:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/28302709/20131228_ajw_ad5_344.0.jpg)
Another tough day at the office for the Kent State Golden Flashes. The Eastern Michigan Eagles came in having lost 17-straight to Kent State, but were able to end it this afternoon in Ypsilanti, Mich. winning 70-53.
The Eagles got out to a hot start as Darell Combs scored nine straight points to give Eastern a 20-12 lead. A Karrington Ward three pointer extended the lead out to 28-14 for the Eagles before Kent State was finally able to put a stop to the run, but the Eagles led 35-25 at halftime.
The second-half was much like the first half. A pair of Chris Ortiz free throws cut the lead to three with under 18 minutes to go, but that was as close as it would get. A 20-3 run midway through the second-half essentially sealed the victory for Eastern Michigan as that gave the Eagles a 20 point advantage, and rode that to the win.
For EMU, Ray Lee and Combs both had 15 points, while Ward added 10 more. Da'Shonte Riley led the Eagles in rebounding with seven and added three assists. The Eagles shot 44 percent from the field.
The Flashes were led by Derek Jackson and Darren Goodson who each had 11 points. Khaliq Spicer added five rebounds. Kent State was dreadful once again from downtown making only four of the 26 shots it attempted from behind the arc.
Eastern Michigan is now tied for sixth in the conference, which would give the Eagles a first round home game in the MAC Tournament. With two games against Ball State and a game against Central Michigan remaining, the Eagles have a real chance to move up and potentially snag a double bye in the MAC Tournament.
Kent State's season has just spun out of control. It is hard to diagnose what has gone wrong but it doesn't look good for the Golden Flashes. KSU has very difficult schedule down the stretch. The Flashes live and die by the 3-point shot, which is pretty bad considering they shoot 33 percent from downtown. This number has also been dropping as the season has progressed at an alarming rate. Kent State takes on Bowling Green in its next game.
