Kent State University
9-9, 1-4MAC
Buffalo
8-10, 2-3MAC
Men's Basketball Falls to Buffalo on Late Second Half Run
1/17/2017 10:42:00 PM | Men's Basketball
KENT, Ohio – The Kent State University men's basketball team (9-9, 1-4 MAC) came up short in a back-and forth battle Tuesday at home, falling to the Buffalo Bulls (8-10, 2-3 MAC), 82-69.
"Disappointing loss but right now, the way we're playing, we're not going to beat very many teams," said head coach Rob Senderoff. "Nine assists and 19 turnovers, 54% field goal defense in the second half, and we couldn't get a stop again. You're just not going to win very many games like that."
Jimmy Hall had a solid performance for the Golden Flashes, leading the team with 24 points and 16 rebounds. He shot 9-for-13 from the floor and cleaned up eight boards on the offensive end. The team's leading distributor was Desmond Ridenour, who chipped in four assists and seven points. Senior Deon Edwin finished with 11 points and three rebounds.
The first half was a seesaw struggle, in which both teams held substantial leads. Buffalo struck first, jumping out to an 11 point lead at 13-2. With the game looking out of Kent State's hands early, the Flashes went on a blistering 17-0 run to take its first lead of the game. The run pushed the Flashes to a 21-14 lead with 13 minutes left in the first half, its largest lead of the period.
The pendulum swung quickly, with Buffalo retaking the lead at 29-28 with six minutes left. For the remainder of the half, neither team led by more than four points, but Buffalo would take a halftime advantage, 40-37.
The Flashes looked to establish themselves early in the second half and rebuilt their lead. Kent State started the period on a 12-2 run, bringing the score to 49-42 with 16:34 left. Back-to-back Bulls 3-pointers reversed the momentum, leading to a four-minute stretch in which the game was played within a possession.
Back-to-back layups from Mitch Peterson gave Kent State a slight cushion at 64-59. Buffalo made their definitive run with 8:26 remaining, scoring 12 straight points and 17 of the next 20. After a free throw from Hall, Buffalo scored two buckets in a row to build another double-digit lead and go on to victory.
Kent State finished the game shooting 40.6 percent (26-for-64) from the floor, while Buffalo shot 49.2 percent (32-for-65). The Flashes held a small rebounding advantage, 41-40, with 15 offensive rebounds.
Kevin Zabo had a strong start and finished with 10 points and four rebounds. Jaylin Walker and Danny Pippen also collected four boards, with Walker chipping in eight points.
The Flashes will stay at home for their next game, taking on Toledo Saturday at 7 p.m. on Spectrum Sports. Follow @KentStAthletics on Twitter for information on pregame festivities.
