Against a strong non-conference opponent in the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks, the Kent State men’s basketball team claimed its second win of the season on Monday, winning 86-77. Freshman guard Quinn Woidke finished with 17 points and converted on half of his 3-point attempts (5-10).
With the win, the Flashes are now 2-1 (0-0), achieving back-to-back victories and performing well on offense in all three games so far this season. The Seahawks, who finished with a 27-8 record and won the Coastal Athletic Association conference championship last season, now move to 1-1 (0-0).
“Great team win tonight, everybody who checked in contributed in a really positive way,” coach Rob Senderoff said. “I could go on and on across the board in terms of the contributions from everybody.”
The Flashes started the game in the driver’s seat, opening on a 12-2 run in the first five minutes of the game. Junior guard Cian Medley, who finished with a team-high 19 points and 10 assists, got his first bucket of the night in this sequence on a clean 3-pointer.
“Today was the first time I can say that I stepped up as a leader,” Medley said. “I’ve been hard on myself about that and today was a big game for us, and I knew I had to step up as a leader.”
Before the Seahawks could adjust, the Flashes embarked on another impressive run, claiming an 18-4 lead on the back of four quick points from freshman center Dezmon Briscoe. Briscoe showed his defensive skills against the Seahawks, picking up three blocks on Monday.
With just a little over nine minutes remaining in the first half, Woidke made his first shot of the night on a 3-pointer that gave KSU a 27-9 lead. This was the first of five triples that the freshman out of Westlake, OH, made on Monday.
“It’s been a lot different since high school, guys are a lot faster, stronger and bigger,” Woidke said. “Throughout the summer, I was able to get adjusted, and I feel like I’ve adjusted pretty well since high school.”
Following a pair of threes from Medley and graduate student guard Morgan Safford, UNC Wilmington found itself on the wrong
side of a 22-point deficit with just six minutes to cut into KSU’s lead. After the barrage of 3-point buckets from the Flashes, the Seahawks tacked on four points with a dunk from redshirt junior forward Patrick Wessler and a layup from senior guard Nolan Hodge.
To end the first half, the Seahawks pulled themselves back into the ballgame on a 12-5 run, down 18 to cut the halftime deficit down to just 11 points. Senior guard Greedy Williams did especially well this stretch, picking up seven points.
To open the second half, Wessler and Hodge struck again with buckets within the key to pull UNC-Wilmington within three. The Seahawks tied the game on a 3-point shot from senior guard Noah Ross.
As soon as the Seahawks took the lead, KSU fired right back and grabbed the lead on a 3-pointer from Woidke. Following a basket from UNC-Wilmington, redshirt sophomore forward Rayvon Griffith made a 3-point shot of his own after assisting Woidke on the previous play.
After a solid series of possessions from Woidke, the Flashes began to hunker down on defense with just over nine minutes remaining in the game. Senior forward Delrecco Gillespie guarded especially well down the stretch, showcasing his prowess on both sides of the ball.
After a jumper from Ross made it a 67-65 ball game, the Flashes shocked the Seahawks on a 10-2 run that put the game out of range with just 2:41 left on the clock. Graduate student forward Rob Whaley Jr. hit clutch free throws late in the game that put a damper on any potential comeback bid.
The Seahawks could do nothing but foul KSU players down the stretch, as it was too late in the game to play stand-up defense. This would secure the Flashes’ second win of 2025.
Key performances
Woidke, who says he models his game after Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard, had his best game so far in his young career, especially when the Flashes needed points fast. His second-half performance alone helped KSU keep the Seahawks at bay.
“I’m an undersized guy,” Woidke said. “So I look at him [Pritchard].”
Although Gillespie only finished with 12 points, he still showed the multifaceted aspect of his game, most notably his ability to attack the glass. Gillespie finished with a dozen rebounds, marking back-to-back games with a double-double.
Another unsung hero was graduate student forward Magnus Entenmann, who hit two huge threes to stifle any rising momentum from UNC Wilmington.
Looking ahead
The Flashes will not play on Friday, but instead will play a back-to-back this weekend as KSU will be taking part in the Greenbrier Tip-Off in West Virginia. On Saturday, the Flashes will battle the Cleveland State Vikings for the first of two games in the event.
“We get to play back-to-back games, which is great for us because in conference tournament play, you play three in a row,” Senderoff said. “The fact that we’re playing Cleveland State on Saturday and then play them a week from then back here, it’s not what I wanted, and I’m assuming it’s not what he [CSU head coach Rob Summers] wanted, but … there’s a lot of learning you can do from that.”
Gage Wellman is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected]
