Some fans would not have expected Saturday night’s matchup between Kent State (16-7, 7-3 Mid-American Conference) and Miami University (8-15, 3-7 MAC) to be any type of thriller, but that’s exactly what happened as the Kent State men’s basketball team edged out a 61-60 victory over the RedHawks.

Senior guard Devareaux Manley led the way scoring 20 points, but Manley’s biggest shot came with less than a minute to go in regulation when he hit a three-pointer to cut Miami’s lead to 60-59.

Following a defensive stop, junior forward Chris Ortiz, who had 16 points in the contest, scored the game-winning points.

“This is probably the best win of the four years that I’ve been here,” Coach Rob Senderoff said.

With the absences of redshirt sophomore forward Jimmy Hall to mononucleosis and senior guard Kris Brewer for team violations, Manley and redshirt senior guard Derek Jackson, who registered 11 points, played 39 minutes.

“We just had to gear up with whoever we had,” Manley said.

Junior guard Eric Washington let the RedHawks with 17 points.

The Flashes will travel to take on rival Akron (16-7, 7-3 MAC) Tuesday. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.

Contact Stephen Means II at [email protected].