New look, big win: Kent State men’s basketball powers past Shawnee State
Coach Rob Senderoff implemented a new lineup for the Kent State men's basketball team's game against Shawnee State Thursday at the M.A.C. Center.
Junior guard Jalen Sulinger, sophomore guard Reggie Bass and junior center Cli’Ron Hornbeak came off the bench as junior forward VonCameron Davis, freshman guard LA Hayes and sophomore forward Delrecco Gillespie were inserted into the starting lineup.
And the Golden Flashes responded with a 103-61 rout of the Bears (4-4) — the third time KSU scored 100 or more points this season.
“In our last game, we didn't start the game and certainly not the second half the way we needed to,” Senderoff said. “It was a combination of let me see different guys and how they play and with others, and you have to play better when you're on the court.
“It was a great win for us, and we needed to respond to how we played during the most recent game at home,” Senderoff said. “Now we got to go on the road and continue to stay focused and continue to try to get better.”
Kent State (5-3) scored 24 points off 13 first-half turnovers en route to a 58-28 halftime lead.
“Really trying to play better defense because we gave up too many points last game,” Gillespie said of an 84-78 loss to the College of Charleston. “We knew that we had to lock in this game.”
The Flashes continued their defensive pressure throughout the second half, forcing 12 turnovers and recording seven steals.
Kent State played 12 players, and all but two recorded at least 10 minutes of playing time.
“We are trying to figure some things out as we get into conference play,” Senderoff said. “We only have four games in December, and we've got to continue to improve and define roles and what guys are doing to help us win.”
Freshman guard Brendon Moss scored a career-high 19 points in 13 minutes off the KSU bench.
“I have to give credit to my teammates for finding me and trusting me to take those shots that I work on every day,” he said. “Most importantly, we got the win, but it feels good to get out there and have that type of game, and I just have to keep building on from this.”
In addition to Moss, five other Golden Flashes scored in double figures: Davis (16), senior forward Chris Payton (14), Sullinger (11), Gillespie (10) and Hornbeak (10).
“We had a lot of guys step in and play well tonight and just trying to get better as the year goes on,” Senderoff said. "We had a chance to get guys minutes that weren't getting minutes, and a lot of them played well.”
As a team, Kent State shot over 57% from the field and converted on 7 of 15 shots from behind the arc. The Flashes recorded assists on 23 of their 38 baskets.
“We have a lot of guys who can really score,” Senderoff said. “The key to all of that is making sure we continue to take good shots.”
Kent State will now head back on the road to take on South Dakota State (3-4) at 9:15 p.m. Tuesday.
“We'll have to bring a really good effort on the road next week, but it's a good feeling seeing a lot of guys play well tonight,” Senderoff said. “So we'll come into practice with a ton of energy and have some positivity moving into that game.”
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Kent State men's basketball rolls to easy home win over Shawnee State
