GAME NOTES: Following their first loss of the season, the Kent State Golden Flashes will look to get back in the win column as they host the Loyola- Chicago Ramblers in a non-conference tilt at the M.A.C.

After a one-sided defeat at Michigan State, Loyola-Chicago bounced back for a road win over Texas-San Antonio, 71-57, in the team's last outing. The trip to Kent State will be the final in its three-game away tour before the Ramblers head home for a matchup with Tulane.

Kent State opened the season with a win over Youngstown State, then proceeded to win three more contests in a row in the Men Against Breast Cancer Classic, which the Golden Flashes hosted. But in the final contest, Kent State fell to Yale, 66-59.

These two teams have met five times on the floor in their series history, with Loyola-Chicago owning the slight 3-2 advantage. The most recent clash was a 70-63 Golden Flashes victory in the ESPN BracketBuster game back in February of 2013.

Loyola played a dominant game defensively against UTSA in the team's most recent outing, holding the Roadrunners to just 37 percent shooting from the floor while the Ramblers connected on 46.9 percent of their's. Milton Doyle exploded offensively for Loyola, netting a team-high 27 points with eight rebounds, also shooting 8-of-9 from the free-throw line. Devon Turk and Christian Thomas each chipped in with 11 points in the victory, which saw the Ramblers' lead swell to as many as 17 points late in the game.

Doyle's 27-point outburst helped increase his team-leading scoring average to 18.5 ppg. The guard also has a team-best 18 assists on the season through four games played, along with eight steals. Thomas is the only other Loyola-Chicago player to average a double-digit scoring margin, netting 12.8 ppg on 60.6 percent shooting from the field. Doyle and Montel James split the team lead in rebounding, each bringing down 4.5 boards per outing. The Ramblers are netting 68.0 ppg this season, and are giving up 67.5 ppg to opponents.

Kent State shot 56.5 percent from the floor in the first half against Yale in the team's latest contest, but cooled off significantly in the second half to 36 percent, which allowed the Bulldogs to run away with the win. Hofstra transfer Jimmy Hall scored 22 points to lead Kent State, and was the only player in double figures in the outing. Kris Brewer and Derek Jackson each contributed nine points in the loss.

Hall has been stellar this season for the Golden Flashes, who average 68.4 ppg this season and are looking to take over the Mid-American Conference. Hall is netting 16.0 ppg on 60 percent shooting from the field, and also leads the team with 7.2 rpg. Brewer (12.0 ppg) and Jackson (11.2 ppg) are the other two Golden Flashes with a double-digit scoring average. Kent State's defense has done well this season in limiting opponents to 58.0 ppg through five contests.

Although Kent State was defeated in its last game, the Golden Flashes should have no issue bouncing back by employing a strong defensive effort against an up-and-down Loyola-Chicago offense. The Ramblers will have a tough time handling the Kent crowd.