KENT, Ohio -- Philip Whittington scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds and Kent State surged to a double-digit lead in the first half and maintained it for a 78-67 win over Norfolk State on Saturday afternoon.
Kent State now has won five straight and is 3-0 all-time against the Spartans.
Whittington has led the Golden Flashes in rebounding in seven of the last eight games and came in averaging just under eight boards.
Whittington converted a layup with 9:49 left to give Kent State (7-1) a 20-10 lead, but Norfolk State rallied to halve the deficit.