SECOND HALF
FINAL ... Kent State 83, Central Michigan 75
Kellon Thomas was solid from the foul line in the final minutes and bust-out layups by Chris Ortiz and Kris Brewer helped the Flashes hold off Central.
Five Golden Flashes scored in double figures led by Thomas and Ortiz, who both finished with career highs with 17-point nights.
Add in 14 by Brewer, who broke out of a slump by going 5-for-7 from the field and 4-for-5 from the arc, another 13 by Derek Jackson, who also grabbed seven rebounds, and 10 points by Henniger, who was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, and the Flashes found contributions from all over the lineup.
Chris Fowler was outstanding for Central, scoring 19 points. Hibbitts and Rayson added 12 points each while Simons finished with 11.
3:49 ... Central Michigan has called timeout after a Simons three trimmed the Kent State lead to 65-56. The Flashes scrambled nicely early in the possession, but then lost track of Simons in the left corner.
Just before that Central three, a steal and fast-break layup by Derek Jackson had the Flashes up by 12.
5:01 ... Chris Ortiz has a career high with 15 points after spinning in a flip with the left hand on a hard drive down the lane.
Earlier, Ortiz and Brewer hit back-to-back threes as the Flashes kicked the lead back out to double digits.
At the moment it is 63-53 and the Flashes have the basketball.
7:48 ... Kent State is starting to regain control.
Brewer with another three now has nine points on 3-for-4 shooting, all from beyond the arc.
Add a retro three-point play by a driving Thomas and the Flashes have kicked the lead back out to 55-48.
10:51 ... Back-to-back threes by Ortiz and Brewer have answered a Central run. The Chippewas led by three. It is now Kent State 49-43.
Brewer made the extra pass on the first three by Ortiz, finding the hot hand. Ortiz now leads all scorers with 10 on 4-of-5 shooting, 2-for-2 from three.
Mark Henniger has also helped Kent State handle this run, keeping possessions alive with a couple of rebounds. He has 8 points on 4-for-4 from the field.
13:46 ... The poor play of the second half continues as Central's 15-4 run has the Chippewas in the lead at 41-39 following a transition three by Hibbitts.
Flashes have made 2-of-7 to star the second half while the Chippewas have hit 5-of-6.
15:30 ... All of the life we saw from Kent State in the game's first 20 minutes has been absent in the opening 4:30 of the second half.
FIRST HALF
PREGAME
FINAL ... Kent State 83, Central Michigan 75
Kellon Thomas was solid from the foul line in the final minutes and bust-out layups by Chris Ortiz and Kris Brewer helped the Flashes hold off Central.
Five Golden Flashes scored in double figures led by Thomas and Ortiz, who both finished with career highs with 17-point nights.
Add in 14 by Brewer, who broke out of a slump by going 5-for-7 from the field and 4-for-5 from the arc, another 13 by Derek Jackson, who also grabbed seven rebounds, and 10 points by Henniger, who was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, and the Flashes found contributions from all over the lineup.
Chris Fowler was outstanding for Central, scoring 19 points. Hibbitts and Rayson added 12 points each while Simons finished with 11.
3:49 ... Central Michigan has called timeout after a Simons three trimmed the Kent State lead to 65-56. The Flashes scrambled nicely early in the possession, but then lost track of Simons in the left corner.
Just before that Central three, a steal and fast-break layup by Derek Jackson had the Flashes up by 12.
5:01 ... Chris Ortiz has a career high with 15 points after spinning in a flip with the left hand on a hard drive down the lane.
Earlier, Ortiz and Brewer hit back-to-back threes as the Flashes kicked the lead back out to double digits.
At the moment it is 63-53 and the Flashes have the basketball.
7:48 ... Kent State is starting to regain control.
Brewer with another three now has nine points on 3-for-4 shooting, all from beyond the arc.
Add a retro three-point play by a driving Thomas and the Flashes have kicked the lead back out to 55-48.
10:51 ... Back-to-back threes by Ortiz and Brewer have answered a Central run. The Chippewas led by three. It is now Kent State 49-43.
Brewer made the extra pass on the first three by Ortiz, finding the hot hand. Ortiz now leads all scorers with 10 on 4-of-5 shooting, 2-for-2 from three.
Mark Henniger has also helped Kent State handle this run, keeping possessions alive with a couple of rebounds. He has 8 points on 4-for-4 from the field.
13:46 ... The poor play of the second half continues as Central's 15-4 run has the Chippewas in the lead at 41-39 following a transition three by Hibbitts.
Flashes have made 2-of-7 to star the second half while the Chippewas have hit 5-of-6.
15:30 ... All of the life we saw from Kent State in the game's first 20 minutes has been absent in the opening 4:30 of the second half.
A 10-2 run by Central, with Fowler heading to the line after this timeout, has Central within three at 39-36. Fowler free throws likely to pull it even closer.
Too many turnovers, some quick shots, and some flat-footed defense.
Similar start to the second half as last week in Mount Pleasant as Kent State was in control only to watch it slip away.
FIRST HALF
HALFTIME ... Kent State leads 35-26
The Flashes shot it at a 61-percent clip in the first half (14-for-23, including 4-of-10 from three-point range) in the first half and could easily lead by more if not for some loose play in the final five minutes of the half.
After struggling with full-court pressure in Mount Pleasant last week, KSU has had no difficulties with the press tonight. All of KSU's four turnovers have come in the half court tonight.
The sophomores have been fantastic. Kellon Thomas, Chris Ortiz and Khaliq Spicer are a combined 7-for-10 from the field with 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 0 turnovers so far tonight.
Ortiz leads the Flashes with 7 points on 3-for-4 shooting (1-of-1 from the arc). His 3 rebounds also lead the team. Thomas has 6 points (3-for-5). Derek Jackson has 5 points, making just one of his four shots from the field, but he has 4 assists and 2 steals.
Central Michigan's Chris Fowler leads all scorers with 8 points. The Chippewas are making just 31 percent of their shots (9-of-29) and 25 percent of their threes (3-for-12).
KSU was in a good position last time, winning by seven points at the half and then struggled early in the second half.
2:49 ... Central has cut a 13-point Kent State lead down to 30-22.
Hate to have a sloppy couple of minutes unravel all of the good things the Flashes have done in this first half... and just like that Chris Ortiz answers with a three from the right corner.
6:20 ... Flashes lead is 26-15 after a Manley transition three on a Jackson steal, that followed by a Thomas mid-range jumper.
Chippewas forced to take timeout.
Flashes are 11-for-16 from the field and now 3-of-7 from three-point range after Jackson and Manley hit from long range.
That's 68.8-percent shooting overall ... and KSU is off to the hot start Ty Linder was praying for prior to the start of tonight's game.
Thomas is 3-for-4 with 2 rebounds and an assist from the point guard spot.
10:10 ... Flashes are just 1-for-5 from three-point range. They are 5-for-6 from inside the arc, though, and have a 14-12 lead.
15:36 ... Kent State leads 4-3 at the first media timeout, and already Khaliq Spicer is having an impact.
The Flashes shot it at a 61-percent clip in the first half (14-for-23, including 4-of-10 from three-point range) in the first half and could easily lead by more if not for some loose play in the final five minutes of the half.
After struggling with full-court pressure in Mount Pleasant last week, KSU has had no difficulties with the press tonight. All of KSU's four turnovers have come in the half court tonight.
The sophomores have been fantastic. Kellon Thomas, Chris Ortiz and Khaliq Spicer are a combined 7-for-10 from the field with 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 0 turnovers so far tonight.
Ortiz leads the Flashes with 7 points on 3-for-4 shooting (1-of-1 from the arc). His 3 rebounds also lead the team. Thomas has 6 points (3-for-5). Derek Jackson has 5 points, making just one of his four shots from the field, but he has 4 assists and 2 steals.
Central Michigan's Chris Fowler leads all scorers with 8 points. The Chippewas are making just 31 percent of their shots (9-of-29) and 25 percent of their threes (3-for-12).
KSU was in a good position last time, winning by seven points at the half and then struggled early in the second half.
2:49 ... Central has cut a 13-point Kent State lead down to 30-22.
Hate to have a sloppy couple of minutes unravel all of the good things the Flashes have done in this first half... and just like that Chris Ortiz answers with a three from the right corner.
6:20 ... Flashes lead is 26-15 after a Manley transition three on a Jackson steal, that followed by a Thomas mid-range jumper.
Chippewas forced to take timeout.
Flashes are 11-for-16 from the field and now 3-of-7 from three-point range after Jackson and Manley hit from long range.
That's 68.8-percent shooting overall ... and KSU is off to the hot start Ty Linder was praying for prior to the start of tonight's game.
Thomas is 3-for-4 with 2 rebounds and an assist from the point guard spot.
10:10 ... Flashes are just 1-for-5 from three-point range. They are 5-for-6 from inside the arc, though, and have a 14-12 lead.
15:36 ... Kent State leads 4-3 at the first media timeout, and already Khaliq Spicer is having an impact.
Spicer has two blocked shots and he has drawn two fouls on the offensive end. He missed his first two free throws, but will head back to the line after this timeout.
The Flashes are attacking the 2-3 zone, taking just one three on the game's very first possession. Since then, Thomas has a driving layup and Ortiz has drilled a 12-footer.
Kris Brewer and Mark Henniger checking in to the game.
Simons drilled a three from the left corner on Central's firs possession... Since then the Chippewas have missed five straight shots ... thanks in large part to Spicer's defense.
PREGAME
5:58 p.m. ... Remember, you can listen to tonight's game live on WHLO 640 AM or online on iHeartRadio's Golden Flashes Station.
Questions or comments for Ty Linder or for me, post here or tweet @CarducckiKSU and we will discuss on the air.
We are live .... now!
5:51 p.m. ... The lineups have been posted on the M.A.C. Center scoreboard.
Derek Jackson returns to the starting lineup that includes senior Darren Goodson and the sophomore triumvirate of Thomas, Ortiz and Spicer.
Remember, Spicer played only the first five minutes at Central Michigan last week after injuring his wrist earlier that day in practice. Having his size and athleticism inside could make life difficult for Central bigs John Simons and Blake Hibbitts at least on the defensive end. Look for the Flashes to try to attack the paint.
4:25 p.m. ... Kent State has spent much of the last two days working on breaking full-court pressure.
Questions or comments for Ty Linder or for me, post here or tweet @CarducckiKSU and we will discuss on the air.
We are live .... now!
5:51 p.m. ... The lineups have been posted on the M.A.C. Center scoreboard.
Derek Jackson returns to the starting lineup that includes senior Darren Goodson and the sophomore triumvirate of Thomas, Ortiz and Spicer.
Remember, Spicer played only the first five minutes at Central Michigan last week after injuring his wrist earlier that day in practice. Having his size and athleticism inside could make life difficult for Central bigs John Simons and Blake Hibbitts at least on the defensive end. Look for the Flashes to try to attack the paint.
4:25 p.m. ... Kent State has spent much of the last two days working on breaking full-court pressure.
Difficulties against the press, especially early in the second half last week, were a big reason the Golden Flashes suffered a 78-73 overtime loss to Central Michigan last week in Mount Pleasant, Mich.
The Chippewas used man-to-man and 1-2-1-1 pressure against Kent State in that game. But in their two losses to Buffalo and Northern Illinois since then, they have mixed in a 1-3-1. The Huskies found an easy solution to that 1-3-1 look that the Flashes expect to see tonight. KSU also believes it has found some answers to the pressure that created so many problems in the previous meeting.
Expect Rob Senderoff to start at least three sophomores for the third consecutive game with Kellon Thomas, Chris Ortiz and Khaliq Spicer. All three are growing and giving the Flashes a better chance to win now while also allowing the program to develop for the future.
I talked with Senderoff about that group of young players earlier today, and you can read what he had to say in the Kent State Men’s Basketball Blog by clicking here.
If the Flashes can find another spark from whatever veterans come off of the bench, they should have a good chance of avenging last week’s loss to the Chipewas. Led by Derek Jackson, KSU’s bench outscored Bowling Green’s 45-2 on Wednesday night here at the M.A.C. Center.
Other than the potential tweak of adding a 1-3-1 full-court pressure, Central Michigan shouldn’t be much different than the team we saw in Mount Pleasant. It is still a team that likes to score inside with penetration from the guards while the bigs stand on the perimeter and try to pump in jump shots.
Central’s 6-8 forward John Simons connected on 6-of-11 from three-point range in a 22-point, 11-rebound performance against KSU last week. The Flashes have to find Simons tonight when Chris Fowler, Braylon Rayson and Austin Stewart decide to penetrate and kick.
Derek Jackson is of course a former Chippewa, and you know he doesn’t want to go down twice in one season to his old school. Against Central earlier this year he was a fine 4-for-9 from the field and 3-for-8 from the arc in scoring 12 points. Jackson is coming off of a brilliant 25-point performance off of the bench against Bowling Green.
Senderoff hasn’t said yet whether or not he plans to bring Jackson off of the bench again or trust that he’ll bring the same effort if reinstated to his usual starting spot. Knowing the superstitious nature of KSU’s coaching staff, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jackson in a sixth-man role again tonight.
If Jackson is the sixth man again, then Devareaux Manley would be the primary candidate to return to the starting lineup. It was Manley who hit the game-winning three on Saturday. There are not many other options. Devin Carter did not play well given the chance to start against Bowling Green. K.K. Simmons didn’t see the floor in that game, and Kris Brewer continued a shooting slump that has seen him go a combined 2-for-20 from the field in his last two games.
Tip-off is an hour early. We look forward to seeing you at the M.A.C. Center.
No comments:
Post a Comment