The Kent State Golden Flashes can say they made the Final 34, but after Friday night’s 97-80 loss to the UCLA Bruins, they cannot say they made the Elite Eight as they did 15 years ago.
The first half of the final tip-off in the first round saw the Flashes come out ice cold. A pair of 8-0 Bruin runs sandwiched a single Jimmy Hall lay-up, as UCLA jumped out to a 16-2 lead right off the bat. After Hall and Jaylin Walker were able to find their stroke to help claw the Flashes back to within single digits, the Bruins again went a run - this time a 10-2 margin - to extend their lead to a half-high 17 points.