SB Nation Cleveland: All Posts by John Bena

Whitney Houston Has Died At Age 48

2012-02-12T01:38:47Z

No, this isn't a pop-culture site. But sometimes events happen that transcend - especially when you are my age. Singer Whitney Houston has died at the age of 48. Why does this have anything to do with a sports blog? For me it was the Super Bowl in 1991, when the United States had just entered a war in the Persian Gulf. Tensions were running high - around the country and at the Super Bowl. Much like 9/11, 1991 saw Red, White and Blue everywhere. That day, Whitney Houston was selected to sing the Star Spangled Banner.

Here performance changed everything. Much like the NFL and the Super Bowl itself, everything around the big game has exploded since then - who sings the National Anthem at the Super Bowl is a big deal because of Houston's performance that day.

Her struggles since then - with drugs, alcohol and Bobby Brown - are well documented. That said, her voice was simply one of the best ever, and her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner that day, at a time when American Pride was at an all-time high, was a thing of beauty.

RIP Whitney Houston. Here's hoping the demons that have plagued you will finally allow you to rest.

Akron Vs. Eastern Michigan Score: Zips Dominate Eagles 77-47

2012-02-05T17:28:34Z

A battle of MAC division leaders never materialized as the Akron Zips raced out to a 31-9 lead en route to a 77-47 win over the Eastern Michigan Eagles at the JAR in Akron Saturday night.

Akron(16-7, 8-1), which didn't trail, scored 26 points off 18 turnovers and outscored the Eagles(10-13, 5-4) 28-16 in the paint and 15-4 on second-chances, while winning the battle of the boards 46-29.

Chauncey Gilliam led the Zips with 13 points while Zeke Marshall added 11 points and 5 rebounds as Akron won for the 5th straight time, their ninth win in 10 games.

Keith Dambrot won his 178th game as Akron's coach, tying Tony Laterza (1960-68) for second place on the Zips' career wins list, while the Zips also gave Dambrot his 100th home win to just 16 losses.

Akron travels to Western Michigan on Wednesday night. The Broncos lost to Kent State 78-73(OT) on Saturday night.

Akron Vs. Eastern Michigan: No Contest As Zips Crush Eagles 77-47

2012-02-05T17:21:28Z

MAC-Leading Zips never trailed in beating Eastern Michigan 77-47

Mid American Conference leaders square off tonight in Akron when the Eastern Division leading Akron Zips host the Western Division leading Eastern Michigan Eagles Saturday Night at James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron. The Zips(15-7, 7-1) have won 11 of their last 12 games against MAC opponents and are riding a 4-game winning streak.

The Eagles(10-12, 5-3) have lost two of their last three games, including a 62-57 road loss to Miami-OH in overtime. Saturday's game will be the only meeting between the two teams unless they meet in the MAC Conference Tournament.

Akron has been nearly unbeatable at home under Head Coach Keith Dambrot. The Zips' win over Toledo on February 1st gave Dambrot his 100th win at Rhodes Arena against just 16 losses, good for a .862 winning percentage. A win tonight and Dambrot will tie Tony Laterza for second place on Akron's career wins list.

Overall the two teams are 19-19 against each other, though the Zips are 9-2 in the last 11. The Zips beat the Eagles 67-53 in the opening round of the MAC Tournament last season.

7-footer Zeke Marshall leads the Zips balanced attack, averaging 10.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. The Eagles are paced by senior guard Darrell Lampley's 13.5 points per game.

Kent State Vs. Western Michigan Score: Flashes Hang On, Beat Broncos In Overtime 78-73

2012-02-05T17:10:08Z

It wasn't easy, but nothing this season for the Kent State Golden Flashes has been. Down 61-56 with 2:11 to go, the Flashes(16-6, 6-3) rallied to send the game to overtime, then dominated the Western Michigan Broncos(10-13, 4-5) to pick up a hard-earned 78-73 win.

Justin Greene led the Flashes with 19 points, 13 in the second half, while Randal Holt scored 13 points. The teams traded leads in the final minutes with the Broncos losing a 5-point lead while the Flashes saw a 64-61 lead with 1:27 left erased.

In overtime, Chris Evans posted his second ESPN Top 10 worthy dunk of the night scoring through traffic for and offensive rebounds and put back dunk. With the Kent State defense keeping Western Michigan off the board Evans capitalized at the foul line scoring the game's next four points to stake the Golden Flashes to a 70-64 lead with a minute and a half to go in the extra period. Holt then pushed the margin to eight with a key block and fast break lay-up.

The Broncos managed to stay in the game just enough and drew within three points after a 3-pointer with 13 seconds to play before a key hustle play by Porrini helped seal the win. Porrini closed out his night with eight rebounds, five assists and four steals.

The Flashes face Eastern Michigan on Wednesday night.

Kent State Vs. Western Michigan: Golden Flashes Hang On For 78-73 OT Win

2012-02-05T17:02:31Z

Kent State Rallies from 5-points down in final minutes, beats Western Michigan in overtime 78-73

College basketball begins the stretch drive to March Madness this weekend and two Mid American Conference teams know they need to start piling up wins if they want to make some noise come tournament time.

The Kent State Golden Flashes(15-6, 5-3), a team used to finding itself at the top of the MAC standings sits in 4th-place in the Eastern Division, 2-games behind division-leading Akron. The Western Michigan Broncos(10-12, 4-4) are just one game behind Eastern Michigan in the West Division, tied with Ball State.

The two teams meet at the Memorial A&C Center on the campus of Kent St. looking to gain some ground. Kent St. has won three straight games after back-to-back losses while the Broncos are just 2-3 in their past 5 games including a 72-48 home-loss to Bowling Green on February 1.

Junior guard Randal Holt leads the Flashes, averaging 13 points per game, while Sophomore center Matt Stainbrook, from Bay Village, leads the Broncos at 12.3 points and 6.7 rebounds.

Ohio State Vs Wisconsin: Third-Ranked Buckeyes Look To End Road Losing Streak To Badgers

2012-02-04T15:56:51Z

The Ohio State Buckeyes remember their last trip to Madison, WI all to well. In fact, they probably remember their last nine trips to Madison, all ending is losses to Wisconsin. With first place in the Big Ten on the line, the Buckeyes are primed and ready to end that streak.

The last time Ohio State(19-3, 7-2) won a game in Madison was 2000. They looked ready to break that streak last season, heading into the Kohl Center at 24-0, ranked #1 in the nation. To make matters worse, Ohio State led by 15 points in the 2nd half before Wisconsin rallied for a 71-67 win behind Jordan Taylor's 21-second half points.

This time, the Buckeyes will look to finish off the Badgers(18-5, 7-3) and build on their half-game lead over Wisconsin in the Big Ten standings.

Ohio State has won their last 4 games, all by double digits, including wins over Top-20 teams in Indiana and Michigan. Wisconsin has won 6 straight, having last played against Penn State on January 31 in a 52-46 win.

"I don't drive to work in the morning saying, 'This is the biggest game of the year. We have to do this ...'" Buckeyes coach Thad Matta said. "It's more like, 'Hey, we're playing a great basketball team, a top-20 team.'"

Though he seemed to downplay the matchup, he did eventually concede, "The fact that we haven't won there as a program, it does make you want to definitely win."

While Ohio State has been near the top of the Big Ten standings most of the season, Wisconsin has climbed back into the conference race with its six-game win streak following a three-game skid. The Badgers held on for a 52-46 win at Penn State on Tuesday despite shooting 35.4 percent, the second straight game they were held below 40.0.

Kent State Vs. Western Michigan: Kent. St Looks For Fourth Straight Win Against Broncos

2012-02-04T15:44:57Z

Junior guard Randal Holt leads the Flashes, averaging 13 points per game, while Sophomore center Matt Stainbrook, from Bay Village, leads the Broncos at 12.3 points and 6.7 rebounds.

Akron Vs. Eastern Michigan: Division Leaders Collide In Akron

2012-02-04T15:33:10Z

Overall the two teams are 19-19 against each other, though the Zips are 9-2 in the last 11. The Zips beat the Eagles 67-53 in the opening round of the MAC Tournament last season.

7-footer Zeke Marshall leads the Zips balanced attack, averaging 10.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. The Eagles are paced by senior guard Darrell Lampley's 13.5 points per game.