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. Kent State pushed it back into double digits and led 30-21 at intermission.

Jaylin Walker had 15 points off the bench and Antonio Williams added 14 points and collected three steals for the Golden Flashes.

Alex Long had 24 points for Norfolk State (4-6).