KSU loses wild one at the buzzer, 86-87

KENT - Kent State lost a wild game at the buzzer on Sunday evening at the M.A.C. Center, falling to Green Bay in overtime 86-87.  Green Bay guard Bryquis Perine hit a three pointer as time expired to give the Phoenix the walf-off win.  The shot capped off a wild final 2.3 seconds.  Green Bay in bounded the ball on the baseline and threw a pass to the half court line where Tyree Evans went up and intercepted the pass.  Contact from behind followed, and the ball trickled out to a wide open Perine, who buried the three point shot.  Many people said the ball was out of bounds prior to Perine's heroics.

Justin Greene led Kent State with a career high 20 points. 

Read Jonas Fortune's story in the ABJ. 

GOOD BASKETBALL WEEKEND - The Hispanic College Fund Classic was a very well balanced field.  Samford, Kent State, UAB and Green Bay all had competitive, hard fought games.  “UAB’s got three returning players," Green Bay head coach Tod Kowalczyk said.  "You’d think they were going to have a down year, but they are good.  Samford is an unbelievable team.  They’re going to win a lot of basketball games.  Kent State is a very good team.  I’d like to think Green Bay is right there with all those teams.”  For a basketball enthusiast like myself, watching six games in three days was a great way to welcome the new season in college basketball.

KENT STATE, GREEN BAY CONNECTION - Tod Kowalczyk and former Kent State head coach Jim Christian are very good friends.  Kent State still has a lot of the core beliefs that they had under Christian.  Green Bay's Kowalczyk also shares in many of the same things that the Golden Flashes have done over the years.  "Our programs are really mirred after each other," he said.  "We have the same practice drills a lot, the same philosophies.  The leadership and the quality of basketball is the same.  I know their staff extremely well.  I know their past coach, their present coaching staff, and I think the world of them."   

WILD CELEBRATION FOR A WILD ENDING - After Perine's game winning shot, it set off a wild mob scene celebration unlike any I have seen by a visiting team at the M.A.C. Center since I have been following the Golden Flashes.  The entire Green Bay team mobbed Perine to the ground on the far side, across from the Phoenix bench.  They may have celebrated too hard, as Perine appeared to injure his ankle and had to be helped off the court.  "To the Kent State fans that thought we celebrated too much, I apologize," Kowalczyk said.  "I have never been a part of a game like that.  That's an emotional time and if people can't understand that then they've never been in a competitive situation." 

Additional Coverage:

Last Second Heave Spoils Kent State Come Back in 87-86 loss to Green Bay - KentStateSports.com

Perine's Miracle Shot Lifts Phoenix Past Kent State in Overtime - GreenBayPhoenix.com

Flashes fall to Wisconsin-Green Bay in overtime - Record Courier

Desperation Anxiety - Daily Kent Stater