Kent State defeats Northern Illinois 77-73

Delrecco Gillespie had 28 points in Kent State's 77-73 victory against Northern Illinois on Saturday.

The Associated Press
January 3, 2026 at 8:59PM

KENT, Ohio — Delrecco Gillespie had 28 points in Kent State's 77-73 victory against Northern Illinois on Saturday.

Gillespie added nine rebounds for the Golden Flashes (11-3, 2-0 Mid-American Conference). Rob Whaley Jr. scored 18 points, shooting 6 of 8 from the field and 6 for 11 from the line. Quinn Woidke finished with 10 points.

The Huskies (5-9, 1-2) were led in scoring by Makhai Valentine, who finished with 27 points. Taj Walters added 13 points, 11 rebounds and three steals for Northern Illinois. Dylan Ducommun also recorded 13 points and four assists.

Gillespie led Kent State with 10 points in the second half but the Golden Flashes were 47-30 after the break.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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