• Blog
  • About Us
  • Links
  MRO-Plus: The door to more

Kent State challenge comes up short at Pitt

11/30/2015

 
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A high-energy effort combined with 23 points by Xavier Pollard and 21 points by Jimmy Hall still could not offset Pittsburgh's red-hot shooting, as the Golden Flashes lost 85-76 at the Petersen Events Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Panthers led by as many as 17 points, thanks in large part to 10-of-16 shooting from three-point range, but they couldn't shake the Flashes until the game's final minute. KSU came up with baskets to pull within seven points on three different occasions in the final two minutes, but it couldn't get closer.
 
"Some teams will give up when another makes everything the way Pittsburgh did," said Kent State head coach Rob Senderoff, whose team stands at 3-2 after the loss. "But our guys kept fighting. I couldn't be prouder of the effort. They went toe-to-toe with an ACC team playing at its best on its own floor, and they refused to fold. We had a chance to cut it to four with under two minutes to go and ran a play to get a good look for who I think is our best shooter. Sometimes the shots don't go in."
 
The Flashes out-toughed Pittsburgh for most of the first half. They trailed by a slim 32-29 margin with three minutes to play before halftime and out-rebounded the Panthers 17-8 to that point, including an 11-2 advantage on the offensive end.
 
Pittsburgh then switched out of its usual man-to-man defense and sat back in a 2-3 zone for the rest of the game.
 
By the 14:56 mark of the second half, the Panthers enjoyed a seemingly commanding 17-point advantage. Pollard, Deon Edwin and Chris Ortiz all had an impact off the bench, while Hall made plays on both ends of the floor.
 
Pollard converted 9-for-13 from the field while leading a Kent State bench that outscored the Panthers' reserves 32-16. Hall, meanwhile added seven rebounds to his second 20-plus scoring effort of the season. He also finished with four assists and two steals in 35 minutes. 
 
Khaliq Spicer's eight rebounds helped the Flashes to a 33-26 advantage on the boards. KSU also outscored Pittsburgh 36-28 in the paint and 18-10 on second-chance opportunities. 
 
"We talked about how we have to out-Pitt Pittsburgh, a team that is one of the most physical teams you'll find," said Senderoff. "I think we did that. Pitt just shot the lights out."
 
The Panthers (4-0) led 42-32 at the break thanks to 6-of-7 shooting from three-point range and 16-for-26 shooting overall. For the game, Pittsburgh shot 56.4 percent from the field and 62.5 percent from behind the arc.
 
Michael Young led the Panthers with 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting while Jamel Artis and James Robinson added 19 and 18 points each. That trio combined to make 9-of-11 threes.
 
Kent State is back in action on Saturday, Dec. 5 when it takes on Cleveland State at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. 
 
(Courtesy of Kent State Athletics)

Comments are closed.

    MAC Football 

    Click desired schedule below:

    ​MAC FOOTBALL 2021
    WEEKLY SCHEDULE


    MAC FOOTBALL 2021
    TEAM SCHEDULES


    MAC FOOTBALL 2021
    VIDEO 



    ​

    MAC Basketball 
    POSTPONED GAMES
    ​






    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Basketball
    Football
    Other

    Archives

    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014

Proudly powered by Weebly