The Kent State men's basketball team was unable to overcome a miserable start and fell 80-69 to host Miami of Ohio Tuesday night in Oxford.
The Golden Flashes (7-9, 1-2 Mid-American Conference) trailed 39-10 with 5:47 left in the first half, and were down 48-25 at halftime after junior point guard Darrian Ringo hit a layup at the buzzer for the RedHawks (9-7, 2-1).
"That's the worst start I've ever seen us have in a game," said KSU coach Rob Senderoff. "I'm very disappointed (and) take responsibility for how we played in the first half. We'll try to get better moving forward."
Kent State was still down 22 with 9:31 to play before staging a furious rally, trimming the deficit to eight with 1:24 to go on a layup by senior guard Kevin Zabo. But Miami made enough free throws down the stretch to ward off the Flashes.
"A loss is a loss, but I'm proud of the fight we showed in the second half," said Senderoff. "I thought in the second half we played much more to our character, much more the way we are supposed to play.
Junior center Adonis De La Rosa led Kent State with 16 points and seven rebounds. Junior point guard Jalen Avery scored 12 points, while Zabo added 11 points and sophomore Danny Pippen contributed six points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
Junior guard Jaylin Walker, KSU's leading scorer, finished with five points and did not play in the second half.
Freshman guard Nike Sibande led the RedHawks with 17 points, followed by Ringo with 16 points and seven assists.
Kent State will host Ohio (8-7, 1-2) Friday at 7 p.m.