Kent State University
(3-2)
University of Pittsburgh
(4-0)
Great effort not enough to offset Pitt's hot shooting in 85-76 loss
11/28/2015 6:16:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Final Stats (pdf)
Postgame press conference: Head coach Rob Senderoff and Jimmy Hall
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A high-energy effort combined with 23 points by Xavier Pollard and 21 points by Jimmy Hall still could not offset Pittsburgh's red-hot shooting, as the Golden Flashes lost 85-76 at the Petersen Events Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Panthers led by as many as 17 points thanks in large part to 10-of-16 shooting from three-point range, but they couldn't shake the Flashes until the game's final minute. KSU came up with baskets to pull within seven points on three different occasions in the final two minutes, but couldn't get closer.
"Some teams will give up when another makes everything the way Pittsburgh did," said Kent State head coach Rob Senderoff, whose team stands at 3-2 after the loss. "But our guys kept fighting. I couldn't be prouder of the effort. They went toe-to-toe with an ACC team playing at its best on its own floor, and they refused to fold. We had a chance to cut it to four with under two minutes to go and ran a play to get a good look for who I think is our best shooter. Sometimes the shots don't go in."
The Flashes out-toughed Pittsburgh for most of the first half. They trailed by a slim 32-29 margin with three minutes to play before halftime, outrebounding the Panthers 17-8 to that point, including an 11-2 advantage on the offensive end. At that point, Pittsburgh switched out of its usual man-to-man defense and sat back in a 2-3 zone for the rest of the game.
By the 14:56 mark of the second half, the Panthers enjoyed a seemingly commanding 17-point advantage. Pollard, Deon Edwin and Chris Ortiz all had an impact off the bench, while Hall made plays on both ends of the floor.
Pollard converted 9-for-13 from the field while leading a Kent State bench that outscored the Panthers' reserves 32-16. Hall, meanwhile added seven rebounds to his second 20-plus scoring effort of the season. He also finished with four assists and two steals in 35 minutes.
Khaliq Spicer's eight rebounds helped the Flashes to a 33-26 advantage on the boards. KSU also outscored Pittsburgh 36-28 in the paint and 18-10 on second-chance opportunities.
"We talked about how we have to out-Pitt Pittsburgh, a team that is one of the most physical teams you'll find," said Senderoff. "I think we did that. Pitt just shot the lights out."
The Panthers (4-0) led 42-32 at the break thanks to 6-of-7 shooting from three-point range and 16-for-26 shooting overall.
For the game, Pittsburgh shot 56.4 percent from the field and 62.5 percent from behind the arc.
Michael Young led the Panthers with 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting while Jamel Artis and James Robinson added 19 and 18 points each. That trio combined to make 9-of-11 threes.
Kent State is back in action on Saturday, Dec. 5 when it takes on Cleveland State at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
