Mike McKee takes a shot during the Kent vs. Hampton game. BRIAN MARKS | DAILY KENT STATER

Credit: DKS Editors

The Kent State men’s basketball team welcomed back two different players Wednesday night.

In the Flashes’ 77-67 victory at Eastern Michigan, sophomore guard Chris Singletary returned from a one-game suspension and scored 12 points.

Meanwhile, sophomore guard and 3-point sharpshooter Mike McKee broke out of an extended scoring slump to hit five 3-pointers and score 19 points.

“(The coaches) were always very supportive,” McKee said after the game. “…(Coach Jim Christian) said, ‘Just keep shooting, you’ll turn it around, you’ll get out of it.’ And today it felt good to see some shots go in.”

The Game Kent State (17-4, 6-1 MAC) at Toledo (6-13, 3-4) When: Tomorrow at noon Where: Savage Hall (Toledo) TV: FSN Ohio Radio: WNIR 100.1 FM

Before Sunday’s game against Western Michigan, McKee hadn’t made a 3-pointer in five games, since a home victory Jan. 6 against Buffalo. He made two on Sunday in Kent State’s 67-58 win and another four in the first half Wednesday.

For the game, McKee shot 5-of-8 from behind the arc.

“Making two against Western kind of made me realize, ‘Well, maybe it’s coming back a little bit,'” McKee said. “We’re going to keep shooting the ball, and hopefully we can keep it going.”

While McKee was the first-half star with 14 points, the second half belonged to Singletary. Held scoreless in three minutes in the first half, Singletary scored all 12 of his points in the second half.

Those points were important because Eastern Michigan made a run at the Flashes, at one point cutting its deficit to five points.

“It was a big stretch of the game, and what he did was he found holes in the zone, he offensive rebounded (and) did all the things that Chris does really well,” Christian said.

Christian also said “it was just good to see everybody rally around Singletary.”

“In the first half he came out and it just didn’t seem like he was into it mentally and the other guys picked it up for him,” Christian said. “And then in the second half when we needed him, he really stepped up.”

The Flashes (17-4, 6-1 Mid-American Conference) will look for their fourth consecutive conference win and second straight on the road when they play at Toledo tomorrow at noon.

While the Rockets (6-13, 3-4 MAC) have gotten off to a slow start, they played a difficult non-conference schedule and led Akron at half-time Wednesday night.

While Christian said, after Wednesday’s game, that he hadn’t yet watched a lot of tape of the Rockets, he knows one thing: they play well at home. This season, Toledo has a 6-1 home record, with the one loss a seven-point defeat to Vanderbilt.

“(It’s) a place we’ve really had a tough time playing lately,” Christian said. “I know they’re athletic, (and) I know they have guys like (guard Jonathan) Amos and other guards who really put pressure on you by driving the basketball.

“Obviously, they don’t have a ton of depth, but you know at home they’re going to come to battle. It’s going to be another 40-minute game.”

Contact sports reporter Doug Gulasy at [email protected].