Marshall University Athletics
Men's Basketball Falls Short at Kent State
1/19/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Men's Basketball Falls Short at Kent State
1/19/2003
- Box Score
KENT, Ohio - Antonio Gates scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Kent State to a 71-58 win over Marshall in Mid-American Conference action Saturday.
Kent State (11-2 overall, 4-1 MAC) never trailed in the first half, leading by as much as nine points after a pair of free throws by junior guard Matt Jakeway made the score 20-11 at the 11:06 mark.
Marshall (8-5, 4-2 MAC) would cut into the lead with a 17-9 run over the next six minutes to cut the lead to one at 29-28. But a jumper by Gates and a three-pointer by Jakeway, sandwiched around a pair of Marshall free throws, gave the Flashes a 34-30 lead at at halftime.
The teams would trade baskets in the early going of the second half as Ronny Dawn?s three-pointer gave Marshall the lead 43-42 with 13:31 to play. Junior center John Edwards then sank a pair of free throws to start a 13-3 run that gave Kent State a lead it would not relenquish.
Marshall would cut the lead back to six with 5:21 remaining, but a three by senior guard Anthony Wilkins and a jumper by Edwards made the score 64-53 and the Flashes would not look back. Kent State sealed the win hitting 15-of-17 free throws in the second half, including 7-of-8 in the last two minutes.
Junior guard Eric Haut had 15 points, while Edwards finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. Jakeway tallied eight points.
Marshall's Ronald Blackshear led all scorers with 22 points and he paced the Herd with a team-high seven rebounds. The junior from Camilla, Ga., finished seven of 13 from the floor. The Thundering Herd's only other double-digit scorer, Ronny Dawn, finished with 11 points.
Kent State out-rebounded Marshall 35 to 22. The Flashes entered the game as one of the nation's top shooting teams, however, Marshall managed to limit Kent State to 42.6% shooting, while shooting 45.5%.
The Thundering Herd battled foul trouble for much of the game. Junior center Ardo Armpalu was limited to only 15 minutes of action, due to foul trouble. He finished the contest with four fouls. Junior Marvin Black fouled out of the contest, as did Ronald Blackshear. In fact, five of the ten Marshall players that saw action finished the game with three or more fouls.
For the game, Marshall was whistled for 26 personal fouls, while Kent State was called for 18 fouls. The Flashes went to the line 28 times and made the most of it by connecting on 24 of those shots. Marshall hit 14 of its 18 free throws.
With the win, Kent State takes over first place in the MAC East division and extends its winning streak against Marshall to seven straight.
The Thundering Herd now turns its attention to in-state rival West Virginia University. Marshall meets up with the Mountaineers in the annual Toyota Capital Classic, Wednesday at the Charleston Civic Center.
