Bulls' Defense Snuffs Golden Flashes

If you were walking along the spine on Wednesday night and you thought you felt an earthquake, don't be alarmed. It was just Alumni Arena.

On Wednesday night, the Bulls (10-6, 2-2 Mid-American Conference) crushed Kent State (11-7, 2-2 MAC) in Alumni Arena by a score of 79-54. The event was witnessed by the largest student crowd of the season, with over 1,100 members of the university community in attendance.

Head coach Reggie Witherspoon attributed a big part of the victory to the student body that came out to support the team.

"Our students were a huge part of this win," Witherspoon said. "It was good to bounce off of that energy and plug into it."

The meeting between the two teams was expected to be much more competitive than what was witnessed. Kent State entered the night considered one of the better teams in the MAC East division, having recorded victories over conference rivals Bowling Green and Ohio. There was no way that the Golden Flashes could have seen what they were in store for.

Kent State lost its only lead of the game less than two minutes into the first half and never even came close to regaining it.

"There was not much of a game," said Golden Flashes head coach Geno Ford. "It was just one of those games where we were fighting uphill the whole time."

Kent State could never get into any sort of rhythm on the court, with the Bulls constantly disrupting everything that their opponent tried. The Bulls defense held its opponent to a season low 33 percent shooting from the field, while forcing 19 turnovers and recording 10 blocks.

Junior forward Mitchell Watt led the effort on the defensive end for the Bulls. He finished the night with 13 points and eight blocks, the third most by any Bulls player in history.

"We pride ourselves on defense," Watt said. "We do show it in spurts, but tonight we really sustained it. [Kent State was] able to score but I don't think [they could have beaten] our will and determination."

Watt's night was best exemplified by a six second stretch in the beginning of the second half in which he blocked a shot by Kent State guard Sherman Rodriguez then charged down the court to dunk over Kent State forward Mark Henniger.

As good as Watt was, the best performance of the night belonged to senior guard Byron Mulkey. He turned in a stellar effort by recording a Bulls season-best and personal career-high of 27 points. He finished the night having hit 5-of-7 from 3-point range and was flawless when he was sent to the line.

The team captain could not be stopped in the first 20 minutes, where he recorded his first 21 points.

"[In the] first half, he was great," Ford said. "Every time he got it, he just buried one on us."

Although Mulkey didn't match his point total in the second half, he never lost any intensity on the court and was crucial in setting up his teammates with scoring opportunities of their own.

When asked about his career performance after the game, Mulkey emphasized the contributions of the team as a whole in making it possible.

"[My performance] had a lot to do with my teammates," Mulkey said. "We did a great job of attacking the paint and knowing when to pass and when to shoot. I was able to contribute by knocking down the shots when I had them."

Throughout the entire contest, Alumni Arena was practically shaking from the noise that was coming from the student section. All of the action on the court was amplified by the reaction coming from the baseline bleachers. The blue-clad horde made life a living nightmare for the Kent State squad and the help that they provided was not lost on the home team or its coach.

"That was one of the liveliest student sections [in years]," Witherspoon said. "I think we have the potential to have one of the best home courts around if the students keep coming out."

The Bulls are looking to take this momentum on the road with them this weekend. They will next see the court on Saturday at Ohio's (8-10, 1-3 MAC) Convocation Center. The team will meet the Bobcats on ESPNU at 3 p.m.

E-mail: sports@ubspectrum.com