MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - The Kent State University womens basketball team fell, 58-52, tonight to the Chippewas of Central Michigan at Rose Arena in Mount Pleasant. Lindsay Shearer (Jr., Minerva, Ohio/Minerva), the MACs leading scorer coming into the game, recorded her second double-double in as many games with 18 points and 10 rebounds, but it wasnt enough as the Golden Flashes fall to 1-2 in the MAC and 8-6 overall.
Tied at 50, the Chippewas went on an 8-2 run in the final 4:19 of the game to seal the win with two baskets coming from Dana Westover who led Central Michigan with 14 points. Kent State could not overcome the Chippewas (7-7, 1-2 MAC) hot shooting as they connected on 50 percent from the field overall.
First half problems plagued the Golden Flashes once again, trailing by as much as 14 points before a small run towards the end cut the lead to 31-24 at the break. Central Michigan shot 48 percent in the first half and forced nine Golden Flash turnovers.
Kent State took its first lead at 36-35 when Melissa DeGrate (Sr., Amarillo, Texas, South Plains) found Shearer sealing her defender underneath for a layup to cap a 12-4 scoring run to open the second half.
DeGrates layup at the seven-minute mark gave Kent State its biggest lead, 46-41, before Central Michigan hit three-consecutive shots to regain the lead by one with a little over five minutes remaining.
Kent State made just one trip to the free throw line in the second half and five for the game compared to 14 attempts for CMU.
Central Michigan featured a balanced scoring attack with eight of the nine players finding the scoring column.
DeGrate finished with 14 points and nine rebounds and connected on two more from downtown. Mallorie Griffith (So., Lexington, Ohio/Lexington) and Malika Willoughby (Jr.-R, Milwaukee, Wis./Washington) each had six.
Kent State will return home to the friendly confines of the M.A.C. Center this Saturday night, Jan. 15 when the play host to crosstown rival Akron at 7 p.m. The game will be televised live on Time Warner Cable (channel 23) with Tom Linder and Jennifer Kulics calling the action.
