THE BASICS

Score: Kent State 64, Ohio 51

Location: The Convocation Center -- Athens, Ohio

The Short Story: Despite a double-double performance from sophomore forward Antonio Campbell (Cincinnati, Ohio), the Ohio men's basketball team (9-16, 4-10 MAC) couldn't overcome a stout Kent State (19-8, 10-4 MAC) defense, falling by a 64-51 count on Saturday (Feb. 21) in a Mid-American Conference East Division contest at the Convocation Center.

OHIO STARTERS: #3 Javarez Willis, #5 Maurice Ndour, #11 Khari Harley, #14 Ryan Taylor, #33 Antonio Campbell

KENT STATE STARTERS: #0 Devareaux Manley, #4 Chris Ortiz, #20 Marquiez Lawrence, #21 Khaliq Spicer, #23 Derek Jackson

HOW IT HAPPENED

- Kent State held Ohio to 35.3 percent (18-of-51) from the field. The Golden Flashes outrebounded the Bobcats, 39-33, and outscored Ohio in both bench points (26-13) and second-chance points (17-6).
- Campbell led Ohio with 14 points, a game-high 10 rebounds and a game-high two blocks to go along with an assist in 28 minutes.
- Senior guard Stevie Taylor (Gahanna, Ohio) provided the Bobcats with 13 points, four rebounds and an assist in 24 minutes of work off of the bench.
- Senior forward Maurice Ndour (Mbour, Senegal) contributed 12 points, seven rebounds, a game-high three assists and a team-high two steals in 38 minutes.
- Senior guard Devareaux Manley led Kent State with a game-high 16 points to go along with four rebounds in 33 minutes.
- Senior guard Kris Brewer pitched in 11 points, three rebounds and a steal in 30 minutes off of the bench for the Flashes.
- Junior forward/center Khaliq Spicer recorded nine points, six rebounds, a block and a steal in 32 minutes for Kent State.
- Redshirt sophomore forward Jimmy Hall tallied nine points, four rebounds and an assist in 17 minutes off of the bench for the Golden Flashes.
- Junior forward Chris Ortiz totaled eight points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes for Kent State.
- Redshirt senior guard Derek Jackson led Kent State with eight rebounds and added five points, a team-high two assists and a team-high two steals.
- Kent State scored the game's first six points off of two free throws by Ortiz, a layup by Spicer and a dunk by Ortiz.
- The Bobcats answered back with an 19-9 run to take a 19-15 lead with 8:36 left in the first half. The stretch was highlighted by a dunk, a layup and two free throws by Ndour and a jumper, a layup and four free throws by Taylor.
- The Golden Flashes closed out the first half strong, though, putting together a 21-6 run to take a 36-25 lead into halftime. Hall and Jackson powered the stretch with six points and five points, respectively.
- Ohio began cutting away at the Kent State advantage early in the second half, shaving the Golden Flashes' edge down to two at 41-39 with just under 14 minutes to play. Layups by Ndour and Taylor and a conventional three-point play by redshirt freshman guard/forward Khari Harley (Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) provided the Bobcats with the lift.
- Unfortunately for the Bobcats, the Flashes answered with a 12-2 run to take a 53-41 lead with just over nine minutes remaining and never led by less than 10 the remainder of the contest. A four-point play by Manley in which he was fouled while drilling a three and then sunk the ensuing free throw proved to be costly for Ohio.  

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

- Campbell recorded his seventh double-double of the season and fourth in the last eight games. He reached double digits in scoring for a 14th time this season and 19th time in his career and posted double-digit rebounds for the eighth time this year. Campbell led the Bobcats in scoring for the fourth time and in rebounding for the 10th time in 2014-15.
- Taylor reached double digits in points for the eighth time this season and 23rd time in his career. He has hit double digits in three of the last six games.
- Ndour achieved double figures for a team-high 21st time this year and 47th time in his career. 

QUOTABLE

First-Year Head Coach Saul Phillips:

- "I thought we did a better job in the second half of jamming it inside, but, again, we couldn't get traction because we couldn't finish at a good enough clip, and it's hard to stomach."

Senior Guard Stevie Taylor:

- "From the play calls, we decided to go in the paint more. Kent State plays pretty good defense, so I've got to give them credit for that. We just tried to get the ball inside. we felt like we had an advantage inside and that's what we tried to attack."

Sophomore Forward Antonio Campbell:

- "(We need) toughness, physically and mentally."

UP NEXT

Ohio squares off with MAC East Division rival Bowling Green next Tuesday (Feb. 24) at the Convocation Center. The opening tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

#SaulBall