KENT: If there was anything positive to be taken from Kent State’s blowout loss to Ohio on Wednesday, it was the wake-up call to the importance of defense that will be needed tonight against the University of Akron.
The trademark defense that led KSU to an 11-3 mark in the nonconference portion of the season slipped dramatically in the past two games as the Flashes gave up 87 points in each (a five-point win over Bowling Green and a 22-point loss to Ohio).
“To me, our problems all start with defense,” Kent State coach Rob Senderoff said. “We’ve given up an average of 18 second-chance points per game in league play and the last two games teams have scored over 20 a game on second-chance points. You just can’t win that way.”
That sounds about right. But just in case, Senderoff’s done the math to prove the point.
“On a second shot, teams make it 60 percent of the time,” he said. “On your third shot, teams make 80 percent. So, if we keep giving teams second and third chances against us, then we’re going to have a tough time stopping teams from scoring.”
But how does a team like Kent State, which has been built for years on the foundation of defense, suddenly forget to play it?
“I don’t know,” Senderoff said. “We’re just not playing as physical as we’re used to playing.”
By “we” he means the entire team, including the five starters — four of whom are seniors.
“It’s alarming, for sure. But these are the same guys that in pre-conference [play], were holding teams to 39.6 percent from the field. So, I know they can do it. The bottom line is we have to play better. We have to compete more, we have to play more physical and we have to play tougher.”
Despite the setback, Kent State (12-5, 2-2 in the Mid-American Conference) still sits in a second-place tie in the MAC East Division, one game behind leader UA. The Zips (11-7, 3-1) lost their first conference game Wednesday, 82-70 at Buffalo.
There’s more motivation for the KSU players tonight, too.
The Zips won two-of-three meetings with the Flashes last season, including the final matchup — a stinging 66-65 overtime loss in the MAC Tournament that cost the regular-season champions the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
“We’ve got a little unfinished business with Akron,” senior point guard Michael Porrini said. “They bumped us out [tournament] last year. We still remember that.”
Buzzer beaters
• New sixth-man Chris Evans had another productive effort off the bench Wednesday with a team-high 18 points and three blocked shots in 23 minutes. Evans, a junior forward, leads the team with 23 dunks and is averaging 16 points in the past two games. Evans moved into the key reserve role after Eric Gaines suffered a knee injury that required recent surgery.
• The Flashes lead the MAC in scoring at 73.2 points per game in conference play. … Senior forward Justin Greene, who leads the league with 18 points per game in MAC play, needs just four field goals to reach 500 for his career.
• During league play, Porrini is the only player ranked in the Top 15 in scoring (12.3), rebounding (5.8), assists (4.5), steals (2.0) and blocked shots (1.5).
• The Flashes’ Feb. 11 home game against Ball State, originally scheduled for 7 p.m., has been changed to 11 a.m. to accommodate a broadcast on ESPNU.
Stephanie Storm can be reached at sstorm@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow Stephanie on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/sstorm13. Follow Beacon Journal sports on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sports.abj.
