Kent State Golden Flashes vs. CMU Chippewas: KSU wins 63-53 in a solid victory

Kent State continued its dominance over the MAC, solidly beating Central Michigan by a final score of 63-53. Kent State (15-5, 6-1) remains the only team in the MAC with one loss in conference play, while Central Michigan (14-4, 4-3) saw its two game win streak end as the Chippewas continue to struggle on the road.

Kent State was led by three dominant performances. Devareaux Manley and Kris Brewer each contributed 16 points, while sophomore Jimmy Hall followed up his 32 point performance against Ball State with a double-double, tallying 15 points and 15 rebounds. Kent State might have blown out CMU if not for their 18 turnovers, which allowed the game to be competitive late into the second half.

It was a poor game for the Chippewas. CMU were led by 15 points from Chris Fowler, who was the only Chippewa in double figures. Two normally reliable Chippewas who had poor games were Rayshawn Simmons and John Simons, who shot 0-8 and 3-10 from the field respectively. Simmons also contributed three of CMU's eight turnovers, as the Chippewas were generally unable to take advantage of Kent State's mistakes.

Central Michigan was plagued with foul trouble early in the second half, and Kent State was in the bonus by the second media timeout, allowing the Flashes to ice the game down the stretch with free throws. On the other end, the Chippewas were forced to endure another shooting cold streak, and Kent State mounted a 17-0 run early in the second half. CMU was able to mount a rally late and mounted an 11-0 run in response, but foul trouble combined with another late cold spree gave Kent State the victory.

After a sloppy start, both teams were able to rebound, with Kent State holding a one point lead going into the half. Both teams suffered cold streaks on the offensive side of the ball, with turnovers and bad offensive rebounding plaguing both teams. The Chippewas, who in recent games had come out firing, only made two three pointers in the first half, and each team had eight field goals at the break.

Despite the defeat, Central Michigan will look to remain unbeaten at home when they host the Ohio Bobcats this Saturday, while Kent State looks to extend their MAC win streak to seven games at Buffalo on Friday night.

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