Kent State men’s basketball team had lost four home games in a row before beating Western Michigan 63-61 in the M.A.C. Center.
“It’s great to get a win here; we’ve played really well on the road but have really struggled here,” coach Rob Senderoff said. “Proud of the whole team for finding a way to get this win.”
In the first half, both teams got off to a slow start as the score stood 10-9 Broncos (8-15, 5-6) after ten minutes. Senior forward VonCameron Davis scored seven of his nine first-half points at the halfway point.
“I was getting open looks, and my teammates were definitely finding me,” Davis said.
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Western Michigan defenders. (Debonaire wright)
Junior guard Jalen Sullinger then took over for the next ten minutes scoring 11 in the first half.
The Flashes (12-11, 5-6) continued to play tough defense, creating five steals and forcing seven turnovers overall, despite Western Michigan snagging seven offensive rebounds.
“We have to rebound the basketball, and that’s honestly where a lot of their offense was coming from,” Davis said.
Graduate student Chris Payton hit a buzzer-beating pull-up jumper to give Kent State a 27-25 lead heading into the locker room. Payton had two points and three rebounds in the half.
Both teams shot 37% in the half, but the Flashes were 3-of-12 from three while the Broncos were 0-of-9.
Both teams came into the contest averaging eight three-point baskets per game.
In the second half, Payton came out aggressive to score nine points in the first eleven minutes to lead Kent State to a 46-44 lead.
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“I was kinda rushing in the first half. I got to where I needed to get, but I wasn’t doing the right things,” Payton said. “Just things I know I shouldn’t be doing, obviously corrected that in the second half.”
The Flashes started to take control after an and-one from Sullinger and a rim-rocking dunk from Payton gave them a 55-46 lead with seven minutes remaining.
“The dunks get me going; I try not to really lay the ball up in practice,” Payton said. “When there are people around cheering for you, it really gives you a boost.”
The Broncos weren’t done yet as they went on 7-0 of their own to bring the game to 55-53 with three and a half minutes remaining.
Kent State had a chance to close out the game up 63-61 with 34 seconds remaining but were stopped.
Western Michigan had a chance to tie or win the game with four seconds left but were unable to get a shot off.
“They had the ball and a chance to tie or win it, and for us to be able to defend them and not even be able to get a shot up is an awesome way to end the game,” Senderoff said.
Davis led the Flashes with 19 points, while Payton added 17 and Sullinger finished with 16.
![](https://kentwired.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/DSC00427-400x600.jpg)
Kent State also shot 90% from the free-throw line.
Up next, Kent State will travel to Alabama for a non-conference game against Troy Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
Matt Franos is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected]