TOLEDO, Ohio - Melissa DeGrate (Sr., Amarillo, Texas, South Plains) led all scorers with a career-high 27 points as the Kent State womens basketball team (16-8, 9-4 MAC East) defeated the Toledo Rockets (12-12, 8-5 MAC West), 60-51, today in front of 2,230 fans at Savage Hall.
Kent State has now won a season-best four straight games and six of their last seven heading into the final three games of the regular season.
The Flashes turned in yet another superb defensive performance, holding the Rockets to 51 points and marking the 15th time this season Kent State has held an opponent under 60 points. Toledo had no match for Kent States quickness on the perimeter as the Golden Flashes turned 23 UT turnovers into 26 points while recording 11 steals.
The Flashes, who are now 14-3 this season when they score at least 60 points and 13-3 when bettering their opponent on the boards, have given up an average of just 42 points over the current four-game winning streak.
DeGrate was 10-of-15 from the floor with four long-range bombs and added seven rebounds, tied a career-high with five steals and three assists.
A layup by Toledos Karin Hoogendam gave the Rockets a 9-5 lead early in the first period. Kent State then regained the lead with a Mallorie Griffith (So., Lexington, Ohio/Lexington) layup and DeGrate three-pointer to take a 10-9 lead with 13:29 remaining. Both teams would trade baskets over the next several minutes until the Flashes broke a 22-22 tie with a 10-0 scoring spurt over the last 2:27 of the first half.
DeGrate surpassed her scoring average in the first half with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting.
The Flashes kept the pressure on the Rockets into the second half as they built a 41-26 lead six minutes in. The Flashes led by as much as 16 points when Lakia Stewart (So., Philadelphia, Pa./Central) found Griffith underneath for layup with just under six minutes to go.
But the Rockets would make things interesting in the final minutes as Danielle Bishops three-pointer on UTs next possession sparked an 11-2 run by Toledo, cutting the lead to seven, 53-46. Stewart then put Kent State back out in front by 10 with an old-fashioned three-point play with 2:09 left.
Toledo would come within five on a Terry Olivia three-pointer with 33 seconds left, but two free throws each from Malika Willoughby (Jr.-R, Milwaukee, Wis./Washington) and DeGrate sealed it for Kent State who face the Ohio Bobcats at 7 p.m. next Wednesday at home.
Griffith and Stewart were big today off the bench, combining for 16 points, 15 boards and eight assists. Griffith finished with nine points, seven rebounds two assists and a block while Stewart grabbed eight boards to go with seven points and a career-high six assists. Willoughby finished with eight points, three assists and three steals.
Lindsay Shearer (Jr., Minerva, Ohio/Minerva), bothered by foul trouble in the second half, failed to reach double figures in scoring for the first time this season, finishing with four points on the afternoon.
Hoogendam led Toledo with 17 points and nine boards while Crystal Young added 10.
