"Disappointed that we lost," head coach Rob Senderoff. "Albany is a very good team and they played well, especially in the second half.
“They are a . . .
Jaylin Walker scored a game high 20 points while tallying six rebounds and three assists. He also picked up a pair of steals. Adonis De La Rosa scored 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting and grabbed a team-best eight boards. Jalen Avery was the lead distributor, with five assists and no turnovers.
The Flashes (6-7) played with intensity on defense early, causing four turnovers in the first few minutes of the game. They jumped out to five-point lead in the first three minutes and played a close first half throughout.
Albany (12-3) went on a hot streak, building a 21-15 lead midway through the period. Eventually, the shooting marks met in the middle, allowing Kent State to tie Albany at the break, 29 all.
De La Rosa scored on a vicious dunk to open up the second half, giving the Flashes an early two-point advantage and KSU continued to play close with the Great Danes for the first four minutes. However, the Great Danes took control from there. Albany outscored Kent State, 17-6, over a four-minute period to give the home team its first double digit lead at 52-41.
With just over six minutes left, Albany held its largest lead of the game at 65-49. The Flashes were able to cut the deficit in half with a series of trips to the foul line, trailing 69-61 with 2:14 left. However, Albany finished the game making six of its last seven shots, keeping the game in hand.
Overall, Kent State shot 41.2 percent (28-for-68) from the floor with just three 3-pointers. Albany shot an even 23-for-46 from the line and took 29 more free throw attempts. Kent State won the rebounding battle, 35-32.
Kevin Zabo and Desmond Ridenour each scored 10 points on a combined 8-for-10 shooting. Ridenour also chipped in four rebounds.
Kent State will begin Mid-American Conference play on Jan. 2 in DeKalb, Illinois against Northern Illinois at 7 p.m.
(Courtesy of KSU Athletics)