Kent State, Central Michigan Pick Up Valentines Victories

KENT, Ohio – Kent State (19-6; 9-3 MAC) won its seventh straight and climbed into a second place tie in the Mid-American Conference East Division after stopping Buffalo (16-7; 9-3 MAC) by a final of 76-71 Tuesday night in the M.A.C. Center.

For the fourth consecutive game, the Golden Flashes were led in scoring by senior forward Justin Greene (Brooklyn, N.Y.) who totaled 18 points and six rebounds, but it was senior guard Michael Porrini (Massillon, Ohio) who was a real difference maker in the game.  Porrini racked up 14 of his 16 points in the second half while hitting two key three pointers in the final eight minutes.  The 2011 MAC Defensive Player of the Year, he also added a game high nine assists and six rebounds.

 

After starting the half trailing eight points, Kent State erupted to begin the second stanza.  The Golden Flashes went on a 11-0 run in just over a two minute span and shot 9-12 from the field in the first seven minutes of the period which turned the eight point deficit into a nine point, 57-48 lead.  Sophomore guard Eric Gaines (Chicago, Ill.), played a huge roll in the comeback including one sequence when he stole an inbounds pass then hit a three-pointer while being fouled for a four-point play.  

Buffalo didn't go away however and quickly got back into the game with a 13-0 run that gave the Bulls a 61-57 lead with 7:38 remaining.  

It was then time for Porrini to take over.  The 6'1" senior sparked an 11-4 stretch over the next two minutes by hitting three-pointers on the next two possessions followed by an assist Greene to push the Kent State lead up to five with 5:23 to go.  

Buffalo would bring the margin back to 70-68 with under 90 seconds to play, before senior guard Carlton Guyton (Chicago, Ill.), hit a three-pointer from the top of the key for three of his 11 points to increase the Golden Flashes' lead back to five points.  Greene then iced the game at the line with 15.4 seconds to play as the defending MAC Player of the Year sank both shots.  

Junior guard Randal Holt (Cleveland, Ohio) added 15 points and hit four of Kent State's 11 three-pointers in the game.  The Golden Flashes shot over 60 percent from beyond the arc (11-18) for the first time since Feb. 2, 2008.  

Buffalo senior guard Zach Filzen had a game high 20 points while sparking a 10-2 run that led to a 39-31 lead at halftime for the Bulls.  

Kent State completes a three-game homestand on Saturday by welcoming Charleston to the M.A.C. Center as part of the 10th annual Sears BracketBuster event.  The Golden Flashes will be honoring the 2002 Elite 8 team with an appearance from Antonio Gates at halftime of the 6:00 pm contest.  

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Central Michigan showed a killer instinct and received an all-around balanced effort as it led from start to finish in a 55-52 win over first-place Eastern Michigan.

The Chippewas (8-17, 3-9 Mid-American Conference) clicked from the very beginning as they opened the second round of MAC West play with an 8-1 lead before allowing the Eagles (11-15, 6-6 MAC) their first field goal at the 13:45 mark.

When Eastern came within four, Central hit back-to-back-to-back three-pointers to quickly extend its lead to 11, and the advantage remained near double-digits for most of the half despite a dry spell that lasted just short of five minutes.

The Eagles scored the last four points of the half to cut the Chippewas' advantage to four, 24-20, and struck first in the second period to come within two. Up just one with 11:54 remaining, the Chippewas went on a 10-1 run that included six straight points by Austin McBroom to return their lead to double-digits, 42-32, at the 7:53 mark. Eastern came within six on several occasions afterward, and hit a three with two seconds remaining to cap the scoring, but Central was able to prevent the long scoring runs that had plagued them during a nine-game losing streak.

"Our guys did a heck of a job persevering and fighting through (this skid)," said CMU head coach Ernie Zeigler. "We've been through a really tough, tough stretch, and here at home in particular. In these last three home outings prior to night, we've been right there, especially in the last three minutes of those games. We just haven't been coming through. ...(Tonight) is just a really good team victory."

Nine Chippewas recorded a field goal and all 11 grabbed at least one rebound as Central shot 47 percent from the floor, its highest since a league-opening win over Toledo, and out-rebounded Eastern by 13, 36-23, for its greatest advantage since the season opener over Ferris State.

"These tough guys persevered and it is a really good win for us," said Zeigler, "hopefully something that can be a springboard for us as we head down the stretch."

McBroom, who scored a team-high 14 points, recorded all three of the Chippewas' free throws. All 10 of the team's attempts came in the second half, due in large part to 6-of-13 three-point shooting before the break, and four came in the final 40 seconds.

"I was trying to be really aggressive and make big plays. There's a couple guys on our team who can make big plays, and it just ended up being my night," McBroom said. "We have a lot of guys who can score. Everybody came through tonight and it was a team win."

Trey Zeigler also scored in double-figures, notching 11 points and coming one rebound shy of a double-double, and tallying a career-high four blocks.

The Eagles entered the contest atop the MAC West standings and ranked first in scoring defense.