FRANKFORT, Ky. – Behind a scorched-earth second half where the Thorobreds shot 64 percent from the floor, the Kentucky State men's basketball team overcame a halftime deficit to defeat rival Central State 75-70 on Saturday afternoon.
 
Shooting over 70% (5-of-7) from three-point range, Gregory Melvin led the Thorobreds with 23 points. Teammate Sean Paige was dominant in the paint going 8-of-11 from the field to score 16 points.
 
The offense was orchestrated by Aziel Blackwell who tallied nine assists, Terrin Wofford assisted with five assists of his own. Additionally, Blackwell added 10 points while Wofford added 12 points and six rebounds.
 
The opening period was a back-and-forth affair with seven ties and six lead changes. Central State's defense kept the Thorobreds out of rhythm early, holding Kentucky State to just 30% shooting from the floor.
 
The second half belonged to the Thorobreds' shooters. Kentucky State found their stroke, hitting 64% of their shots from the field (18-of-28) in the final 20 minutes.
 
How It Happened
The Thorobreds delivered the opening punch jumping out to a quick 6-2 lead following a layup from Paige and a jumper from Melvin. Central State responded with a 9-0 run of their own to take an 11-6 lead.
 
Both teams traded blows throughout the remainder of the first half, but a three-pointer with 2:05 remaining put Kentucky State ahead briefly with a 26-25 lead. The short lived lead was followed by a 5-0 mini-run from the Marauders as they would go into halftime with 30-26 lead.
 
Kentucky State wasted no time erasing the deficit, as Melvin sparked the comeback with a triple just 46 seconds into the half. The Thorobreds regained their lead for good when Paige followed up on his own miss with tip-in to make it 35-34. Paige later found a jumper with 11:37 remaining to give the Thorobreds a 47-43 cushion.

Following three-point battle between the two, Melvin hit the final triple of the night to give the Thorobreds their lead of the game at 69-62 with 2:57 left in regulation.
 
With just under two minutes remaining, the game became a test of composure, The Thorobreds began to milk the clock as the Marauders turned it over with 1:17 left. Keon Henderson was fouled with 48 second remaining but calmly made both attempts to make a two-possession game (71-65). Following a late three-pointer from Central State King Keary iced the game with 17 seconds left, making both attempts to secure a 75-70 Kentucky State victory.

Up Next
The Thorobreds will remain at home to host LeMoyne-Owen on Monday, Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m. inside of the William Exum Center.
 
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