Senior forward Khaliq Spicer set a new career high of 22 points and added eight rebounds to lead Kent State men’s basketball team (4-2) past Cleveland State (2-6), 66-62.

For Spicer, the game was four years in the making. Coach Rob Senderoff called the game a true testament of Spicer’s growth over the past four years. 

“Kaliq’s biggest hurdle is just believing in himself whether things go well or don’t go well,” Senderoff said. “There’s going to be times when he doesn’t make a basket and he is going to have to play through that. (This year) he’s been able to do that a little bit differently than he has at any other point in his career. Tonight, things went well and he was able to dominate inside.”

Junior forward Jimmy Hall added a solid all-around game of 14 points, nine rebounds and a season high six assists, along with a big time charge in the second half that helped seal the victory for the Flashes.

The game was a back-and-forth affair for the majority of the second half, with both teams in the double bonus by the six-minute mark. Between both teams, there were nine players to commit three or more fouls, including the Flashes’ senior guard Xavier Pollard with eight points. Pollard fouled out with four minutes left in the game.

“I thought we did a good job handling pressure,” Senderoff said. “We didn’t shoot it great, but we found a way to win the game without shooting it well. Especially from three.”

The Flashes made only two shots from three-point range, which gave them a five-point lead in the second half by graduate student Galal Cancer, with five points.

Freshman Rob Edwards and junior Andre Yates led the Vikings with 14 points each. Senior forward Vinny Zollo added 10 points and 11 rebounds.

The Flashes will return to the court Dec. 7 take on New Jersey Institute of Technology at the Fleisher Center in Newark, New Jersey. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.

Stephen Means II is a sports reporter for The Kent Stater. Contact him at [email protected].