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Defense struggles all night, offense struggles in 2nd half as Kent State falls at Duquesne 73-67

Hannah Young made four 3-pointers in the first 14 minutes of Kent State’s 73-67 loss to Duquesne. (File photo from KSU Athletics.)

Throughout Kent State’s 5-2 start to the season, its defense has carried the team.

On Wednesday, the defense couldn’t hold up.

Duquesne made 48.1% of its shots and 56.3% of its 3-point attempts on its way to a 73-67 victory over the Flashes in Pittsburgh. Both were the highest numbers put up by a Kent State opponent this season.

Kent State is now 5-3; Duquesne is 7-2.

The win broke KSU’s four-game winning streak.

“Our defense was subpar, for sure,” coach Todd Starkey said. “I thought Duquesne did a good job of executing their stuff, and we did a good job of letting them do it. Some of it was a collective lack of effort, but we just weren’t as connected physically and verbally as we’ve been recently.”

Kent State’s offense shot as well as it has all season in the first half but couldn’t keep it up the rest of the game.

In the first 20 minutes, the Flashes made 10-of-19 three-pointers (52.6%) and 16-of-31 total field goal attempts (51.6%). Both were well above KSU’s season numbers.

But in the second half, KSU made only eight baskets (23.5%) and four 3-pointers. In the fourth quarter, KSU made 3-of-15 shots and scored just nine points.

“We gave up way too many first-quarter points (21) and kind of were playing out of a hole,” Starkey said. “We shot well, and that’s what kept us in the game.

“We had opportunities in the second half but really struggled to score. Our execution offensively down the stretch wasn’t what it needed to be. They just outplayed us for a good portion of the game.”

A 26-18 second quarter put Kent State up by five at halftime, but Duquesne tied it halfway through the third quarter. The Dukes went ahead by as many as four, but Bridget Dunn tied the game with a 3-pointer with 12 seconds to go in the third quarter.

Duquesne scored the first six points of the fourth quarter and led the rest of the game. In the fourth quarter, Kent State twice went four minutes without scoring.

Hannah Young made her first four 3-point attempts but was shut out for the rest of the game. Duquesne point guard Tess Myers made her first 3-pointers and finished 6-of-8 from beyond the arc.

“They made the adjustment on our hot shooter,” Starkey said. “We did not make the adjustment on theirs.”

Down the lineup

Kent State’s bench outscored Duquesne’s 20-0.

More numbers

The MAC and the Mid-Majors

Five Mid-American Conference teams were ranked in this week’s Mid-Major Top 25. Toledo (6-2) was fifth, Kent State (then 5-2) was ninth, Northern Illinois (7-1) was 13th, Bowling Green (6-1) was 14th and Ball State (5-2) was 19th.

Next: Hiram on Sunday

The Flashes play Division III Hiram at 2 p.m. Sunday, then break for exams. They will play Otterbein, another Division III school, on Dec. 20.

Box score

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