KENT, Ohio – A competitive first eight minutes quickly got away from the Alcorn State University men's basketball program as Kent State finished on top of a 79-48 decision at Memorial Athletic Center.
The turning point came at the 12-minute mark of the first half when the Braves (1-3) were down just 12-11. Kent (2-1) used an enormous 20-0 run to swing all the momentum and Alcorn couldn't get back up on its feet.
The Braves recorded a pair of double-figure scorers. Sophomore
Jael Scott led the team in scoring for the first time this year as he came off the bench to total a career-high 11 points. He played a big role in Alcorn outscoring Kent 20-16 in bench points.
Junior Deshaw Andrews tallied 10 points and sophomore
Maurice Howard had nine on a trio of three-pointers. Junior
Devon Brewer and sophomore
Kobe Wilson pulled down six rebounds each.
The Golden Flashes were guided by C.J. Williams and Anthony Williams who put in 17 points apiece. Philip Whittington notched 12 points and nine rebounds.
Alcorn trailed 5-0 early when sophomore
Troymain Crosby and Brewer each hit jumpers to make it 5-4. After Kent went back up 12-4, the Braves kept it close with a field goal by junior
Harold Givens, a three by Howard and a jumper by Scott which trimmed the deficit to 12-11 at the 12:12 mark.
A combination of the Flashes getting hot and the Braves going ice cold resulted in the 20-0 run which changed the score to 32-11 with 4:46 remaining. Alcorn garnered three-pointers from Howard and Scott in the final minute to trail 41-24 at the half.
A pair of free throws by Scott on the first possession of the second half had Alcorn down 41-26, but the Braves couldn't get any closer the rest of the way. Kent answered with an 8-0 spurt, and got hot again midway through the half to go up by as many as 34.
The Braves will go back to work with a pair of games next weekend in Lynchburg, Virginia. They'll take on Liberty at 2 p.m. Friday before facing Savannah State on a neutral court at 2 p.m. Saturday.
NOTES
- The Braves are now 2-2 all-time against Kent, with the last meeting coming in 2011-12. Alcorn won 82-75 in 1979-79 en route to an undefeated season, and 84-74 in 1980-81.
- Andrews posted his third double-figure scoring game in four outings this year. It was also his second in a row after etching 10 points and seven rebounds at Vandy on Friday.
- Scott came through with his best performance as a Brave. His previous season-high was four points against both Tulsa and Blue Mountain.
- Alcorn was without starting seven-foot center
Alonzo Campbell after he left the court with an injury at Vandy. His return date has not been announced.
- The Braves are in the midst of a five-game road trip. The daunting schedule has already seen them play at Vanderbilt and Tulsa. Alcorn also has games at Mississippi State, UAB and South Florida left on the non-conference slate.
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