BIRMINGHAM – The Kentucky State University men's basketball season came to an end Monday as the Thorobreds fell to Paine College, 86-85, in the first round of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament in the Bill Harris Arena.

KSU had the ball with 12.6 seconds remaining and got a look in the paint, but the shot trickled off the front of the rim and time expired on the long rebound.

It was pretty much a tale of two halves as KSU shot 19 free throws in the first half and just seven in the second, while Paine shot four in the first half and 20 in the second. The foul trouble was compounded for the Thorobreds as the conference's leading scorer, Ditalion Battle (Cincinnati, OH), went to the bench for the final time with more than nine minutes remaining. Additionally, his backcourt mate, redshirt junior Felix Wilson (Lexington, KY) fouled out with more than six minutes left.

Kentucky State raced out to a nine-point lead with just seven minutes remaining in the first half, but the Lions stormed back converting nine straight baskets – including a three-pointer at the buzzer to take a one-point lead into the locker room.

As Battle started cooking, so did the Thorobreds. The senior guard scored nine of the team's 13 points, and assisted on the other two baskets, during the team's 13-3 run that gave Kentucky State an eight-point lead. It was an advantage that grew to 11 points with 10 minutes remaining.

Back-to-back fouls, the fourth for both Wilson and Battle, and with the starting backcourt relegated to bystanders – Paine scored 17 of the next 21 points and took a three-point lead.

However, back-to-back scores from senior Kevin Hayes (Detroit, MI) and David Jelks (Conyers, GA) put Kentucky State back ahead. The Thorobreds had two trips to extend the lead, and a transition lay-up from Paine with 49 seconds left put the Lions up for good.

Jelks finished with a career-high 31 points and 16 rebounds, while Hayes and senior Austin Sherrell (Detroit, MI) finished with 17 points each. Sherrell chipped in with five boards. Battle contributed 15 points, five rebounds and a team-high five assists.

Kentucky State University finishes the 2018-19 campaign at 13-14.