GAME NOTES: The Kent State Golden Flashes put their undefeated record on the line on Sunday afternoon, as they entertain the Yale Bulldogs in the championship game of the Men Against Breast Cancer Classic.

Yale is off to a solid start as well, having won three of its first four games. The Bulldogs dropped their season opener to Quinnipiac (88-85 2 OT), but have bounced back to win every game since, including Saturday's 53-46 decision against Southern Illinois.

Kent State has posted wins over Youngstown State (69-61), Malone University (62-52), Southern Illinois (74-51) and Illinois-Chicago (78-60) thus far, the last two occurring as part of this event. Following this contest, the Golden Flashes will be idle until next Saturday's home clash with Loyola-Chicago.

Kent State has won all three previous meetings with Yale, with the most recent being a 71-45 decision in New Haven, Connecticut back in 1993.

Yale put forth an impressive defensive effort in Saturday's bout with Southern Illinois, holding the Salukis to 35.8 percent field goal efficiency, which included just a 2-of-11 showing from 3-point range. The Bulldogs didn't perform much better when they had the ball, managing a 36.7 percent effort, with misses coming on 16 of their 21 long-range launches. Justin Sears logged a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds in the win, while Jack Montague finished with 12 points thanks to four 3-pointers.

Sears is netting 15 ppg to lead three players in double figures for the season, and he is followed closely by Javier Duren (14.0 ppg) and Montague (13.0 ppg). Sears also spearheads the team's rebounding effort with 8.8 rpg, with Duren adding 5.8 rpg and Armani Cotton contributing 5.2 rpg. Duren dishes out 4.5 apg for a club that is netting 76.2 ppg while allowing just 60.8 ppg.

Derek Jackson scored 17 points to lead four players in double figures, as the Golden Flashes stymied the Flames of Illinois-Chicago on Saturday. Manley Devereaux added 15 points off the bench, while Kris Brewer tallied 14 and Jimmy Hall had 10. Khaliq Spicer paced Kent State's rebounding effort with 10 boards. The Flashes drained half of their 22 3-point attempts, while logging a 40-30 advantage on the boards, and committing a mere seven turnovers. UIC was limited to only two 3-pointers (on 11 attempts), and a meager 35.3 percent shooting effort overall.

For the season, four players are averaging double figures for KSU, led by Hall with his 14.5 ppg. He is also the leading glass cleaner for a team that is +7 in rebounding margin, and is outscoring the opposition by nearly 15 ppg (70.75 to 56.00). With a scoring yield that low, it's obvious the Golden Flashes have performed well on defense. Foes are shooting just 36.6 percent from the field, which includes an eye-popping 17 percent showing from beyond the arc.

This should be a competitive game between two teams that could make some noise in their respective conferences this season. While this is a tournament, the homecourt advantage can't be minimized.