But that was the only time the Falcons had the lead.

The Flashes took control less than two minutes later and continued to bury Bowling Green until the 80-63 finale at the M.A.C. Center.

“We haven’t been up 20 on anyone in a long time, so we were a little shocked,” said junior forward Justin Greene.

The victory at their Mid-American Conference home opener snapped the Flashes’ three-game losing streak, which junior guard Michael Porrini said he was glad to see.

“None of us on the team are losers,” Porrini said. “To get three losses in a row is unacceptable.”

The Flashes (10-6, 1-1 MAC) attributed the win to a stronger defense and a solid zone offense.

“Our main focus was defense,” Porrini said. “We had to turn the pressure up man-to-man. If we can play good defense, we can do good on offense as well.”

Which Kent State proved to be true with 4:49 left in the first half.

When Bowling Green stepped up to the perimeter to take a shot, senior center Justin Manns leapt up to knock the ball away from the basket.

Randal Holt quickly snatched the rebound and sank a 3-pointer that was so intense that the sophomore guard was on the ground when he watched the ball circle the net and put the Flashes up 31-13.

“I think Randal Holt (who scored 11 points) had his floor game of the year, offensively,” said Kent State coach Geno Ford.

Even with seven 3-pointers in the second half, Bowling Green could not come back from the 40-21 first half finish.

“We guarded terrific in the first half, and then in the second half, they really got hot with the 3-pointers,” Ford said. “In the last two games, they got one three combined.”

Rod Sherman scored two 3-pointers of his own, totaling 12 points for the night.

But the leader against Bowling Green (6-10, 1-1 MAC) was Porrini.

He led the Flashes with a career-high 21 points and eight assists. Porrini also went 7-for-9 on the foul line.

Ford said the team has struggled with zone offense before, but Porrini’s smart decisions turned the game in the Flashes’ favor.

“We got the ball to Mike in the middle of the zone a whole bunch,” Ford said. “I thought Mike’s catches in the high post led to good things. I know he played well, but I didn’t know he was so close to a triple-double.”

After struggling in previous games, junior forward Justin Greene finished with 17 points.

“(Ford) talked to me after we lost to Akron,” Greene said. “I haven’t been performing the way I need to be performing. (But) it’s MAC play, so it’s not time to be messing around.”

Greene wasn’t just messing around when he made the game 48-25 with 17:11 left in the game with a slam dunk.

Most known on the team for dunks, Manns contributed three, scoring 10 total points.

“Justin Manns had the best game of his life,” Ford said. “He was effective. He did a lot of good things, and hopefully, it’s a sign of things to come.”

All of the Flashes hope the good graces continue Saturday at Ohio, but Porrini said they need to bring the same defensive strength in Tuesday night’s first half for a shot at victory.

And while Tuesday night was spent celebrating, today the preparation begins to face whom Ford calls “one of the most potent offensive teams in the league.”

“We haven’t looked at OU yet,” Porrini said. “But (Wednesday) when we wake up, our mindset will be OU.”

Contact Rachel Jones at [email protected].