Basketball ends four-game road trip with loss to Northeastern

Senior guard Deon Edwin of the Kent State men’s basketball team dribbles down the court at game one of the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Florida, on Monday, Nov. 21, 2016.

Nick Buzzelli

The Kent State men’s basketball team (4-3) held a late-game lead against Northeastern University after senior Jimmy Hall hit a fade away jump shot. But, for the third time in the previous four games, the Flashes couldn’t seal the victory.

Despite Hall’s 25 points and seven rebounds Sunday afternoon, Kent State fell to the Huskies, 73-70, concluding a four-game road trip with three losses by a combined 10 points.

Senior Deon Edwin also came alive Monday in the team’s second neutral site contest of the season, scoring 10 points in the final 20 minutes of play. However, the offensive spark wasn’t enough to propel Kent State past undefeated South Dakota University.

Even though the Flashes led George Mason University by one with 31 seconds left, sophomore Jalen Avery — a career 54.5 percent foul shooter — missed the front end of a one-and- one. The Patriots then used a sophomore Otis Livingston three-pointer and two free throws by senior Marquise Moore to squeak by Kent State, 79-75.

Against Wofford College, however, Avery drained both shots from the charity stripe with 27 seconds left to sink the Terriers and snap the two-game losing streak.

The Flashes shot a dismal 25 percent from the floor in that game during the first half, but rallied in the second, making over half of its shots and outrebounding Wofford, 44-34.

“Tough, hard fought win and we needed it too,” head coach Rob Senderoff said in a press release after the Wofford game. “I think we needed it the way we got it too because it wasn’t a 78-76 win … They scored 59 points, and I think we needed that to get our mentality back to where it needs to be.”

Hall began Kent State’s road trip finale at Northeastern with a 5-5 performance for 10 points. The Flashes then took a 61-54 lead at the 7:37 mark of the second, courtesy of Hall’s back-to-back buckets.

However, Northeastern began chipping away at the Kent State lead, getting within one with 4:15 remaining and taking its first lead early in the game, courtesy of a junior Devon Begley three-pointer.

Hall tied the game at 69 by hitting 1-2 from the free throw line. But Begley knocked down both of his attempts from the charity stripe to give the Huskies the lead for good.

Edwin chipped in 12 points and three steals, while junior Kevin Zabo added 10 points in 18 minutes of play.

Kent State returns to the M.A.C. Center for a four-game homestand Friday by hosting Grambling State University, Niagara University, New Jersey Institute of Technology and Wright State University. 

Nick Buzzelli is a sports reporter, contact him at [email protected].