SECOND HALF
FIRST HALF
PREGAME
FINAL ... Kent State 86, Ball State 74
Kent State used a dominating second-half performance to capture its first MAC win of the year. The Flashes outscored the Cardinals 54-35 and just as importantly several key players broke out of a funk.
Goodson finished with 23 to lead the Flashes. Brewer added 18 on 4-for-4 shooting in the second half. Jackson was 4-of-7 in the second half on his way to 12 points.
Turnovers were the big key. The Flashes forced 16 of them and outscored the Cardinals off of turnovers 26-11.
3:19 ... Close this win out and it may mean more than just a win. This could be the turnaround in the struggles of Darren Goodson, Kris Brewer and Derek Jackson, who have all been fantastic in this second half.
Kent State lead is 75-67. Goodson has 23, Brewer now has 11 and Jackson 10. After going a combined 1-for-8 in the first half, Brewer is 4-for-4 in this half while Jackson is 4-for-7.
After an 8-turnover first half, the Flashes have just one in the second half.
6:57 ... Goodson is dominating the action. He now has 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting. He also has six rebounds, an assist and a steal, and no turnovers.
Flashes are up 70-60 after a short baseline jumper by Kris Brewer and a driving hook by Goodson.
This game has completely flipped in the last seven minutes. Guards are also starting to get hot as Jackson is 4-for-7 in this half and Brewer is 2-for-2.
9:31 ... Kent State is on a 16-0 run after a Ortiz steal led to a Brewer layup.
Flashes lead is 65-57. Momentum completely on the Flashes' side.
11:46 ... Chris Ortiz with two old-fashioned three-point plays is leading a Kent State comeback. The Flashes pressure defense also has a hand in it, forcing turnover after turnover.
Flashes have the ball back ... a Kellon Thomas layup prior to this last turnover cut Ball State lead to 57-56.
15:53 ... Darren Goodson almost single handedly keeping Kent State in the game. He has 17 loins on 7-of-8 shooting and 2-of-2 from 3-point range.
Add in a Jackson steal and soaring dunk and the Flashes are down 49-42. They have momentum at the momentum, but need to keep putting on the pressure. To this point Ball State has answered every mini run.
Kent State used a dominating second-half performance to capture its first MAC win of the year. The Flashes outscored the Cardinals 54-35 and just as importantly several key players broke out of a funk.
Goodson finished with 23 to lead the Flashes. Brewer added 18 on 4-for-4 shooting in the second half. Jackson was 4-of-7 in the second half on his way to 12 points.
Turnovers were the big key. The Flashes forced 16 of them and outscored the Cardinals off of turnovers 26-11.
3:19 ... Close this win out and it may mean more than just a win. This could be the turnaround in the struggles of Darren Goodson, Kris Brewer and Derek Jackson, who have all been fantastic in this second half.
Kent State lead is 75-67. Goodson has 23, Brewer now has 11 and Jackson 10. After going a combined 1-for-8 in the first half, Brewer is 4-for-4 in this half while Jackson is 4-for-7.
After an 8-turnover first half, the Flashes have just one in the second half.
6:57 ... Goodson is dominating the action. He now has 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting. He also has six rebounds, an assist and a steal, and no turnovers.
Flashes are up 70-60 after a short baseline jumper by Kris Brewer and a driving hook by Goodson.
This game has completely flipped in the last seven minutes. Guards are also starting to get hot as Jackson is 4-for-7 in this half and Brewer is 2-for-2.
9:31 ... Kent State is on a 16-0 run after a Ortiz steal led to a Brewer layup.
Flashes lead is 65-57. Momentum completely on the Flashes' side.
11:46 ... Chris Ortiz with two old-fashioned three-point plays is leading a Kent State comeback. The Flashes pressure defense also has a hand in it, forcing turnover after turnover.
Flashes have the ball back ... a Kellon Thomas layup prior to this last turnover cut Ball State lead to 57-56.
15:53 ... Darren Goodson almost single handedly keeping Kent State in the game. He has 17 loins on 7-of-8 shooting and 2-of-2 from 3-point range.
Add in a Jackson steal and soaring dunk and the Flashes are down 49-42. They have momentum at the momentum, but need to keep putting on the pressure. To this point Ball State has answered every mini run.
FIRST HALF
HALFTIME ... Kent State pulled to within a point at 33-32 as Goodson hit a driving layup, a turnaround jumper and a three in a short spurt.
But in the final two minutes, the Cardinals answered with a four-point play by Mark Alstork and a layup by Crhis Bond to regain momentum, up 39-32 at the break.
The Cardinals have been as sloppy as any team I've seen in the M.A.C. Center, and Kent State hasn't been able to take full advantage.
The good news is Goodson appears to have resurrected his game. He is playing like the Darren Goodson of last MAC season.
Goodson has 12 points on 5-of-6 from the field, three rebounds and no turnovers so far.
Brewer and Jackson continue to struggle, though, at a combined 1-for-8 from the field.
Henniger and Spicer have been in foul trouble, but Tabb has been a positive in their place with five points and improving defense inside against Majok Majok. The Ball State big was quiet late after a fast start.
3:43 ... Opportunity to close strong here at the end of the first half. Flashes are within nine at 32-23 and have a chance to cut it closer after forcing another turnover heading into this timeout.
Defense has been good for the most part, forcing another turnovers by the bunches.
7:10 ... A brief run by Kent State highlighted by a Melvin Tabb layup, a quick Ball State turnover, and a Dev Manley three cut the Ball State lead to 25-18. The Cardinals have answered however and now lead the Flashes 30-18.
Frustrating stat of the night so far – Kent State has forced 8 Ball State turnovers but has just 5 points off of turnovers. Ball State has forced just 3 Kent State turnovers, but has 9 points off of turnovers.
11:53 ... Flashes starting to show some life with the Thomas layup. He missed the free throw, unfortunately, but a Jackson steal led to two more free throws. The makes have KSU within nine at 20-11.
12:30 ... Ball State has extended its lead to 20-7.
Flashes are flat offensively, taking poor shots and they are continuing to do a poor job on Majok inside. The Ball State center is now 5-for-5 with 10 points.
Need to turn it around on this possession... and start to do just that with Kellon Thomas driving hard to the rim, finishing and drawing the foul.
15:34 ... Ball State leads 10-6 early at the first media timeout, and Majok Majok has 8 of the Cardinals' points on 4-of-4 shooting.
But in the final two minutes, the Cardinals answered with a four-point play by Mark Alstork and a layup by Crhis Bond to regain momentum, up 39-32 at the break.
The Cardinals have been as sloppy as any team I've seen in the M.A.C. Center, and Kent State hasn't been able to take full advantage.
The good news is Goodson appears to have resurrected his game. He is playing like the Darren Goodson of last MAC season.
Goodson has 12 points on 5-of-6 from the field, three rebounds and no turnovers so far.
Brewer and Jackson continue to struggle, though, at a combined 1-for-8 from the field.
Henniger and Spicer have been in foul trouble, but Tabb has been a positive in their place with five points and improving defense inside against Majok Majok. The Ball State big was quiet late after a fast start.
3:43 ... Opportunity to close strong here at the end of the first half. Flashes are within nine at 32-23 and have a chance to cut it closer after forcing another turnover heading into this timeout.
Defense has been good for the most part, forcing another turnovers by the bunches.
7:10 ... A brief run by Kent State highlighted by a Melvin Tabb layup, a quick Ball State turnover, and a Dev Manley three cut the Ball State lead to 25-18. The Cardinals have answered however and now lead the Flashes 30-18.
Frustrating stat of the night so far – Kent State has forced 8 Ball State turnovers but has just 5 points off of turnovers. Ball State has forced just 3 Kent State turnovers, but has 9 points off of turnovers.
11:53 ... Flashes starting to show some life with the Thomas layup. He missed the free throw, unfortunately, but a Jackson steal led to two more free throws. The makes have KSU within nine at 20-11.
12:30 ... Ball State has extended its lead to 20-7.
Flashes are flat offensively, taking poor shots and they are continuing to do a poor job on Majok inside. The Ball State center is now 5-for-5 with 10 points.
Need to turn it around on this possession... and start to do just that with Kellon Thomas driving hard to the rim, finishing and drawing the foul.
15:34 ... Ball State leads 10-6 early at the first media timeout, and Majok Majok has 8 of the Cardinals' points on 4-of-4 shooting.
The very first play of the night was a turnover as Mark Henniger overplayed Majok in the post. The entry sailed out of bounds at the baseline. Since then, the Flashes have not done a good job against Ball State's biggest inside threat.
Offensively, the first four-plus minutes have looked a whole lot like Wednesday night. Already three missed layups. The Flashes are working the ball a bit more, making the extra pass.
PREGAME
6:43 p.m. ... Tune in to WHLO 640 AM for the radio broadcast of tonight's game. The game is also simulcast on the internet on the Golden Flashes iHeartRadio channel... http://www.iheart.com/live/Golden-Flashes-Radio-6068/
If you have any questions or comments, tweet me @CarducciKSU or post below and Ty and I will discuss on air during tonight's radio broadcast.
Tip coming at 7 p.m.
5:30 p.m. ... Darren Goodson was on the M.A.C. Center floor very early tonight, running drills and getting up extra shots with assistant coach Eric Haut. It was as hard as I've seen a regular in the Kent State rotation work during early pre-game, which is usually a time for players who are sitting out to get a workout with assistant DeAndre Haynes.
Clearly Goodson is feeling a sense of urgency to get back to where he was last year during the conference season, and that's a good thing. Winning teams have players who take ownership in the program.
It's no secret the Golden Flashes need a win to get back in the swing of things. They also need to see a few shots go in just to get some confidence back in their shooting stroke. This is the same team team that set a school record for 3's in a game and scored over 100 points in a game just a few weeks ago. The swagger just needs to return.
Priority for beating Ball State is limiting Majok Majok, keeping him from ducking in and getting the ball in the post and from getting to the offensive glass. At 6-foot-9 and 245 pounds, Majok will be a load for Henniger to handle inside, so he'll need some help from the KSU guards.
Chris Bond is also dangerous. Like Majok he is averaging just over 11 points per game. Bond is a veteran wing who is a capable three-point shooter, but more dangerous as an athletic slasher. Jackson likely gets the assignment on Bond.
Zavier Turner is a freshman who is averaging almost 13 points per game at the point. He is a small but ultra-quick lead guard who has demonstrated deep range while hitting better than 45 percent of his threes. His quickness will be a difficult matchup for Kris Brewer, although the KSU point has an advantage in size and length. The Flashes have good length at the guard position, and they'll need to use it to pressure and bother the Ball State freshman. Turner will turn it over – 47 times so far this year.
With Turner and Mark Alstork, the Cardinals have been starting two freshmen in the backcourt. Alstork can really shoot it from the perimeter – 48 percent from beyond the arc.
Turner likes to push the basketball, so the Flashes need to get back on defense after makes and misses. For the most part, they did a good job of that against Ohio University.
Look for Kent State to try to push the ball early and often to try to get some easy looks and take some pressure off of the half-court sets. I talked to one of the assistants earlier tonight and he said the Flashes are also putting an emphasis on getting back to playing inside-out basketball. They got good looks from three, but couldn't knock them down last game. They can get even better looks by continuing to stress this key. After missing 16 layups against Ohio, the Flashes have talked quite a bit about finishing strong at the basket.
Kent State should have a major size advantage. Majok Majok is the only true post in the rotation. Every other player at the 4 or 5 is in the 6-foot-5 to 6-foot-6 range.
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