JoePa's College Hoops - 2/22

[joepa66]

JOEPA'S UPDATED YTD: 405 - 339 - 24
UNITS: +16.00
MAC: 73 - 44 - 7
Halfs: 27 - 19 - 1
2/21: 1 - 2 - 1
SCRF: 46 - 40 - 2 (2-1)

A little bigger card today but just one SCRF play on the menu. Not sure what I'll have, as if anyone should care. Did a little Yuengling celebration in honor of Kent's big win in KaZoo last night.....their 23 consecutive win over MAC West opponents! Would have been a great day to stay home under the blankets as we got 6+ of the white stuff last night on top of freezing rain we got yesterday afternoon. No classes this morning but of course I have to report per usual. So, looks like I have some time this morning to do some capping.....

MICHIGAN STATE +3.5 @ Minnesota W......SU
UTAH -7 vs. Tcu L
LOUISVILLE -3.5 @ Rutgers W


TUESDAY SCRF SYSTEM PLAY -
IDAHO STATE +5 vs. Weber State L


OVEN MITT YTD: 37 - 37
2/20: 0 - 1

The Mitt is on an 0-4 downer after a 7-0 win streak!


GL to ya!

[joepa66]

February 21, 2011
Porrini’s Late Heroics Lift Kent State Past Western Michigan 74-72
Golden Flashes sweep West Division for the third consecutive year

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Had the concession stand still been open he might have been in there selling refreshments as well. Junior Michael Porrini (Massillon, Ohio/Gulf Coast C.C. [Fla.]) made three clutch plays in the final 30 seconds to lift Kent State to a 74-72 win at Western Michigan on Monday night at University Arena. The victory puts the Golden Flashes (18-9; 9-3) back into a first place tie with Miami in the Mid-American Conference East Division.

With the game tied at 72-72, Porrini first grabbed an offensive rebound with 30 seconds left to give Kent State an opportunity to take the final shot of regulation. Following a time out the Golden Flashes ran the clock down to under 10 seconds when the 6'2" guard was isolated at the top of the key. Porrini, who had 15 of his team high 19 points in the second half, then delivered once again hitting a 17-foot pull-up jumper to give the Golden Flashes their two point lead. Not to be out done he then stole a three-quarters court desperation in bounds pass to seal the win and give Kent State's its 23rd consecutive victory over a West Division opponent.

"In the final seconds I was trying to get to the hole and possibly draw a foul," said Porrini, who was 7-12 from the field and 5-6 from the foul line. "But they played off me a bit so I pulled up and hit the jumper."

The series was set up after an 8-0 run by Kent State erased a seven-point (68-61) deficit with four-minutes left. The hero in last-seasons one-point win over the Broncos, senior guard Rodriquez Sherman (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) was clutch again capping of the run with a lay-up that put the Golden Flashes ahead 69-68 with 1:31 remaining. Demetrius Ward (19 points) followed on the other end of the floor with a pair of free throws to regain a one-point lead for Western Michigan (15-11; 7-5).

Porrini then begin his torrid stretch with an old-fashioned three-point play as Kent State went on top 72-70 with 1:06 left. The Broncos countered 20 seconds later with a Flenard Whitfield (24 points) driving lay-up that tied the score and set the table for Porrini's late game heroics.

"We tried to go inside to Justin Greene (Brooklyn, N.Y./Lincoln), but when his jump hook came up short Mike (Porrini) was there with the huge offensive rebound in the paint and then had the presence of mind to pull it back out and give us a chance to take the final shot," said Head Coach Geno Ford. "Coming down the stretch he played about as well as you could possibly play and did just about everything but sell popcorn in the stands. The jumper was a dagger, but the offensive rebound really won the game for us."

At the start of the game Kent State fell behind 15-6 in the first four minutes, but scored the next six points as part of a 16-5 run. Junior Carlton Guyton (Chicago, Ill. / Mineral Area C.C. [Mo.]), who had six points during the stretch, capped off the run with a fast break lay-up to give the Golden Flashes a 22-20 at 9:23. Three minutes later sophomore Randal Holt (Cleveland, Ohio/Bedford) extended the lead to four (30-26) with a break-away dunk followed by an inside lay-up before Western Michigan closed out the half with a 15-4 spurt that included nine unanswered points in the final minute to take a 41-34 advantage at the break.

The Golden Flashes came out of the locker room on a mission forcing Western Michigan to miss its first seven shots from the field. The defensive effort transformed to the offensive end as Kent State tied the game on a pair of Porrini free throws and then took a two-point (44-42) lead at 15:42 on another fast break lay-up from Holt who had 11 points, five rebounds and three steals. Western Michigan would start to build up its lead five minutes later behind the Ward who scored nine straight points at one point for the Broncos which fell into a first place tie with Ball State for the West Division lead.

Led by Porrini, Kent State had five players score in double figures. Greene and Sherman each had 14 points and seven rebounds while Guyton added 12 points and Holt 11. The Golden Flashes shot 44.3 percent for the game, including a 51.7 percent showing in the second half.

Kent State returns home to the M.A.C. Center on Thursday, February 24 against Buffalo. The Golden Flashes will also host Ohio on Saturday, February 26 as part of a two-game homestand.

NOTES:
• Kent State has swept the MAC West Division each of the last three years. The Golden Flashes own five of the seven cross-divisional sweeps in league history.
• Kent State held a 44-32 advantage in points scores in the paint and improves to 16-3 this year scoring at least 30.
• Kent State has score 20+ points off the bench in each of the last three games.
• Rodriquez Sherman made his 100th career start, tying him for the sixth most in school history.

[Polar Ice]

With ya on the SCRF play today. GL Joe :thumbs:

[Badger]

UTES!! :beerbang:

Let's get back on track together tonight bro!

[Q-Unit]

GL coach!:thumbs:

[Nicky Santoro]

Great call on Porrini Joe, turns he was the definite play maker of the game. I'm laying low until the championships. If I see something that stands out I'll have a play.

[Wink71]

oven mit

Joe pa the oven mit tonight is Utah! I live here in Fort Worth and this tcu team has thrown in the towel the worst team I have seen in years!!!!! Utah rolls tonight easy winner!!! go big
:beer2:

[Jwilson40]

with ya on louistown on the utes :thumbs:

[Wink71]

Go Pigs! sooeee buddy of mine said that clyburd was not starting and I told him I do not give damn if the starting 5 aint playing!!!!! :thumbs:

[joepa66]

JOEPA'S UPDATED YTD: 407 - 340 - 24
UNITS: +16.75
MAC: 73 - 44 - 7
Halfs: 27 - 19 - 1
2/22: 2 - 1
SCRF: 46 - 41 - 2 (0-1)



OVEN MITT YTD: 37 - 37
2/20: 0 - 1

The Mitt is on an 0-4 downer after a 7-0 win streak!


GL to ya!