National Basketball Association
Kent St. 56, South Florida 51
When: 6:30 PM ET, Sunday, December 12, 2010
Where: Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center, Kent, Ohio
Officials:
# Bill Ek, # Kevin Ferguson, # James Ferrari
Attendance:
3183
By SportsDirect Inc.
Kent State didn’t exactly roll out the welcome mat for former coach Stan Heath’s return to Ohio, dealing Heath and South Florida a 56-51 loss at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center.
Heath led Kent State to an Elite Eight appearance during the 2001-02 season, but couldn’t replicate that magic Sunday night with South Florida. Kent State (8-3) trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half, but played tough in the second half to snap a two-game losing streak and avenge last season’s 76-54 loss to the Bulls.
Kent State made up for a sluggish offensive performance by forcing 19 USF turnovers. The Golden Flashes were led by Michael Porrini who scored 16 points off the bench. Justin Greene added 15 points off the bench for Kent State, which took the lead for good on a Rodriguez Sherman free throw with 10:31 left in the second half.
South Florida’s (5-5) Jawanza Poland scored 15 points to lead the Bulls, who will look to rebound Wednesday against Auburn.
Top Game Performances
| South Florida |
|
Kent St. |
|
Jawanza Poland 15 |
Scoring |
Michael Porrini 16 |
|
Anthony Crater 4 |
Assists |
Carlton Guyton 3 |
|
Toarlyn Fitzpatrick 11 |
Rebounds |
Justin Greene 14 |
|
Ron Anderson 2 |
Free Throws Made |
Michael Porrini 5 |
|
Jawanza Poland 3 |
Steals |
Justin Greene 3 |
|
Toarlyn Fitzpatrick 2 |
Blocks |
Justin Greene 3 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| South Florida
|
51 |
33.9 |
5-21 |
6-8 |
9 |
34 |
3 |
9 |
|
| Kent St.
|
56 |
37.0 |
3-14 |
13-22 |
13 |
36 |
4 |
10 |
|
