The Kent State University men’s basketball team appears to be rounding into the form that coach Rob Senderoff envisioned in the preseason.
Kent State snapped a three-game losing streak at home Tuesday night with a 75-57 win over Bowling Green at the MAC Center.
The victory came at the perfect time for Kent State (13-7, 4-4) as it is set to host Mid-American Conference leading Akron (15-5, 8-0) at 7 p.m. Friday.
“This was a great way for us to bounce back here,” Senderoff told reporters Tuesday. “We have five our next six games at home. We needed to get ourselves back with a win. We did a really good job. … Everybody tonight did a tremendous job defensively, first and foremost, and then offensively we shared the ball, shot the ball well and took care of the ball.”
Redshirt senior forward VonCameron Davis led KSU past BGSU with 24 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Davis made 10 of 16 shots from the field, including 4 of 7 from beyond the 3-point arc.
“I am definitely trusting in the work,” Davis told reporters Tuesday. “Me and my coach and assistant coaches, we work very hard in putting in extra shots. Seeing that really pays off, makes you feel good and benefits the team ultimately.”
Golden Flashes senior guard Jalen Sullinger had 18 points and two steals. Sophomore guard Cian Medley recorded his first career double-double with 12 points, 10 assists and four rebounds.
“I am trusting my teammates,” Medley told reporters Tuesday. “They had to make the shot. The assist comes from two people. I trust my teammates. I have a whole bunch of confidence in them and they have confidence in me.”
KSU opened MAC play with erractic performances that included wins on the road at Northern Illinois (68-50), at Buffalo (68-49) and at Toledo (83-64), a loss at Ohio (61-59) and losses at the MAC Center to Ball State (75-67), Western Michigan (94-83) and Miami (70-61).
The Golden Flashes led the Falcons 41-23 at halftime Tuesday and extended their advantage to 25 points in the second half.
KSU senior guard Marquis Barnett, a Brunswick graduate, contributed 10 points. Senior center Cli’Ron Hornbeak chipped in seven points and six rebounds and junior forward Delrecco Gillespie added four points and seven rebounds.
“I am proud of these guys,” Senderoff said. “We had a disappointing loss last Friday [at Ohio] coming off a really good win last Tuesday [at Toledo]. I thought we bounced back the way we were hoping we would and the way we needed to. Looking forward to seeing what we can do here over the last half of the season. We have 10 more conference games and hopefully we can position ourselves well for the conference tournament.
“As I mentioned five of the next six, or now it is four of the next five at home, starting this Friday against Akron, who is playing great. Really looking forward to seeing how our team can build as we move forward and head towards the finish line here in conference play.”
Bowling Green senior forward Marcus Johnson, a St. Vincent-St. Mary graduate, had 21 points and six rebounds.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Kent State basketball, Flashes sports for the week of Jan. 27-Feb. 2
