Posted on by jeffrey9910

Some of the “experts” were picking Florida Gulf Coast to upset Kent State. Maybe the Golden Flashes saw the expert predictions but either way, they jumped out to a 21-point lead on 65% shooting, while holding Florida Gulf Coast to 35%.

Senior guard Kurtis McCrary led the Flashes in the first half with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting while grabbing two rebounds with two assists.

The Eagles had only two players score more than two points in the first half. Starting junior guard Malcolm LaRue led the way with 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting with two steals. Senior center James Kimm scored six points off the bench with four of those coming at the charity stripe as he went a perfect 4-of-4.

The second half was much better for FGCU but Kent State still outscored them 30-25 in the second half. Four of the five starters for Kent State finished the game with double-digit points. Senior forward Renardo Evans led the way with 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting while grabbing three rebounds. Senior guard Kurtis McCrary scored 14 points with five rebounds and three assists, while senior center Adam Robinson scored 12 points with eight rebounds.

Malcolm LaRue was again the bright spot for FGCU, scoring 23 points on 7-of-20 from the field and 6-of-14 from beyond the arc. Senior center James Kimm scored 10 points off the bench, with three rebounds.

It was the #5 seed versus the #1 seed in the second round of the NIT. The game was close for the first half with Kent Stat heading into the locker room with a five-point 47-42 lead.

Senior forward Tom Moss led Kent State with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting and a perfect 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. Moss also grabbed four rebounds.

For Southern Miss, senior forward Lamar Young led the way with 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting, while grabbing four rebounds with two assists. The Golden Eagles shot 33% (4-12) from beyond the arc compared to the 50% (6-12) for Kent State.

The second half went much the same way as Kent State outscored Southern Mississippi 41-34. The Golden Flashes lead by as 21 on the way to the 12-point 88-76 win. Senior guard Kurtis McCrary scored 11 points in the second half to finish the game with 17 points to lead Kent State. McCrary went 7-of-11 from the field and 3-of-7 from beyond the arc, while also dishing out eight assists. Moss scored only four points in the second half but he’d finish the game with 15 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore guard Jimmie Okotie and backup sophomore center scored 10 points each.

Only two Golden Eagles scored double-digit points, as Southern Miss was led by senior forward Lamar Young scoring 18 points on 6-of-17 shooting and 2-of-9 from the beyond the arc. Young also went a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Senior center Scott Dent scored 15 points while grabbing seven rebounds.

Kent State now advances to the Midwest Region championship as they will take on the #2 seed St. Bonaventure (21-12).

In first-round NCAA tournament news:

  • #9 Depaul upset #8 Nebraska 79-70
  • #2 Iowa got a one point, 76-75 win over #16 North Carolina A&T
  • #11 Rice upserts #6 St. Mary’s 67-59
  • #9 Saint Louis makes easy work of #8 Southern Methodist 70-53
  • #12 Bucknell beats #5 Illinois 67-58
  • 16th seed Purdue-Fort Wayne upsets #1 seeded Kansas 63-61
  • #3 Xavier holds #14 McNeese State to just 39 points as they blow them out 76-39