grabbing four rebounds in his 11 minutes. He had a plus/minus of plus-6 ... the best on the team in the first 20 minutes.
Thomas struggled a bit, committing two fouls and going 0-for-3 from the field in his six minutes.
3:47 ... Brown just found his way into the lane for a layup ... his first basket of the game after an 0-for-3 start. Until that play, the Flashes had done a nice job of keeping the Rockets' star point guard out of the lane. Brown used a Garber screen to get to the basket.
7:57 ... Kent State and Toledo are tied 17-17. Manley just drilled a three from the left corner, ending KSU's 0-for-5 start from three. They've been good looks, too, coming off of inside-out action. Wide open, just unable to knock 'em down.
Good to see that Manley can hit from long range even with his wrist heavily taped.
11:20 ... Flashes lead is 12-10, and the best news is that Kris Brewer and Derek Jackson have combined for eight of the Flashes early 12 points. And they've done it by attacking the rim rather than settling for jumpers.
Dev Manley has checked in with his wrists wrapped.
15:41 ... Spicer and Thomas already having an early impact as KSU leads 6-4 at first timeout. A Spicer tip-dunk accounts for one of the Flashes' baskets. Thomas also with nice defense inside, holding his ground as the Rockets tried to post up the bigger Drummond.
Toledo had the ball trying to add to a four-point lead late, but a nice defensive play by Brewer forcing Brown to the baseline forced a turnover. Marquiez Lawrence cut off Brown's path, forcing him to step on the baseline.
With just six seconds to play, the Flashes did a good job of setting up Goodson for a three over the 6-foot-10 Zach Garber.
Flashes shooting 42.4 percent (14-for-33) from the field and 27.3 percent from three (3-for-11), which is positively blistering when compared to Thursday vs. Western Michigan.
The offense has been much more patient. Despite a few second chances by Toledo late in the first half, KSU won the rebounding battle 21-17.
Goodson has 12 points to lead Flashes on 4-for-10 shooting, 3-for-3 from the line, 1-for-3 from three, and also three rebounds in a difficult matchup with the athletic Weatherspoon (10 points, 4 rebounds to lead Toledo).
Spicer did a nice job in his starting role, going 2-for-2 from the field and grabbing four rebounds in his 11 minutes. He had a plus/minus of plus-6 ... the best on the team in the first 20 minutes.
Thomas struggled a bit, committing two fouls and going 0-for-3 from the field in his six minutes.
3:47 ... Brown just found his way into the lane for a layup ... his first basket of the game after an 0-for-3 start. Until that play, the Flashes had done a nice job of keeping the Rockets' star point guard out of the lane. Brown used a Garber screen to get to the basket.
7:57 ... Kent State and Toledo are tied 17-17. Manley just drilled a three from the left corner, ending KSU's 0-for-5 start from three. They've been good looks, too, coming off of inside-out action. Wide open, just unable to knock 'em down.
Good to see that Manley can hit from long range even with his wrist heavily taped.
11:20 ... Flashes lead is 12-10, and the best news is that Kris Brewer and Derek Jackson have combined for eight of the Flashes early 12 points. And they've done it by attacking the rim rather than settling for jumpers.
Dev Manley has checked in with his wrists wrapped.
15:41 ... Spicer and Thomas already having an early impact as KSU leads 6-4 at first timeout. A Spicer tip-dunk accounts for one of the Flashes' baskets. Thomas also with nice defense inside, holding his ground as the Rockets tried to post up the bigger Drummond.
PREGAME
I wonder if the addition of Thomas to the starting lineup will allow Brewer to focus more on scoring and get him going by removing some of the playmaking responsibilities. Thomas can handle some of the point-guard responsibilities.
Thomas may also give the Flashes a chance to start fast defensively. He'll need a bulldog mentality giving up five inches while guarding the 6-4 Justin Drummond at the start of the game.
5:15 p.m. ... The Kent State's team bus has arrived at the Savage Arena - easily the classiest renovation of an old Mid-American Conference barn in recent years.
The new bleacher technology that allows for angled seating in the corners would be a nice option for the future of the M.A.C. Center. Toledo had more space with which to work than KSU will after it raises the money needed for a renovation, but this beautiful facility can still serve as a blueprint.
The coaching staff has done some tinkering with rotation and lineups heading into this one. That's of course long-standing tradition for KSU teams in a funk ... Coaches going back to Jim Christian have sat down veterans, often seniors, to give them a new perspective, hopefully jump starting them on and off the court.
I've talked to several fans who are frustrated and concerned, but I don't subscribe to the sky-is-falling philosophy. Some may say that is because I work for Kent State athletics, but I believe it comes from being around this program for a very long time. I've seen this before with past coaches. I even remember last year when the Flashes limped to even slower start before righting the ship in another 20-win season. That team had players who could go out and get 20 on any given night in Randal Holt and Chris Evans. While some fans think that is missing in this year's team, I see the guys who could fill similar go-to roles. One of tonight's lineup changes could help another player find that scorers mentality a little easier. We'll see.
Toledo is a dangerous team, of course. Making changes is always a little more risky against an explosive roster like this one. In Julius Brown, Rian Pearson, Justin Drummond, J.D. Weatherspoon and Nathan Boothe, the Rockets boast five starters all averaging in double figures.
Brown and Pearson are the guards who make everything go for the Rockets, though. Brown is averaging 14.2 points and a league-best 6.5 assists per game. While he is averaging 37 percent from the arc and has hit some big threes during their 4-1 MAC start, "Juice" is even more dangerous when he gets into the lane to create for himself and others. If he can get to any spot on the floor when he wants, tonight could be a tough one for KSU. Kris Brewer will get the assignment on him with the hope that his length at 6-foot-3 can create some problems for the 5-foot-10 Brown.
Derek Jackson gets the assignment of stopping Pearson, who is the team's top scorer at 14.7. The 6-4 Pearson will have the reach advantage in that one against the 6-1 Jackson.
With the shooting slumps suffered by Brewer and Jackson during the Mid-American Conference season, how they get going on offense is possibly even more important than how they defend. They just have to rediscover their shooting touches for the Flashes to turn around this 2-3 MAC start. The good news is that while the Rockets are a dangerous scoring team, they have been just average at best on defense so far this season.
The Flashes are also going to have to find someone to match Weatherspoon, an above-the-rim 6-foot-6 power forward who averages 11.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game and will be the most athletic player on the floor.
No comments:
Post a Comment