Kent State University
17-7,8-3MAC
Southern Mississippi
13-13,6-7Sun Belt
Golden Flashes Fall Short in Final Seconds to Southern Mississippi
2/7/2026 10:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Kent State Men's Basketball (17-7, 8-3 MAC) saw a hard-fought comeback effort fall just short as Southern Miss edged the Golden Flashes 66-65 on Saturday afternoon in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge at Reed Green Coliseum. The Golden Eagles sank two free throws with one second remaining.
The Golden Flashes and Golden Eagles traded blows throughout the opening half with neither team able to pull away. Kent State shot just 36.36% from the field in the first 20 minutes while connecting on only 3-of-14 from beyond the arc. Southern Miss used a late first-half surge to build their largest lead of the half at eight points before Cian Medley drained a three-pointer with 52 seconds left to cut the deficit to 32-30. The Golden Eagles scored a basket in the closing seconds to take a 34-30 advantage into the break.
Rob Whaley Jr. and Delrecco Gillespie sparked a run that saw Kent State grab control of the game int eh second half. Quinn Woidke connected on back-to-back three-pointers, the second giving the Golden Flashes a 48-45 lead with 10:59 to play. The Golden Flashes extended their advantage to eight points at 57-49 on a thunderous dunk by Whaley Jr. with 8:32 remaining. Kent State pushed the margin back to nine at 58-49 on a Whaley Jr. free throw, but Southern Miss refused to go away. The Golden Eagles utilized a 7-0 run to pull within two at 58-56 with 4:18 left. Morgan Safford and Gillespie kept KSU in front at 62-58 with 2:15 remaining. USM battled to with it two. After a Kent State turnover, Tylik Weeks knocked down a pair of free throws to make it 63-62 with 42 seconds remaining. Southern Miss then added a go-ahead layup with 25 seconds left for a 64-63 Golden Eagles lead. Medley was fouled with seven seconds remaining and calmly sank both free throws to give Kent State a 65-64 edge. However, Taveras drew a foul with one second left and converted both attempts to complete the Southern Miss comeback and secure the one-point victory.
The Box Score Story
Three Golden Flashes finished in double figures led by a trio of 15-point performances. Medley paced Kent State with 15 points on 4-of-12 shooting while connecting on 3-of-9 from deep. Whaley Jr. matched that total with 15 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field, adding eight rebounds. Gillespie also tallied 15 points on an efficient 7-of-11 shooting to go along with nine boards. Woidke added seven points off the bench, going 2-of-6 from three-point range. The Golden Flashes improved to 48.15% shooting in the second half after a slow start.
Up Next
Kent State returns to MAC play at home on Wednesday Feb. 11 against Eastern Michigan. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
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