The Kent State men’s basketball team shot an impressive 19-22 (86%) from the free throw line, helping it withstand a furious run from the Niagara Purple Eagles, winning 76-73 Thursday at the M.A.C. Center.

In the final minute and a half, Niagara knocked in a three pointer on three straight possessions, but clutch free throws from graduate student guard Morgan Safford (8-10 on free throws) and senior guard VonCameron Davis (4-4 on free throws) helped the Flashes secure the three-point victory.

“Happy we got the win – probably a little closer than we would have liked, but a lot of times when those games get tight, the other team finds a way to squeak it out, and we made the plays we needed to down the stretch to get it done,” coach Rob Senderoff said.

Seven players on the KSU roster are seniors or graduates, a big plus when it comes to closing out close games.

“A lot of us have played a lot of basketball,” Safford said. “This is my sixth year in college and Von’s fifth year, and I think that experience has helped us finish games.”

The Flashes took the lead just over seven minutes into the first half and never gave it up. 

Despite getting out to a 19-point lead, the Purple Eagles were able to cut the lead down to one in the final seconds.

“I’ll give their team and coaching staff a lot of credit – they didn’t quit, kept driving the ball and hit a lot of threes,” Senderoff said. “They did a great job competing and made it tough for us. We got a big lead and got comfortable, and they kept coming at us, and to their credit, got themselves back in the game and gave them a chance to win.”

This was also the first game since Nov. 13 for the Flashes, where they fell 79-56 against the No. 4-ranked Auburn Tigers.

“It’s good to get this one and learn from it after an eight-day layoff and be able to move forward and continue to grow as a team.”

In the previous loss against Auburn, the Flashes had only five assists in the game. Thursday, KSU was able to squeak out the Purple Eagles 12-11 in that category, led by sophomore guard Cian Medley.

“We had nine at halftime, but we have to do a better job as the game moves on,” Senderoff said.

The Purple Eagles showed their physicality, forcing the Flashes into committing 23 fouls.

“We have to do a better job showing our hands, and we had a couple illegal screens, so we have to get better there.” Senderoff said. “It is early in the year, and we’re just trying to grow as a group, so I’m hopeful we will see improvement as we move forward in the season.”

Despite putting Niagara on the foul line a lot, the Flashes outrebounded NU 37-23 and 15-6 on the offensive glass.

“We’re big, strong and physical as well, so we try to beat everyone on the glass every night,” Safford said.

Kent State, now 3-1 and second place in the Mid-American Conference standings, continues to display great depth all around. Niagara dropped to 1-4.

Safford led the way with 17 points, and three other Flashes were in double-figure scoring. Davis had 15, while senior guard Jalen Sullinger and graduate student forward Anthony Morales each had 10.

“All the guys did a good job,” Senderoff said.

“Our plus/minus with Mike (graduate student

guard Mike Bekelja) was the best on the roster. Marquis (senior guard Marquis Barnett) was a lot more aggressive on both sides of the floor. Recco (junior forward Delrecco Gillespie) came off the bench when Cli’Ron (senior center Cli’Ron Hornbeak) was in foul trouble and gave us some really good minutes. Anthony saw the ball go in the basket; he’s a great shooter, so for him to start making threes is helpful for him and for us. Overall, there were a lot of positives in the game.”

Back on the road

The Flashes will head to Cleveland to take on the 3-3 Cleveland State Vikings Saturday at 7:00 at the Wolstein Center.

Last year, the Flashes defeated the Vikings at home 83-77 and the team has won seven straight over CSU.

As the season continues to progress, KSU feels good about the chemistry of the team.

“We all like playing with each other, and for a lot of us, it’s our last year and we haven’t won a ring,” Safford said. “We want to go out the right way, so we have a common goal.”

Davis, who leads the team in scoring in the young season with 17.3 points per game, also sees the interconnected nature of the team. 

“We all like each other and hang out with each other outside of basketball and outside of practice,” Davis said. “You can definitely see the chemistry coming out. I don’t think we’re at full effect yet, but the chemistry is there, and we’re going to keep working.”

Kent State will look to start the year 4-1 with a win, its best start since beginning 5-0 in the 2022-23 campaign.

“We have to continue to get better as a group,” Senderoff said. “We have a veteran team, and we just need to continue to stay committed to the process of improvement and getting better each night.”

Andrew Gold is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].