Avery helps Kent St. close out a 73-66 win over N. Illinois (Jan 24, 2017)
DEKALB, Ill. (AP) Jimmy Hall had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Jalen Avery and Kevin Zabo each added 16 points as Kent State held off Northern Illinois 73-66 on Tuesday night after 15 lead changes.
Avery scored with 24 seconds remaining and Hall followed with a block on Marshawn Wilson's shot to preserve the final score. Kent State (11-9, 3-4 Mid-American) took the lead on a Hall layup with 16:07 remaining and held on, though it mostly stayed a one-possession game.
Avery gave the Golden Flashes breathing room, 68-64, with a 3-pointer with just over three minutes to play and scored Kent State's last eight points.
More than 11 minutes into the second half, Jaylen Key was shooting 5-for-6 for Northern Illinois (12-8, 4-3) while the rest of the team was 4-for-14. The Huskies made just 3 of 9 field goals in the last nine minutes.
Key finished with 11 points, all after halftime, and Levi Bradley led NIU with 12 points.
