Walker, De La Rosa lead Kent St. over Youngstown St. 111-78

Nov 12, 2017, 05:04 am

AKRON, Ohio -- Jaylin Walker and Adonis De La Rosa scored 20 points apiece as Kent State beat Youngstown State 111-78 in a season opener for both teams Saturday night.

Jalen Avery added 14 points with eight rebounds and five assists for Golden Flashes. Danny Pippen had 13 points and eight rebounds and Desmond Ridenour chipped in 12 points. Kent State averaged 55 percent shooting overall -- compared to 38 percent for YSU -- and had a 57-41 rebounding edge.

Kent State had a 46-41 edge at the break but pulled away in the second half on a 16-8 run capped by a Pippen dunk to take a 62-49 lead early in the period. Later, Walker, De La Rosa, Avery and Taishaun Johnson contributed to a 9-2 run that extended the Golden Flashes lead to 84-55 with 9:08 to play and they cruised from there.

Cameron Morse finished with 19 points, three rebounds, four assist and three steals for the Penguins.