Robert Morris hoped it could use last night's game against Kent State to get over recent shooting woes.

The Colonials ended up turning over the game instead.

Robert Morris (4-7) committed 19 turnovers -- 12 alone in the first half -- in a 71-57 loss to Kent State (7-4) at the Sewall Center.

"You just can't turn the ball over. ... You just can't win a basketball game like that," Robert Morris coach Mike Rice said.

The Colonials' season high for turnovers is 28, which happened in the Colonials' season opener at Syracuse. Entering yesterday, the Colonials averaged 13.6 turnovers per game.

Despite its turnover problems, Robert Morris rallied and came within two points of Kent State with less than seven minutes remaining, but the Golden Flashes finished on a 20-8 run.

It was the second consecutive game in which the Colonials turned a double-digit deficit into a one-possession game only to trail away at the end of the game.

Kent State jumped out to an early lead as turnovers plagued the Colonials. Robert Morris' first six possessions ended in turnovers, and the Colonials did not attempt a shot until 16:42 remained in the first half.

By the time the Golden Flashes committed their first turnover, Kent State had a 14-4 lead and Robert Morris already had turned over the ball eight times.

The Colonials committed 10 turnovers in the first 10 minutes of the game as the Golden Flashes built a 13-point lead.

But Kent State's poor shooting kept the deficit manageable for Robert Morris. The Golden Flashes launched several airballs and shot 25 percent in the first half (7 for 28) and had six more field-goal attempts than the Colonials.

The Golden Flashes led, 33-26, at halftime.

Kent State's inability to build a sizeable lead proved costly early in the second half. The Colonials rallied to trail by two points, 37-35, with 16:49 left.

But the Colonials returned to their sloppy ways, committing four turnovers in a four-minute span and allowing Kent State to stretch its lead to eight points.

The Colonials crawled back to within two again at 51-49, but Kent State went on a 12-0 run to put the Colonials away for good.

Kent State forward Justin Greene led all scorers with 21 points, and guard Karon Abraham led the Colonials with 13 points. Robert Morris was playing without senior forward Rob Robinson, who was serving a one-game suspension for "conduct detrimental to the team," Rice said.

The Colonials' next game is Dec. 30 at Youngstown State.

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