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KENT, Ohio – The Ohio men's basketball team (11-11, 5-5 MAC) returned to action Tuesday night (Jan. 27), falling on the road to Kent State (16-5, 7-2 MAC), 72-57, inside the M.A.C. Center. 

Overall, Ohio shot 29.7 percent from the field, were 7-of-31 from three and 12-of-17 from the line, while Kent State shot 37.7 percent from the field, 6-of-20 from three and were 26-of-35 from the line. Kent State outrebounded the Bobcats 51-31, while Ohio dished out eight assists to the Flashes' 12. The Bobcats recorded 13 steals and forced 20 Kent State turnovers, scoring 22 points off them. 

Individually, Senior forward Aidan Hadaway (Lafayette, Ga.) scored 13 points and had three rebounds, while freshman guard JJ Kelly (Chambersburg, Pa.) recorded 10 points, five rebounds and four steals. Redshirt junior forward Javan Simmons (Columbus, Ohio) scored nine points and five rebounds, with redshirt freshman forward Kiir Kuany (Melbourne Australia) finishing with seven points, two threes and three boards. Senior guard Jackson Paveletzke (Kimberly, Wis.) finished the game with six points and a team-high eight rebounds. 

Ohio won the tip and got on the board first with a driving layup from Hadaway. After Kent State took a 4-2 lead, a three from Kelly put Ohio back on top. Moments later, Kent State connected on a layup, sending the game to the first media timeout with the Flashes leading, 6-5. Out of the break, Kent State took a 12-5 lead, before free throws from redshirt senior forward Jalen Breath (Oklahoma City, Okla.) and a three from Kelly cut the deficit to two with 11:48 remaining in the half. A three from redshirt freshman guard Jesse Burris (Delaware, Ohio) put the Bobcats up one, however, Kent State matched it with third own to take a two-point lead. After Simmons tied the game at 15-15, The Flashes retook the lead, before a three from Hadaway tied the game up at 18-18 at the under-eight media timeout. 

Out of the break, a jumper from Paveletzke put the Bobcats up two, before a free throw and a three from the Flashes gave Kent State the two-point lead headed into the final media timeout of the half. After the Flashes went up seven, a three from senior guard Ajay Sheldon (Dublin, Ohio) with 37 seconds left in the half, sent the Bobcats to the locker room trailing, 28-24. 

At the half, the Bobcats shot 25 percent from the field, were 5-of-18 from three and 3-of-4 from the line, while Kent State shot 31 percent from the field, were 3-of-12 from three and were 7-of-10 from the line. Kent State outrebounded Ohio, 25-18, while both teams dished out five assists. 

Kent State opened the second half on a 7-2 run, taking a 36-26 lead and forcing the Bobcats to call a timeout with 17:33 to go in the game. Out of the break, jumpers from Paveletzke and Simmons helped the Bobcats cut the Kent State lead to seven with 15:42 remaining. Out of the timeout, the Bobcats went on a 7-0 run that was capped by an offensive rebound and a three from Kuany, cutting the Kent State lead to 41-37 and forcing the Flashes to call a timeout with 12:28 remaining. Another three from Kuany cut the deficit to three before free throws from Sheldon brought the score within one. After Kent State hit a three to retake a four-point lead, a fastbreak layup from Kelly cut the Flashes' lead to 48-46 with 7:55 to go. 

Out of the timeout, a missed free throw from Kent State set up a second-chance tip-in layup from Hadaway, tying the game at 48-48. After the Flashes took a 55-49 lead, free throws from Paveletzke and Hadaway helped cut the Ohio deficit to four going into the final media timeout. Out of the break, Kent State went on a 7-0 run to take an 11-point lead with 2:13 remaining. The Bobcats were unable to get the offense to flow over the remaining two minutes, while the Flashes connected on their free throws, securing the 72-57 win. 

Up next, the Bobcats are back on the road on Saturday, Jan. 31 when they head to Buffalo, N.Y. to take on Buffalo. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. ET inside Alumni Arena and can be seen on ESPN+. 

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