Kent State University
3-1
Southeastern Louisiana
2-3
Men's Hoops Falls to Southeastern Louisiana
11/21/2017 10:27:00 PM | Men's Basketball
KENT, Ohio – The Kent State University men's basketball team took its first loss of the season Tuesday, falling to the Southeastern Louisiana Lions (2-3) at home, 70-66.
"Obviously disappointed, give Southeastern Louisiana a lot of credit," said head coach Rob Senderoff. "They came in with the right mentality, trying to win. We just didn't execute on either side of the floor, particularly in the second half. We've got to get better. We're playing really good teams coming up and if we don't compete harder, we're in for some rude awakenings."
Jaylin Walker scored a season-high 26 points on 10-for-20 shooting. He was 4-for-12 from beyond the arc. Adonis De La Rosa and Danny Pippen each had a team-best six boards, with De La Rosa adding in 10 points. Jalen Avery had five assists and four rebounds. His first and only turnover of the season puts him at a 22/1 assist/turnover ratio.
The Golden Flashes led for most of the first half, building its first 10-point lead at 18-8 11 minutes into the game. Kent State built its advantage to as much as 12 points at 34-22 with 1:40 remaining in the first half. SLU scored four straight free throws to put the halftime score at 34-26.
Kent State was outscored to start the second half, 13-5, and allowed the Lions to tie the game at 39 all. SLU hit a 3-pointer after the tie, giving them their largest lead to that point. Kent State did not led the road team pull away by multiple possessions until late, and led for a large chunk of the second half.
With the Flashes up 62-60 with 1:39 remaining, the pendulum swung to the Lions on a 4-point play. Kent State drew a foul on the opposite end, with Avery knocking down a pair of free throws to tie the game. With 45 seconds left, Eddy Polanco hit his second straight trey to give his team a three-point advance. The Flashes then missed back-to-back shots, while Polanco scored three more points at the foul line down the stretch. The senior scored the final 10 points for the winning side.
Despite rough shooting to end the game, Kent State had an opportunity to tie the game in the final 30 seconds. SLU missed two straight free throws while up three points, but Kent State missed on back-to-back 3-point attempts.
Overall, Kent State finished at 37.1 percent (23-for-62) from the floor and 12-for-16 from the foul line. The Flashes took half of their shots from 3-point range. SLU shot 47.1 percent (24-for-51) and 16-for-24 from the line. Kent State finished with nine turnovers to the Lions' 15.
Kevin Zabo made his first start of the season, logging eight points and two steals. BJ Duling added seven points on 3-for-6 shooting, while Mitch Peterson scored six points. Desmond Ridenour finished with five points, four rebounds and two assists.
Kent State will head to Savannah, Georgia for the remainder of the Savannah Invitational, facing Valparaiso Friday and Loyola Chicago Saturday.
