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Gaels wanted revenge for '07 loss. Tired Flashes lose fourth in a row
By Stephanie Storm
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Friday, Dec 05, 2008
KENT: He's been one of Kent State's biggest cheerleaders on the bench the last three years. And while that hasn't changed, Brandon Parks is also becoming one of Kent State's bigger producers on the court as well.
It was the 6-foot-10, 270-pound junior center who kept the Golden Flashes from being blown out early Thursday by Saint Mary's at the M.A.C. Center in a rematch of last season's thrilling BracketBusters victory in California.
But unlike last season when Al Fisher led the Flashes to victory, Parks' dominance wasn't enough to carry the team as KSU fell 75-69 to a team in search of revenge.
It was KSU's fourth consecutive loss — the first time the Flashes have lost four in a row since the end of the 2003-04 season. It also snapped their 18-game homecourt win streak.
''We were still hurtin' this morning when we woke up from the loss last year at our place,'' said Saint Mary's guard Patrick Mills, who led all scorers with 26 points. ''This game meant everything. It was like a national championship
game to us.''
Not so much to the tired Kent State team, which had dropped three games in four days against Illinois, Texas A&M and defending national champion Kansas. The Flashes (3-4) went five minutes between scores while the Gaels unleashed a 9-0 run. The Gaels (6-1) built a 12-point lead punctuated by Mills' 3-pointer with 6:15 remaining in the opening half. But that's when Parks — whom many Flashes followers figured would never see valuable minutes in a meaningful game — took over. Parks punctuated a 13-1 Flashes run by scoring three consecutive baskets and absorbing a momentum-changing charge on the other end of the floor.
When KSU coach Geno Ford gave the big man a much-deserved break, he left the floor to a standing ovation and proceeded to keep the crowd on its feet by rapidly waving a white towel in the air.
With Parks leading the way in the first half with a team-high-tying eight points and team-best six rebounds, the Flashes went into the second half tied 30-30. He finished with a career-high and team-high-tying 16 points and eight rebounds.
''[Parks] definitely gave me a run for my money,'' Saint Mary's 6-foot-11, 265-pound center Omar Samhan said. ''The scouting report said he was a good player, but I don't know if it said he was that good. He really came out and kept them in the game for a long time.''
Parks' one-handed dunk with 3:08 to go pulled the Flashes within three points to close the gap on a late Gaels 10-point lead. But the Flashes were disjointed down the stretch, failing to come up with anything remotely resembling an organized play.
''We're a good team and we've got a ton of talent, but right now we're just not tough enough,'' Parks said. ''We started to get the momentum at halftime, but I think we started to feel too comfortable about ourselves. We really just gotta learn to start stepping on somebody's throat.''
Stephanie Storm can be reached at sstorm@thebeaconjournal.com.
KENT: He's been one of Kent State's biggest cheerleaders on the bench the last three years. And while that hasn't changed, Brandon Parks is also becoming one of Kent State's bigger producers on the court as well.
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