Written by Rich Swerbinsky

---

Pitt Shoots 67.4% From Field En Route To 79-64 Romp

There will be no MAC Magic this year in the NCAA Tournament, as the Kent State Golden Flashes fell in round one to a red-hot Pitt Panthers team.

The Panthers made 14 of their first 18 shots, racing to a 34-14 lead. Kent made a couple different runs at the Panthers, trimming the deficit to nine on two different occassions, but could never get any closer than that. Every time the Flashes started to gain momentum, it was halted by a big three from Pitt guards Carl Krauser or Ronald Ramon ... or a bucket down low from center Aaron Gray, who was too much for Kent to handle. Gray ended with 17 points and 13 rebounds, and did not miss a shot all night, going 6-6 from the floor and 5-5 from the line.

Senior Kevin Warzynski led the Flashes with 15 points in the final game of his college career. The loss also meant this was the final game for fellow seniors Jay Youngblood, DeAndre Haynes, and Nate Gerwig.

Despite the final count, it was a spirited effort from Kent, who played pretty well overall. They just ran into a buzzsaw in the Panthers, who could not miss from the field, and have a big man in Aaron Gray unlike anything Kent has seen this season.