Poor shooting performance dooms Flashes in loss to Oregon State

Sophomore center Adonis De La Rosa looks to pass the ball against Wright State University on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016 at the M.A.C. Center. The Flashes lost, 68-63.

The last time the Kent State men’s basketball team defeated a Power 5 program in the regular season, senior Jimmy Hall was redshirting in his first year at Hofstra University, senior Deon Edwin was at the University of Southern Mississippi and Rob Senderoff was in his second season as head coach.

That was Nov. 24, 2012, when the Flashes beat Big Ten opponent University of Nebraska by 14 on the road.

For the first 30 minutes of play in their game against Oregon State University Wednesday night, it seemed as if Kent State was in position to win its second game over a Power 5 team in the past four years and third since the 2011-12 season, when Senderoff knocked off the University West Virginia for his first career win.

Despite shooting a dismal 28 percent (21-76) from the floor, the Flashes controlled the offensive glass, matched OSU shot-for-shot and used a sophomore Jaylin Walker jump shot to knot the score at 42 with 9:26 remaining.

But then the Beavers (4-9) went on a 27-8 run, sparked by a sophomore Drew Eubanks dunk, to end the game — and their five-game losing skid — with a 69-50 win over Kent State (7-5) at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Oregon.

Four Kent State players scored in double figures, led by Hall, who notched a double-double (14 points, 19 rebounds) in 35 minutes of play.

Kent State, which is ranked second in the nation in offensive rebounding, grabbed 34 offensive boards compared to The Ohio State University’s 10 and recorded 19-second chance points.

However, the Beavers — who lost to the Virginia Commonwealth University in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament — led for 27:57 courtesy of a 54 percent (25-46) performance from the field and 53 percent (8-15) from beyond the arc.

Kent State concludes its road trip next Tuesday against the University of Texas before returning to the M.A.C. Center to begin Mid-American Conference play Jan. 3 by hosting Ball State University.

Nick Buzzelli is a sports reporter, contact him at [email protected]