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MOREHEAD, Ky. – Morehead State men’s basketball set several milestones Sunday night, but it was the season-high 16 turnovers, including 10 in the second half, that was the story in the Eagles 63-57 non-conference loss to Kent State at Johnson Arena.
MSU (1-3) led by seven with 9:49 to play, but the Golden Flashes registered nine points off turnovers to erase the Eagle advantage and pull ahead. The KSU advantage was still only three with 49 seconds left, but Justin Greene made a lay-up and the ensuing free throw in a traditional three-point play. Eagle sophomore
Steve Peterson hit a layup to cut it to four, but the Golden Flashes sunk 2-of-4 free throws down the stretch to put the game just out of reach for the Eagles, who missed three long-range attempts in the final 35 seconds.
“Both teams played very hard and it was a hard-fought game,” MSU coach
Donnie Tyndall said. “Kent State deserves credit for what they’ve done.”
The loss spoiled milestone performances by three MSU players. Senior
Maze Stallworth broke the 1,000-point career mark with 12 points off of four triples. Peterson had a career-high 15 points to lead the Eagles and senior guard
Brandon Shingles has a career-high 10 assists.
“When [Stallworth] was a freshman we were at Murray State and there was a player being honored for his 1,000th point and I turned to him and told him if he worked hard and listened, someday I’d be giving him a 1,000-point ball,” Tyndall said. “It’s amazing how far he’s come at this point.”
Kent State (5-2) twice had a seven-point lead in the first half and threatened to push the lead higher off momentum from a pair of treys by treys by Anthony Simpson and Rodriquez Sherman. The Eagles answered quickly and scored seven straight to tie it, four on a lay-up and two free throws by Peterson, three from a long-range bomb by junior
Demonte Harper. It was even from there for a 30-30 halftime tie.
Junior
Kenneth Faried had his third double-double of the season, equaling Stallworth’s points at 12 while pulling down 15 boards and blocking two shots. Harper added 11 points and two steals.
MSU struggled from long range again, sinking 6-of-24 for 25 percent, but were nearly perfect from the line, swishing 11-of-12, all of which came in the first half.
“We need to be a better practice team. We’re just not where we need to be in a practice standpoint,” Tyndall said. “I’ve told the guys since the summer that we’re going to have a big target on our backs this year.”
Sherman also had a double-double with 14 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Simpson led all scorers with 17 points and Mike McKee and Greene each finished with 10 points. Sherman and McKee each dished out three assists and Sherman had five steals.
The Golden Flashes shot 40.7 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from 3-point range, but struggled with 53.8 percent at the line.
Morehead State opens Ohio Valley Conference play Thursday night at UT Martin at 8 p.m. ET.
