Flashes win first game in Italy

The Kent State men's basketball team won their first game in Italy on Sunday 83-76 over Basket Scauri.  Senior guard Tyree Evans led the way with 26 points and five three pointers.  Sophomore big man Justin Greene was a perfect 6-6 from the field and finished with 13 points.  Junior guard Rod Sherman had 17 points in his first action since the 2008 NCAA Tournament.  The Golden Flashes head to Northern Italy tomorrow to take on Virtus Siena of the Italian B-1 League.

Kent State men's basketball SID Todd Vatter checked in with me today on how the trip is going:

"Rome is a phenomenal city.  When most people think of Rome they think of the Roman Empire and Gladiators so it was quite the experience to think that you were walking in the same places that they did.  It was very New York like in a sense in that there are so many things to see and do that its hard to squeeze it all in in just a couple of days, but we did our best.  The players are really soaking up the experience.  Not just the historical place, but the culture as well.  Just going to eat at a restaurant and trying to get a glass of water like you would in Kent is quite the ordeal with the language barrier and such.  They guys are enjoying interacting with the street vendors and other shop merchants.  This morning we left Rome and arrived in Cassino, about an hour and 45 minutes southeast.  Rome was great but it'll be interesting to experience the rest of the countryside.  Plus maybe we can all stop using the 'When in Rome...' expression, which ranks as the second most used phrase thus far on the trip only behind Cam Joyce's 'In the Flesh'."