Close but not close enough: men’s basketball falls to Kent State, 70-65

Men’s basketball (19-10, 13-6 MAC) chased Kent State’s (21-9, 16-4 MAC) tails the entire game Friday night, ending the regular season with a 70-65 loss to the Golden Flashes. UB will head into the Mid-American Conference tournament as the fifth seed, kicking off with a Tuesday match against Akron.

Despite outshooting Kent State and equalizing on the glass — 38 rebounds each — and in the paint, while also being tied for points off turnovers and fastbreak points, UB conceded 17 turnovers and 17 offensive rebounds. 

Senior forward Jeenathan Williams was the game leader with 18 points, five boards and five assists. Senior guard Ronaldo Segu executed 14 points and four assists, and junior forward LaQuill Hardnett’s minutes off the bench landed an impressive 12 points and two steals.

The match saw senior forward Josh Mballa land seven points and a game-high 10 boards. 

UB came out strong going 3-for-3 from the three-point line to secure an 11-6 lead five minutes in. 

The Golden State Flashes answered with a 21-4 run to bring the heat back and take their largest lead of the night at 27-15 with 8:23 left.

Hardnett’s fleeting appearance on the court brought six points of an 8-0 run with five minutes left, but the Bulls were unable to take the lead, finishing the first half 34-26.

UB tried to stay within touching distance the whole second half, as the Golden State Flashes led by double figures.

Redshirt sophomore center David Skogman landed a stellar dunk to bring the Bulls within one point of KSU at 62-61 with 3:54 left, but Kent State scored the next four for a 66-61 lead and wrapped up the game with a five-point win. 

The Bulls will return to action this Thursday for the MAC quarterfinals against Akron (21-9, 14-6 MAC), for a 1:30 p.m. tip-off at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

Sophie McNally is an assistant sports editor and can be reached at sophie.mcnally@ubspectrum.com

---