Recordpub.com - Flashes fall flat in loss to Ohio

By David Carducci

Record-Courier staff writer

CLEVELAND — Kent State pushed the panic button even before it stepped on the floor for the opening tip of a humiliating 81-64 loss to ninth-seeded Ohio University in Thursday’s Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinals.

Maybe the anxiety was due to the pressure of living up to the event’s No. 1 seed.

It could have come from the natural sense of urgency seniors often find as they prepare for their final run in the conference tournament. The Golden Flashes have six of those seniors filling important roles in their nine-man rotation.

Whatever the case, if most of the fans at Quicken Loans Arena looked closely, they probably would have noticed the pace of every KSU player’s heartbeat reflected in the quivering of the Flashes’ white jerseys.

“I don’t think there is any question our guys were too excited,” admitted Kent State head coach Geno Ford. “We tried to calm them down. Obviously we failed mightily.”

The consequences to the panic were ugly.

Instead of the usual ice water in his veins, All-MAC First Teamer Chris Singletary had his blood at a parboil right from the opening tip. At that heat, it wasn’t surprising when the Flashes go-to senior missed KSU’s first five free throws in the opening nine minutes. He ended up going 7-for-16 from the foul line before fouling out with 19 points in 22 minutes.

“I was too amped up,” said Singletary. “I needed to relax. When I missed the first two, I started thinking.”

Thinking wasn’t a problem for Ohio’s most dangerous weapon. There is usually little time or reason for contemplation when you are as unconscious as Armon Bassett was as he torched the Flashes for 38 points. While Kent State suffered through 50-percent foul shooting (13-for-26), Bassett alone was a pristine 16-for-16 from the line.

Bassett’s individual 10-0 run in a spectacular two minutes put the Bobcats ahead 21-10 and set the tone for the entire night by the 11:46 mark of the first half. The Indiana University transfer hit two 3-pointers during the spurt and a total of four on the night, but he did most of his damage driving past every defensive option Kent State put in front of him.

“It was important to get off to a good start,” said Bassett. “We want to run and play as fast as we can, and we were able to do that.

“We have a lot of respect for Kent State. Tonight was just our night.”

The Flashes couldn’t find a shooter to match Bassett on the perimeter. Their best options — seniors Mike McKee and Tyree Evans — were a combined 0-for-10 from the 3-point arc. As a team, the Flashes were 3-for-20.

“At some point, you have to make shots,” said Ford. “It’s that simple.”

KSU had its troubles in the paint, too. Sixth-man Anthony Simpson and point guard Rod Sherman scored 12 points each while attacking the basket, but Second Team All-MAC center Justin Greene struggled to just eight points on 2-for-6 shooting. Greene led KSU in scoring during the regular season (13.9 ppg) and ranked No. 2 in the MAC in shooting (54.3 percent).

Ohio’s DeVaughn Washington was the best big man on the court on Thursday. The 6-foot-8 junior threw down a series of two-hand tomahawk dunks while scoring 19 points on a perfect 8-for-8 from the field.

After a steal and breakaway dunk by Washington put Ohio ahead 46-33 with 16:40 to play, KSU finally showed its first sign of life, answering the highlight-reel slam with a 13-3 run. It’s capper — a floating jumper by Sherman — cut the Bobcats’ lead to just three points, 49-46, with 10:35 remaining.

A string of 12 consecutive points by Bassett as part of a 13-0 run put a quick end to the Flashes’ hopes.

“That’s where (Ohio’s) fast start was so big,” said Ford. “If it’s close, you get a run like that and it puts you up 10.”

Instead, KSU expended all of its energy just trying to get back in the game.

The 2010 MAC Tournament has now lost its top two seeds. No. 2 Central Michigan lost to Western Michigan earlier Thursday. If not for a heroic 3-pointer by Akron’s Steve McNees with eight-tenths of a second remaining in the first overtime of the day’s second quarterfinal, the top three seeds would have been eliminated.

The Flashes (23-9) opened the tournament with dreams of returning to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in five years. Now they are charged with re-adjusting their goals to a run in the National Invitation Tournament beginning early next week.

“With six seniors, that shouldn’t be that hard,” said Singletary.

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Contact David Carducci at dcarducci@recordpub.com