Kent State men’s basketball’s recent trend of slow starts reared its head on Wednesday, as the Flashes lost to Ball State University 90-71.

The disparity in the first half was clear, as Kent State (14-6, 11-5 Mid-American Conference) shot only 11-31 from the field, while Ball State (8-11, 6-8 MAC) shot over 68 percent from the field and scored 57 points.    

Senior guard Danny Pippen was held to six points on 2-12 shooting.  

Junior guard Malique Jacobs took over as Kent State’s leading scorer, with a season-high 23 points, seven rebounds and three steals.  

Sophomore guard Giovanni Santiago followed with 11 points and five rebounds.  

Pippen was not the only KSU big man limited by Ball State, as senior forwards Tervell Beck and Justyn Hamilton grabbed only two and five rebounds, respectively. Beck scored nine points while Hamilton had eight.

For Ball State, sophomore Jarron Coleman led the way with 26 points on 13-19 shooting.  Seniors K.J. Walton and Ishmael El-Amin both added 16 points each, helping the Cardinals to a 26 point lead going into the second half.  

Kent State has already clinched a spot in the MAC tournament, But Rob Senderoff’s squad will look to recover in the Flashes’ final three regular season games.

Kent State travels to Oxford, Ohio to take on Miami University on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 4:30 p.m. 

Mason is a sports reporter. Contact him at [email protected].