Kent State Upends Vandy on the Road
Friday Scoreboard
Kent State 77, Vanderbilt 75
Western Michigan 85, Southern 70
Northern Illinois 87, Oral Roberts 66
Stories Courtesy of Associated Press
Kent State 77, Vanderbilt 75
Box Score
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Kent State got a big road win and Vanderbilt got something big to worry about.
Vanderbilt star Darius Garland left early with an injury and Jaylin Walker scored 22 points in his first game of the season after returning from a suspension as Kent State handed the Commodores their first loss with a 77-75 victory Friday.
Jalen Avery and C.J. Williamson both scored 18 points for Kent State (5-1), which made 12 of 24 shots from 3-point range.
"Coming from a mid-major conference we keep a chip on our shoulder," said Avery, whose team plays in the Mid-America Conference. "Growing up, these are the type of teams we wanted to play for. We wanted to go to an SEC-type of school and when you get the opportunity to come to these type of schools you want to win."
Walker and Avery both made four 3-pointers.
Garland, Vanderbilt's point guard who entered the game as the Southeastern Conference's third-leading scorer (19.8 points per game), left with a left knee injury two minutes into the first half.
The freshman NBA prospect appeared to injure his knee during a layup.
"He's going to get some further testing tonight," Commodores coach Bryce Drew said. "Hopefully, we'll get some good news in the next 48 hours. They (doctors) want to do a very thorough analysis of everything before they comment on what they think it is."
Garland scored a career-high 33 points in Monday's win over Liberty. He was a five-star prospect and McDonald's All-American at nearby Brentwood Academy last season. Garland and Simi Shittu formed the heart of Vanderbilt's best recruiting class in school history.
It was unclear whether Garland hurt his knee going up or coming down on the layup.
"I've seen him make that type play often and nothing happens, so I don't know if he just took off awkward or landed awkwardly," Drew said. "Obviously, when we see the film we'll see if we can see anything."
Shittu led Vanderbilt (4-1) with 20 points and eight rebounds, and Joe Toye added 15 points.
The Commodores cut the deficit to one twice in the final 8:43 but couldn't catch the Golden Flashes.
"For our guys this is a really good win," Kent State coach Rob Senderoff said. "I have two seniors (Avery and Walker) who have been through a lot of battles together and I thought today their experience and leadership shined through."
Vanderbilt's Saben Lee scored 13 points but missed two crucial foul shots during the final minutes.
Kent State scored 16 points off turnovers.
Powered by nine 3-pointers in the first half, Kent State took a 41-34 lead at the break.
Western Michigan 85, Southern 70
Box Score
NICEVILLE, Fla. -- Seth Dugan scored 28 points, Josh Davis added 24 and Western Michigan took an 85-70 victory over Southern in the opener of the Emerald Coast Classic on Friday.
Dugan scored 17 points and Davis 16 in the first half as the Broncos (4-2) took command early, leading 52-34 after shooting 71 percent before the break.
The Jaguars used a 10-2 run to get within 65-60 with 6:45 remaining but WMU responded with a 13-2 run with seven points from Wilkins and six by Davis to lead by 17 with three minutes left.
Dugan finished 11 of 15 from the field and grabbed 10 rebounds and Davis 9 of 9 with seven boards. The Broncos finished at 57 percent shooting, making 10 of 22 from the arc.
Eddie Reese scored 22 points to lead five Jaguars (0-5) in double figures.
Nicholls State, North Carolina Central, George Mason, Cincinnati, Baylor and Mississippi are also in the two-day tournament.
Northern Illinois 87, Oral Roberts 66
Box Score
ROCHESTER, Mich. -- Eugene German scored 30 points and Northern Illinois rolled to an 87-66 victory over Oral Roberts on Friday in an Oakland Hoops Challenge opener.
German was 11 of 21 from the field and made five 3-pointers. Levi Bradley added 21 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals for Northern Illinois (3-1).
Kevin Obanor had 16 points to lead Oral Roberts (2-5). D.J. Weaver scored 14 points and Kaelen Malone 12.
German, who was a point shy of his career-best 31, scored 18 in the first half as the Huskies built a 44-34 halftime advantage. His layup capped an 11-0 run that stretched the lead to 70-43 with 9:30 remaining.
It was the first of seven games for Northern Illinois in Michigan. The Huskies conclude the tournament on Sunday, and play Michigan State on Dec. 29 before opening Mid-American Conference play at Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, and Western Michigan.
