KENT, Ohio - Melissa DeGrate (Sr., Amarillo, Texas/South Plains) recorded the first double-double of her KSU career with 20 points and 10 rebounds and Lindsay Shearer (Jr., Minerva, Ohio/Minerva) scored 17 as the Kent State womens basketball team (14-8, 7-4 MAC) defeated Northern Illinois, 61-48, tonight at the M.A.C. Center. Kent State has now won six of their last eight heading into its bye weekend.
Playing with an injured left shoulder, the senior played through the pain and netted her fifth 20-point game of the season, scoring 15 of those in the second half. She also added four assists and four steals to go with her career-high 10 rebounds.
We had a pretty good defensive effort I thought for the most part, head coach Bob Lindsay said, who was honored prior to the game for his 300th career win last Saturday. We struggled a bit offensively scoring points, but defensively we were okay.
The Flashes came out somewhat sluggish in the first half as they connected on just 7-of-27 (25.9 percent) shots from the floor, 1-of-13 (7.7 percent) from three-point range and 6-of-11 from the free throw line as they trailed for the first time this season at home at the half, 25-21. Kent State went up 5-0 early on a Malika Willoughby (Jr.-R, Milwaukee, Wis./Washington) three-pointer out of the corner but quickly found themselves trailing by eight, 15-7, after the Huskies went on a 13-2 run over the next five-plus minutes.
DeGrate missed all four of her three-point shots in the first half, but made up for it with defense and free throws to keep the Flashes close.
With outside shots not falling, Kent State, the second-best three-point shooting team in the MAC, turned to its inside game in the second where Shearer scored 12 of her 17 points. The junior made only four field goals, but her aggressive play got her to free throw line where she drained 9-of-10. Mallorie Griffith (So., Lexington, Ohio/Lexington) also had another solid game for the Flashes inside with six points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals.
In the first half we were jacking up shots and not making them, Lindsay said. We went in at halftime and said, look, we cannot be doing this. We have to get the ball inside. We went back inside in the second half and that was a little more successful for us. We didnt shoot the ball well from the field but we at least we made free throws and that helped us.
We have to understand that were right in the thick of (the MAC race). We have to approach every game like its an end of the season game for us. We have five games left. We have to play with some urgency and we have to play with some purpose in practice.
The inside game in the second half opened everything else up offensively for Kent State as the Flashes outscored NIU, 17-4, in the first seven minutes to grab a nine point lead. DeGrate and Shearer combined for 11 of the 17 and the Golden Flashes began to find their groove offensively.
Two Jamie Wilson layups and one by Stephanie Raymond cut the lead to three with 11:19 left, but the Huskies came no closer the rest of the way as another 16-5 scoring run put the Flashes up by 15 with 3:02 left.
Kent State shot 80.8 percent (21-of-26) from the line, its second-best free throw shooting performance of the season.
Tiffany Kelly (Jr., Wadsworth, Ohio/Wadsworth) finished with seven points while Willoughby had five points, six assists and three takeaways.
Wilson and Kristin Wiener led the Huskies with 16 and 11, respectively. Raymond, averaging 15.0 points per coming in, was held in check by Willoughby and company with nine points but did record six assists and four steals.
The Flashes will have the weekend off before returning to the hardwood next Wednesday night at Buffalo. Game time is 7 p.m.
Game Notes: Lindsay Shearer and Bob Lindsay were honored prior to the game for Shearers 1,000th career point and Lindsays 300th career win last week ... Coach Ken Carter, the subject of the new Hollywood movie Coach Carter, was in attendance during the first half and accompanied the Flashes at their bench prior to the game ... Kent State is now 12-3 this year when scoring 60 points and 8-1 at the MAC Center ... Kent State scored 24 points off 26 NIU turnovers ... KSU has now hit at least one 3-pointer in 66-consecutive games ... Lindsay Shearer has scored in double-figures in every game this season ... Griffiths three assists tied a career-high.
