DEKALB, Ill. – Rodriquez Sherman scored 25 points on 8-of-13 shooting, and Kent State defeated Northern Illinois 84-77 to remain atop the Mid-American Conference's East Division.
Justin Greene had 18 points and eight rebounds, and Carlton Guyton added 14 points for the Golden Flashes (17-7, 8-2), who won their sixth straight game to kick off a four-game road trip.
Xavier Silas kept the Huskies (7-16, 3-8) within range, scoring 34 points and pulling down six rebounds. The senior guard was fifth in Division I in scoring at 23.7 points per game before Saturday's contest. He made 11 of 20 shots, but the rest of the Huskies made just 16 of 43 shots (37 percent).
Kent State fell behind early, 26-20, but the Golden Flashes closed out the first half with a 22-7 run for a 42-33 lead at the half. They stretched it to 62-45 with 13:30 remaining and held on. The Huskies got as close as 83-77 on a 3-pointer from Silas with 11 seconds remaining.
The Golden Flashes shot 50 percent (27 of 54) from the floor.
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