DeKALB — The men’s basketball team didn’t get enough stops against Kent State to capitalize off its offensive surge in the final 10 minutes of the game, losing to the Golden Flashes 78-68 for its first back-to-back losses of the season Saturday.

Both teams stumbled out of the gates offensively. Senior forward Levi Bradley tied the game at two with 15:59 left in the first half with a layup assisted by junior guard Eugene German. The Huskies and Golden Flashes combined to miss eight of their first 10 field goal attempts.

NIU capitalized off six consecutive Kent State missed field goal attempts by going on an 11-0 run to take a 19-11 advantage with 6:40 left in the half for its largest lead of the contest. NIU went into halftime with a two-point lead.

Head Coach Mark Montgomery said he was happy with how the Huskies started the game despite the team’s eight first-half turnovers preventing them from having a bigger lead.

“[We] controlled the tempo, had an eight-point lead and went into halftime with a two-point lead,” Montgomery said. “Our defense and rebounding was good in the first half. We were getting the looks we wanted. [The] second half kind of let us down.”

After scoring 30 points with a 45 percent shooting clip in the first half, the Huskies offense stuttered.

They tallied six points on 1-10 shooting, including 0-5 from beyond the arc to go along with three turnovers during the first nine minutes of the second half.

NIU’s offensive struggles compounded with Kent State finding its offensive rhythm, helping the Golden Flashes go on a 21-6 run to open the second half.

Kent State turned a 30-28 halftime deficit into a 49-36 advantage with 11:02 left in the game. The Golden Flashes made 8 of 14 shooting from the field, including shooting 3 of 7 on 3-pointers.

Montgomery said the team struggled to hit shots consistently after the break.

“[In the] second half, we couldn’t find our offensive rhythm, and we didn’t get enough stops,” Montgomery said. “No matter what people say, it’s a make or miss game. I credit to Kent State; we just couldn’t slow them down.”

The Huskies scored six unanswered points to reduce their deficit to 49-42 after German and senior forward Lacey James each made a layup and free throw.

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The Golden Flashes made their next four field goals to take a 59-44 advantage for their largest lead of the contest. Both teams went on a scoring binge to close out the game.

NIU outscored Kent State 24-19 in the final 5:14; both teams shot over 66 percent from the field.

The Huskies then shot 4-5 from 3-point territory during the stretch after shooting 1-15 from beyond the arc in the first 36:33 of the game.

German scored 13 of his 22 points during the last five minutes of the game. He struggled early, making two of his nine field goal attempts before closing out the game on 6-7 shooting.

Montgomery said the Golden Flashes did all they could to contain German, and the Huskies failed to get consistant stops on defense.

“They were doubling and hedging high on the ball screens on German,” Montgomery said. “We had some open shots and layups we usually make, but they didn’t go in. You have to make a few shots, especially on the road, to help your chances. We never got three consecutive stops in the second half where we could get out in transition.”

NIU shot 40.7 percent from the field in the second half. James recorded his fifth career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.Senior forward Levi Bradley scored 12 points, and senior guard Dante Thorpe tallied 10.

The Golden Flashes shot 59.3 percent from the field in the second half. Kent State senior guard Jaylin Walker scored a game-high 31 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

Montgomery said the Golden Flashes’ ability to finish and fight for all rebounds helped them pick up the win.

“[Kent State] got out in transition and got some easy ones,” Montgomery said. “They got a couple tips for second-chance points. The bench came in and gave them a spark. They got us in a few isolation plays where Walker finished possessions. He’s prolific, and the 31 points kind of carried them.”

The Huskies will host the Buffalo Bulls at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Convocation Center. It will be the sixth conference games for NIU on the season.

Montgomery said the game against Buffalo will be a rare oppurtunity for the Huskies to compete against a ranked opponent.

“Big game on Tuesday night; we got a top-20 team coming in,” Montgomery said. “It should be a special night. [We] just got to be ready to play.”