The MAC’s At-large Hopes Likely Died In Kent Tonight

After a rough non-conference season, the Kent State Golden Flashes moved to 6-3 in conference play after upsetting the Buffalo Bulls, which were slowing climbing up the RPI rankings.

After hanging around for a bit in the first half, the Golden Flashes found themselves in a hole after a late Buffalo run. A Nick Perkins layup put the Bulls up 47-31 before a Jalen Avery traditional three point play gave us the half time score of 47-34.

The Bulls kept the lead in double digits before Kent slowly started chipping away at the lead with 10 minutes left. Up by 7 with 4 minutes left, the Bulls then went cold. They wouldn’t score again until Davonta Jordan hit a layup with 3 seconds left, and the Golden Flashes picked up the win, 82-79.

Both teams shot well, with Kent hitting 45.6% of their shots and 8 of 21 from beyond the arch. The Bulls were even better, hitting 55.6% from the floor and 8 of 19 from three. Kent held a 30-22 rebounding edge and Buffalo held a 24-15 edge in the foul department to make the difference in the game.

Buffalo is pretty much in win out until the conference tournament finals to have a shot at an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, and even then might need some help.

Coach Rob Senderoff has done a good job with the Golden Flashes this season, as they now look like a legit contender. They still need to grow, but they seem to be on their way.

The Golden Flashes head west to take on Bowling Green, while the Bulls play host to Western Michigan in the Friday night game.