Illinois State ends Kent State's season in first round of NIT

The Kent State men's basketball season has come to a crashing halt. Illinois State built a 20-point halftime lead and rolled to a 79-58 win over the Golden Flashes in the first round of the NIT on Wednesday, March 18. The Redbirds (21-12) hit eight 3-pointers in the first half and 13 on the night to finish off Kent State and earn trip to Wake Forest in the next round.

Landon Wolf hit five 3s and finished with a game-high 24 points for Illinois State. Chase Walker added 19 points on 8 of 11 shooting. The Redbirds were 13 of 35 (37%) from beyond the 3-point arc.

Rob Whaley Jr. scored 13 points and Jahari Williamson added 11 for Kent State. Leading scorer Delrecco Gillespie was held to 5 points, but grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds.

The Flashes shot just 33% (21 of 64) from the field. The Flashes (24-10) end their eason by losing back-to-back games for the first time all year. Kent State was eliminated in the MAC Tournament by rival Akron in the semifinals.