Women's Hoops Returns Home to Face Ball State
2/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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KENT, Ohio --After suffering its second straight loss on the road and having its two-game winning streak stopped Saturday afternoon, the Kent State University womens basketball team returns home to the friendly confines of the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center to host Ball State University in a Mid-American Conference cross-divisional game.
QUICK FLASHES
Both the Golden Flashes and Cardinals have identical 13-7 overall and 6-3 MAC records and both are in second place in their respective divisions.
The Flashes are 8-1 here at home this season but fell to 3-5 on the road at with a 69-63 loss at surging Western Michigan University Saturday (Feb. 4).
Ball State won its third straight game on Saturday, picking up a 70-56 victory at home over Buffalo. The Cardinals are 6-5 on the year away from Worthen Arena.
Kent State has not lost at home to Ball State since 1990. The Cardinals have won only one other time in Kent (1984).
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Radio: WHLO AM-640 (Tom Linder, play-by-play). Also simulcast live at www.oldfiles via TEAMLINE.
TV: TV-2
Livestats: Available for all home games online at wwww.oldfiles (click on live stats link inside information center)
UP NEXT
The Golden Flashes play their final cross-divisional game on Saturday, Feb. 11, at Northern Illinois. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. CT.
SCOUTING KENT STATE
The Flashes are 4-2 overall in their last six games and rank among the top defensive teams in the league. Kent State leads the league in turnovers forced and steals and ranks in the top four in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense. The Flashes also have the third highest scoring offense in the league, despite having the MACs second lowest field goal percentage. Individually, senior MAC Player of the Year and All-America candidate Lindsay Shearer tops the league in scoring at 19.8 points per game and also leads the team in rebounding (7.0) and all four shooting categories. She also is the top free throw shooter in the league (88.0%).
Last years MAC Defensive Player of the Year Malika Willoughby (6.0 ppg.) tops the conference in steals (63) and assists (107). Junior guard Sarah Burgess is second in scoring at 10.2 ppg. and adds 3.9 rpg., and has double figures in four of the last five games. Off the bench, junior forward Lakia Stewart is third in scoring at 7.8 ppg. and second with 5.8 rpg.
The Flashes have also been getting solid contributions from starters Kerrie James (6.0 ppg., 29 assists) and Mallorie Griffith (4.3 ppg., 4.0 rpg.) and reserve Rachel Bennett (6.3 ppg., 22 threes). Junior center Tiffany LaFleur ranks among the MAC leaders with 21 blocked shots.
Head Coach Bob Lindsay, now in his 17th year at the helm at Kent State, is the winningest coach in MAC womens basketball history with a 321-168 record. (More info. on Lindsay on Page 9)
LAST TIME OUT FOR KENT STATE: Ball State 75, Kent State 70 (Jan. 22, 2005)
Kent State blew a 17-point second half lead and a huge game from Julie DeMuth led the Cardinals to the come-from-behind win. DeMuth scored 27 points and grabbed 18-rebounds and MAC Player of the Year Kate Endress scored 13 of her 16 points in the second half. Lindsay Shearer led four Flashes in double figures with 16 points and Malika Willoughby had a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists, just missing a triple-double by two rebounds, in the loss. Kacie Vavrek scored 13 points and Tiffany LaFleur added a career-high 12 for KSU.
