Deon J. Edwin scored a career-high 23 points on 9-for-12 shooting as the Kent State University men's basketball team defeated the Toledo Rockets, 85-61, at the MAC Center on Saturday January 21, 2017. Photo: Internet Source

Deon J. Edwin (with ball) powering to the basket for Bayside Blazers in the 2016 Hon Julian Fraser Save the Seed National Basketball League. Photo: Charlie E. Jackson/VINO

Seniors Jimmy Hall and Edwin scored 50 of Kent State's 85 points on a combined 21-for-32 shooting. Hall had a game-best 27 points, pushing him into Kent State's top-10 scorers of all time at 1,343 points. He also tallied five rebounds and three assists. Edwin scored a career-high 23 points on 9-for-12 shooting. He dished out a team-high five assists as well as four rebounds and a steal.

Kent State scored 85 points on 57.6 percent (34-for-59) shooting. Kent State picked up 50 points in the paint, the season-best against a Division I opponent. Kent State was equally as strong on defense. Toledo was held to 36.7 percent (18-for-49) shooting and 22.7 percent (5-for-22) from distance. Kent State is the first team to hold Toledo to under 40 percent shooting this season.

"Great defensive effort from our guys," said head coach Rob Senderoff. "Really competed against a good offensive team. We played with a ton of urgency, certainly on the defensive end, and we executed offensively at a high level. We really played together. It was a much needed win as we start the back 13 of our season."

Edwin commented that the team stuck to its game plan and worked well defensively, adding that they also took care of the ball better and got back to rebounding, two attributes that had been missing in the previous couple of games.