Kent State University
3-2
Valparaiso
6-0
Men's Hoops Downed in Savannah against Valparaiso
11/24/2017 10:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Kent State University men's basketball team (3-2) dropped its first game in Savannah Friday, falling in a close game against the Valparaiso Crusaders (6-0), 77-67.
The game was closer than the final score, as Valparaiso led 68-67 with 30 seconds left. Kent State nearly erased a 14-point Crusader lead with a big run in the second half, but Valparaiso scored nine points in the final 28 seconds on a 3-pointer, four free throws and a layup at the final buzzer.
"Tough loss," noted head coach Rob Senderoff, "the score says we lost by 10 but it was a one possession game with a minute to go. They made some big plays when it came down to crunch time. Hopefully we can get better from this experience. It's tough to lose when you compete as hard as we did today, but you move on and play again tomorrow."
Jaylin Walker led three scorers in double-figures for Kent State with 15 points and a team-best three assists. Mitch Peterson had his strongest performance of the season, logging 10 points and a game-high eight rebounds. He shot 3-for-4 from 3-point range. Adonis De La Rosa had a perfect shooting night, 3-for-3 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the free throw line. He finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. He also created turnovers, with two steals and a trio of charges taken.
Kent State played with intensity at the start, scoring on a Jalen Avery 3-pointer on the first possession and jumping out to an 11-4 lead. The Valparaiso offense started to pick up steam, but Kent State still held onto its 7-point lead with 9:23 remaining in the first half. From there, Kent State hit a dry spell, scoring two points over the next eight minutes. The Crusaders used that time to build a 32-22 advantage. Kent State scored five points over the final 90 seconds of the period to keep the deficit to single digits at 34-27.
Valparaiso started the second half on a 7-0 run, building a 14 point advantage, the largest of the game. The Flashes rallied and went on a two minute 10-2 run, highlighted by a pair of Peterson 3's. Valparaiso answered with a tip in and a free throw, but a Kevin Zabo 3 and five straight points from Danny Pippen brought Kent State within one at 46-45 with 11:50.
Up one, the Crusaders took back momentum and rebuilt its lead to 63-56 with five minutes left. The Flashes made one last run, going on a 9-3 run to put the score at 66-65 with 3:23 left. The Flashes had a chance to finally retake the lead, but missed on a running layup. Still a one-point game in the final minute, Valparaiso worked the clock down to 28 seconds and hit the biggest shot of the game, a catch and shoot 3-pointer right at the shot clock buzzer. The Flashes could not score on the next two possessions, sealing the game.
Overall, Kent State shot 38.9 percent (21-for-54) from the floor and 34.6 percent (9-for-26) from 3-point range. Valparaiso shot 49.1 percent (26-for-53) from the floor, but 20 percent (3-for-15) from 3-point range.
Akiean Frederick gave the Flashes production off the bench, scoring nine points on 3-for-6 shooting with three rebounds. Pippen and freshman BJ Duling each had seven points, while Pippen added five boards. Avery tallied six points and a pair of assists.
The Flashes conclude the Savannah Invitational Saturday against Loyola Chicago at 5 p.m.
