Falcons' Four Game Win Streak Snapped At Kent State

Tuesday, January 11

Kent, Ohio

7 pm

Bowling Green State University

Kent State

January 11, 2011 | Men's Basketball

By: by Jason Knavel, Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications

Boxscore
Louis Orr/Scott Thomas Postgame Audio

Kent, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University men's basketball team whittled a 25-point deficit down to 10 points midway through the second half but Kent State pulled away late to defeat the Falcons 80-63 in Mid-American Conference action Monday night.

Four players scored in double figures for Bowling Green and the Falcons had one of their best three-point shooting nights of the year (making 8-of-20) but it was not enough to overcome 11 turnovers in the first 12 minutes of the game, an inability to come up with loose balls, and a poor defensive performance.

Kent State shot 52 percent from the field and made 57 percent in the first half to build a 40-23 lead at the break.

Luke Kraus hit a Bowling Green three-pointer with 12:15 left in the first half to make the score 12-9 in favor of Kent State. But the Golden Flashes went on a 19-4 run over the next eight minutes to build a comfortable 31-13 lead. A'uston Calhoun's tip-in with four seconds left made it a 17-point halftime margin.

As the second half began, Kent State missed two shots on its first possession but got a pair of offensive rebounds and eventually scored. That bucket sparked the team to a 10-2 spurt to open the frame and give the Golden Flashes a 50-25 lead.

But just when it looked like Bowling Green was defeated, the Falcons fought back. In an eight-minute stretch, Bowling Green made six three-pointers from four different players. Jordon Crawford and Dee Brown capped the run with back-to-back three's that made it 58-48 with 8:45 to go.

Kent State, though, settled down and scored on its next five possessions to put the game away. Bowling Green was unable to get the deficit to single digits the rest of the way.

During the Falcons' recent play, winning 5-of-6, the team dominated the post and shot over 50 percent from the field as a team. On Monday night, Kent State held a 40-18 edge in points in the paint and held BGSU to 41 percent shooting. The Falcons went to the line just six times, making five free-throws.

Calhoun led the way with 17 points, adding seven rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot. Brown had 14 points, making 2-of-3 three-pointers, while Scott Thomas finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. Crawford ended with 10 points, four assists and a pair of steals.

Kent State improves to 10-6 overall and 1-1 in MAC play. Bowling Green falls to 6-10 and has an identical 1-1 conference record. The Falcons will host Miami Sunday at 2 p.m.

NOTES
* Kent State was just the second team to shoot 50 percent against Bowling Green this year. The Falcons are 0-9 in Louis Orr's four-year tenure when an opponent shoots at least 50 percent.

* Scott Thomas had his 33rd career double-digit scoring game, tying Joe Jakubowski for the most on the team.