With 14 seconds remaining in the game, Kent State was down by two and the game-tying shot bounced off the rim and then fell out.

Senior forward Philip Whittington put the ball back to tie the score at 72 and send the game to overtime.

Kent State (2-0) controlled overtime to win 84-80 against Towson (2-1).

Towson scored only on free throws until time expired in overtime when Juwan Gray hit a three-point shot, but the Flashes had done enough to secure the win.

“It’s a game that, at the end of the year, we are going to look back and say ‘that was a heck of a win we just had on the road,’” coach Rob Senderoff said.

Sophomore guard Anthony Roberts led the team in scoring with 21 points.

That is a career high for Roberts, who came off the bench to play 30 minutes and added seven rebounds and three assists.

Philip Whittington had a double-double as he led the team with 10 rebounds and added 12 points, including the two that tied the game.

That rebounding was crucial in a physical game, as Kent State edged Towson 38-33 in total rebounds.

The physicality was on display the whole game, with a total of 46 fouls between the teams.

Senior guard Troy Simons left the game with a cramp late in the second half and did not return, but prior to that had 16 points and four three-pointers.

Simons shot 50 percent both from three and overall, as did junior forward Danny Pippen.

In his first game against a Division I opponent in over a year, Pippen scored 17 points, had six rebounds and tacked on five blocks.

“For us to come out here and get a win is really meaningful,” Senderoff said. “I hope at the end of the year (Towson) will say this was not a bad loss for them, that they’ll say ‘Hey that is a good team that we lost to.’”

Contact Owen MacMillan at [email protected].