Posted on by jeffrey9910

It was the second and third-place teams in the MAC meeting up inside Millett Hall as the Kent State Golden Flashes took on the hometown Miami (OH) Redhawks.

It was a tale of two different halves for both teams. The Redhawks took a 5-point 47-42 lead into the half thanks in part to 13 points by senior forward John McNeil and 11 points by sophomore guard Leo Matthews. Junior forward Phil Wessel scored six points off the bench.

For the Golden Flashes, senior guard Kurtis McCrary led the way with 13 points and three assists. McCrary went 6-of-7 from the field and 1-of-2 from beyond the arc. Kent State saw three players score six points each in the first half. Senior starting guard Tom Moss, sophomore starting guard Jimmie Okotie and sophomore center Jack Brown off the bench.

Neither team seemed to be able to score in the second half. As Miami scored 29 points while Kent State scored 25 to give Miami the 76-67 win. Kent State led only once and it was by 1 point. The Red Hawks led by as many as 20. Matthews scored eight points in the second half to finish the game with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting while going 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. Senior forward John McNeil grabbed six rebounds with three blocks while scoring 17 points. McNeil went 7-of-15 from the field. Wessel scored five points in the second half to lead the RedHawks bench with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting and a perfect 1-of-1 from beyond the arc.

McCrary scored nine points in the second half to lead the Golden Flashes with 22 points on 9-of-13 from the field and 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. Senior forward Renardo Evans was the only other Kent State player to end the game with double-digit points, scoring 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line while grabbing 11 rebounds. The Kent State bench would go a 4-of-8 shooting. Jack Brown scored six points with two rebounds but he’d finish the game a -18 in plus/minus. Senior guard Brian Dison scored three points and junior forward David Ashman scored his first two points of the season.

Kent State shot 52% from the field and 54% beyond the arc, Miami on the other hand shot 49% from the field and 39% from beyond the arc. Miami led with points in the paint (32-26), second chance points (8-6) and fast break points (8-4).

It was a battle between the two teams at the opposite end of the MAC standings as the Kent State Golden Flashes headed to the Alumni Arena to take on the Buffalo Bulls.

The first half was all Kent State as they almost doubled up Buffalo 44-23. Two Kent State starters ended the game with double-digit points, as senior guard Kurtis McCrary led the way with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting while going 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. Senior forward Tom Moss added 10 points with two rebounds. Sophomore center Jack Brown added six points off the bench while grabbing two rebounds.

Buffalo didn’t have a single player score more than six points in the first half. The Bulls were led by senior guard Jarvis Wooley, scoring six points on 2-of-5 shooting while grabbing three rebounds. The Bulls never led during the first half and Kent State led by as much as 21 at one point.

Buffalo played much better in the second half but due to the hole they dug, Kent State was able to easily hold on for the 79-66 win. Wooley ended the game with 15 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Wooley finished the game going 6-of-11 from the field and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. Sophomore center Chris Rencher was one point shy of tying his season high, scoring 15 points off the bench while grabbing four rebounds with two assists.

Kurtis McCrary led the way for Kent State, scoring 10 points in the second half to finish with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting while grabbing two rebounds with two assists. Tom Moss added another eight points to finish with 18 points and two rebounds. Senior guard Brian Dixon matched his season high of nine points off the bench, shooting 3-of-5 with three rebounds and four assists.