FACTS & STATS: Site: M.A.C. Center (6,327) -- Kent, Ohio. Television: Local. Home Record: Bowling Green 8-1, Kent State 8-0. Away Record: Bowling Green 6-2, Kent State 5-3. Neutral Record: Bowling Green 2-1, Kent State 3-2. Conference Record: Bowling Green 6-3, Kent State 9-1. Series Record: Bowling Green leads 74-52.
GAME NOTES: The Kent State Golden Flashes will try to continue their recent dominance over the Bowling Green Falcons tonight in an important Mid-American Conference tilt at the M.A.C. Center in Kent, Ohio. Bowling Green leads the all-time series at 74-52, although Kent State has won the last four meetings and seven of the last eight tilts overall after a 70-67 win on January 26th in the first meeting between the two teams this season. The Golden Flashes lead the MAC East Division at 9-1, while the Falcons are in third place at 6-3. Kent State begins the night on a season-long seven-game winning streak after a 79-52 thrashing of Toledo on Saturday. Bowling Green has a two-game win streak of its own and is coming off a 64-61 win over Miami-Ohio on Saturday. The Falcons are 6-2 on the road and will attempt to be the first visiting team to win in Kent, as the Golden Flashes are 8-0 at the M.A.C. Center this season.
The Falcons jumped out to a 13-1 start on the season, but have split their last six games. Their current two-game win streak comes on the heels of a stretch that saw Bowling Green drop three of four. In the win over Miami-Ohio, senior guard Keith McLeod scored a game-high 19 points and senior guard Brandon Pardon added 10 points. Miami was held to 42 percent shooting from the field. McLeod is the nation's sixth-leading scorer and is averaging 23.6 ppg. Senior center Len Matela adds 15.3 ppg and a team-high 8.1 rpg, while Pardon rounds out the scorers in double figures with 11.3 ppg and is 12th in the nation with 6.6 apg. Bowling Green has outscored opponents 77.2 to 70.3 on the season and has shot 48.4 percent from the field, including 40.6 percent from beyond the three point line. The Falcons have an experienced roster, with four seniors in head coach Dan Dakich's starting lineup. Bowling Green is in a stretch that will see the team play five games in 10 days.
The Golden Flashes are playing their best basketball of the season coming into tonight's war as they try to distance themselves from the pack in the MAC's East Division. In the recent win over Toledo, junior forward Antonio Gates scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds as KSU won for the 12th time in 13 outings. Senior guard Andrew Mitchell finished with 14 points and Toledo was held to just 38.3 percent shooting from the field, while the Golden Flashes connected on 47.5 percent of their attempts. Kent State dominated the boards and outrebounded Toledo, 42-25. Gates leads the team with 15.5 ppg, while junior guard Trevor Huffman follows closely behind at 15.2 ppg. Mitchell is the last double-digit scorer at 14.8 ppg. Kent State has been winning easily recently and has won five of its last seven tilts by double digits en route to outscoring opponents on the season 74.6 to 63.2. Foes have been held to just 40.6 percent shooting from the field. The Golden Flashes are also strong on the boards as they typically outrebound foes by a 6.1 rpg margin.
This should be a very close and entertaining matchup as two of the best in the MAC go head-to-head. Kent State has had the Falcons' number lately and it will be tough for Bowling Green to break its skid against the Golden Flashes at the M.A.C. Center. McLeod will put up big numbers again, but Kent State prevails in a game that goes down to the wire.
