Kent State rallies from 18 down, tops 1st-place Buffalo

Jan 31, 2019, 10:39 am

KENT, Ohio -- Danny Pippen scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, Adonis De La Rosa had 20 points, six boards and five assists and Kent State completed an 18-point comeback to beat first-place Buffalo 82-79 on Tuesday night.

Kent State guard Jaylin Walker spun to split two defenders and hit a floater to tie it at 77 with 1:27 to go and Pippen made a layup with 37 seconds left to give the Golden Flashes their first lead since 2-0.

Buffalo's CJ Massinburg missed an open 3-pointer with eight seconds left and Jalen Avery was fouled after grabbing the defensive rebound. Buffalo's Nick Perkins grabbed Avery's jersey on the play and Kent State's Walker pushed Perkins. After an official review, Walker and Perkins were both ejected from the game.

Avery made two free throws to make it 82-77.

Avery finished with 14 points and six assists for Kent State (12-10, 6-3 Mid-American).

Jeremy Harris led Buffalo (16-6, 8-1), which saw a nine-game winning streak end, with four 3-pointers and 20 points. Buffalo still boasts the best record in the MAC after Toledo (7-2) lost to Ball State on Tuesday.