The Kent State men’s basketball team put out another impressive performance, earning itself a 77-75 road victory over the Stanford Cardinal (21-14) of the Atlantic Coast Conference and a spot in the regional final of the National Invitational Tournament.
“That was an awesome win for our program and for this team,” coach Rob Senderoff said. “I’m really proud of our guys and happy for Kent State and for the basketball program and, most importantly, for the guys on the team. I’m happy for them to be able to continue our season.”
The game was back and forth, featuring multiple large runs by each team. Down 8-7 early, the Flashes went on a 21-9 run to take a 12-point lead only to go scoreless for over three-and-a-half minutes while Stanford cut the lead all the way down to 28-27.
Kent State, however, quickly built up another double-digit lead in just a matter of a couple minutes thanks to a 9-0 run and eventually took a 43-34 lead into halftime.
Coming out of halftime, it was the Cardinal taking back the momentum, going on a 15-4 to take a 49-47 lead, its first since the opening minutes.
For the third time, the Flashes created a double-digit lead, going up 67-56 after a 20-7 run.
“I said, ‘We’ll compete, we’ll see what we can do,’ and we were able to get the lead back and make some plays down the stretch, and that’s what we’ve done a lot of the year,” Senderoff said.
The Flashes had their lead cut down to five with four minutes remaining but pushed it back up to eight with under 90 seconds remaining.
Stanford made a few shots to give itself a chance, but in the end, Kent State made enough free throws to seal its second straight road upset of the tournament.
Senior guard Jalen Sullinger exploded for a career-high 34 points on 11-22 shooting, including a lights-out 7-10 from behind the arc.
“I think at this time of year, you play with a sense of urgency, especially when you’re a senior. He’s poured a lot into the program,” Senderoff said.
Though Sullinger scored over 40% of the team’s points, there were other key contributors in the victory. Junior forward Delrecco Gillespie recorded his second double-double of the tournament so far, scoring 10 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.
Despite shooting just 4-15 from the field, senior forward VonCameron Davis was a key part in securing the victory, knocking down free throws in the final minutes and finishing with 12 points.
The Flashes will again have to play as road underdogs when they play at Loyola University Chicago (24-11) Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
“We’re really appreciative to have the opportunity to play,” Senderoff said. “We were fortunate enough to get an opportunity to play in this event, and this is such an awesome experience for our players.”
Demetri Manousos is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].