BROOKINGS South Dakota States comeback came up short on Tuesday night as the Jackrabbits fell to Kent State 82-73 at Frost Arena.
The Jacks trailed by as much as 20 points in the first half and cut the lead to two points in the second half. SDSU head coach Eric Henderson said his team put a lot of energy into the comeback and just couldnt close things out.
We were competing our tails off and were really fighting. We had a couple of things not go our way, but we kept fighting. We turned it over a couple of times in some crucial possessions and took some tough shots, and when you do that, it felt like the first half again. You have to value every possession, Henderson said.
SDSU (4-5) led 8-6 six minutes into the game. Kent State (6-3) then went on a 28-6 run to go up 34-14 with just over four minutes left in the first half. The Jacks found some life before the half ended and trailed 41-27 at halftime.
Henderson said the poor first half was a result of not sharing the ball on the offensive end.
I told our guys in the locker room, we have such good moments at times this year. Weve competed for the most part really hard, but right now, mostly on the offensive end, we have stretches where we dont share [the ball] the way we need to share it. We dont move the ball enough and take some really hard shots. Those are such huge possessions in most games that were going to play and I think its a little bit of that. We had some good looks and they didnt go down and that kind of stung a bit, Henderson said.
The Jacks trailed 45-34 five minutes into the second half and then used an 11-4 run to cut the lead to 49-47 with 9:43 to play. William Kyle III had a pair of electrifying dunks during that run.
Kyle, who was moved to the bench after starting the first four games of the season, finished with 14 points and went 7-of-7 from the field. In his past three games, hes gone 20-of-24 from the field and has scored 41 points. Henderson said since moving to the bench, Kyle has let the game come to him.
Hes been terrific. I think it goes back to before when he was starting, honestly now, hes passing the ball and hes sharing it. When two people are guarding him hes passing the ball and sharing to his teammates and creating opportunities for himself and Im very proud of him for that, Henderson said.
After the Jacks cut it to two, Kent State went on a 10-4 run and extended its lead back to eight points. SDSU hung around for a bit but a Jalen Sullinger three with 1:34 left was the final dagger as it put the Golden Flashes up 71-60. Charlie Easley made four tough shots in the final 59 seconds, but it was too little too late.
SDSU shot 42% from the field. The Jacks were 8-of-28 from three but four of those threes came in the final 3:14. Easley led the team with 17 points and made five threes. Zeke Mayo had 12 points and had six turnovers. Kalen Garry had 10 points and Matthew Mors had nine points.
The Jacks had 14 turnovers and 12 assists as a team. Henderson said to be more successful on the offensive end his team needs to share the ball more.
I think we need to move the ball a little better and trust our teammates more. I think [some guys are trying to do a little too much], and theyre not doing it on purpose or because theyre selfish. Theyre doing it because we believe in them and give them confidence. I think we just need to move the ball a little bit better and share it better in spurts, Henderson said.
Kent State shot 43% from the field and was 10-of-27 from beyond the arc. The Golden Flashes were led by Giovanni Santiago who had 19 points, six rebounds and four assists. Sullinger had 17 points. Chris Payton Jr. had 14 points and 11 rebounds. VonCameron Davis had 12 points.
The Golden Flashes won the rebound battle 38-34. The Golden Flashes had 16 turnovers and went 22-of-24 at the free throw line. SDSU was 13-of-19 on free throws.
The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Jacks. SDSU will hit the road next as it travels to Wichita to take on Wichita State on Saturday at 6 p.m. The Jacks have five non-conference games left after that game and Henderson said his team just needs to put it all together as they near conference play.
Were nine games in now and weve had multiple guys play well, but we just havent gotten it all put together yet, and thats our job as a staff to make that happen. Well get there. Were going to add [Matt Mims] into the mix in two or three weeks. I love this group. Theyre great dudes, but we have to find a better way to play better together out on the floor, Henderson said.
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