"You have to take care of the basketball," said head coach Rob Senderoff. "Our point guard played 33 minutes and had no turnovers, the rest of the roster had 24 turnovers.
We have to . . .
Jalen Avery led the Golden Flashes (5-5) with 17 points on 6-for-13 shooting overall and 2-for-3 shooting from 3-point range. Danny Pippen recorded a double-double, with 11 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. It is the first double-double of the sophomore's career. Kevin Zabo was the team's leader in assists with three.
Kent State came out and threw the first punch Saturday, jumping out to a 5-0 lead. Wright State, however, answered quickly, going on a 7-0 run.
Pippen retaliated with a corner 3-pointer, giving his team an 11-10 lead with 14:04 remaining in the first half. It would be the team's final lead, as Wright State went on another seven point run.
Kent State would rely on 3-pointers in the first half, going 6-for-11 from deep. Those six 3-pointers prevented the home team from creating more than a 10-point advantage in the opening period. The Flashes trailed at the break, 31-24.
Wright State scored nine of the first 13 points of the second half, giving the Raiders a 12-point advantage. Kent State then cut the deficit down to six points, but Wright State worked its way to the Raiders' largest lead at 54-40 with seven minutes remaining.
Wright State left the door open down the stretch of the game, making only one field goal over the final seven minutes, a 3-pointer at the three minute mark.
Kent State shot 5-for-10 from the floor and 6-for-7 from the foul line during that seven minute stretch, but four turnovers prevented the comeback. The Flashes were within five points with 22 seconds left but could not catch the Raiders.
Overall, Kent State shot 36.5 percent (19-for-52) from the floor and 35.3 percent (6-for-17) from deep. Wright State shot 38.5 percent (20-for-52) overall and were held to 18.2 percent (4-for-22) from 3-point range. Kent State won the rebounding battle, 36-31.
Jaylin Walker made his return to action after three games out, scoring seven points. Akiean Frederick had six points and four rebounds, while Mitch Peterson tallied five points and four boards. Adonis De La Rosa ended his day with five rebounds and a pair of assists.
Kent State will take a nine-day break for finals week, followed by a home game Dec. 18 against Northeastern.
(Courtesy of KSU Athletics)