Kent State dominates Shawnee State in exciting men’s basketball match-up

Coach Rob Senderoff shook up the lineup for Kent State men’s basketball team’s game against Shawnee State on Thursday at the M.A.C. Center.

Junior guard Jalen Sulinger, sophomore guard Reggie Bass and junior center Cli’Ron Hornbeak came off the bench as junior forward VonCameron Davis, freshman guard LA Hayes and sophomore forward Delrecco Gillespie were inserted into the starting lineup.

The result was a resounding 103-61 victory over the Bears (4-4), marking the third time KSU scored 100 or more points this season.

“In our last game, we didn’t start the game and certainly not the second half the way we needed to,” Senderoff said. “It was a combination of let me see different guys and how they play and with others, and you have to play better when you’re on the court.

“It was a great win for us, and we needed to respond to how we played during the most recent game at home,” Senderoff said. “Now we got to go on the road and continue to stay focused and continue to try to get better.”

Kent State (5-3) scored 24 points off 13 first-half turnovers en route to a 58-28 halftime lead.

“Really trying to play better defense because we gave up too many points last game,” Gillespie said of an 84-78 loss to the College of Charleston. “We knew that we had to lock in this game.”

The Flashes continued their defensive pressure throughout the second half, forcing 12 turnovers and recording seven steals.

Kent State played 12 players, and all but two recorded at least 10 minutes of playing time.

“We are trying to figure some things out as we get into conference play,” Senderoff said. “We only have four games in December, and we’ve got to continue to improve and define roles and what guys are doing to help us win.”

Freshman guard Brendon Moss scored a career-high 19 points in 13 minutes off the KSU bench.

“Most importantly, we got the win, but it feels good to get out there and have that type of game, and I just have to keep building on from this,” he said.

In addition to Moss, five other Golden Flashes scored in double figures: Davis (16), senior forward Chris Payton (14), Sullinger (11), Gillespie (10) and Hornbeak (10).

“We had a chance to get guys minutes that weren’t getting minutes, and a lot of them played well,” Senderoff said, reflecting on the team’s performance.

As a team, Kent State shot over 57% from the field and converted on 7 of 15 shots from behind the arc. The Flashes recorded assists on 23 of their 38 baskets.

Kent State will now head back on the road to take on South Dakota State (3-4) at 9:15 p.m. Tuesday.

“So we’ll come into practice with a ton of energy and have some positivity moving into that game,” Senderoff said, expressing confidence ahead of the upcoming match.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Kent State men’s basketball rolls to easy home win over Shawnee State