Flashes Sink Navy for First Victory
11/24/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Fort Collins, Colo.
- Behind its strongest defensive performance of the season, Kent State picked up its first victory against Navy, a 53-47 triumph Saturday night (Nov. 24) at Moby Arena in the Coors Rocky Mountain Invitational's consolation game. The Golden Flashes (1-4) forced 26 Navy turnovers and held the Mids to just 2-of-15 shooting from behind the arc.
Leading the Golden Flashes in scoring was junior all-tournament team selection Anna Kowalska (Chicago, Ill./ John Logan College) with 18 points, including 10 in the second half. Adding 12 rebounds, Kowalska tallied a double-double for the second time this season and scored in double figures for the third contest.
On her play in the second half, Head Coach Bob Lindsay commented, "Anna did step up and make some free throws (6-6 from the line in the second half) fortunately for us because some other kids were missing them. I thought overall Anna made some big shots for us in the second half and gave us the ability to hold the lead."
Also for Kent State (1-4), junior Asheley Harkins (Saginaw, Mich./ Arthur Hill) and freshman Stephanie Gibson (North Canton, Ohio/ Hoover) chipped in with seven points each. Freshman Chenel Harris (Mississauga, Ontario/ Father Goetz) and Harkins both pulled down four rebounds apiece.
For Navy (2-6), K.C. Gordon came off the bench for 13 points and five rebounds. Cassie Consedine scored six points in the first half, but was held to two in the second as she was playing with foul trouble. Morgan Hill also grabbed five rebounds.
Navy opened the game with a three-pointer by Angela Myers, but she was answered with a lay-up by junior Alisa Brinkman (Rolfe, Iowa/ Des Moines Area Community College). After Navy pushed the lead to 6-4 at the 14:10 mark, Harkins and Gibson drained threes with the shot clock winding down to give Kent State a 10-8 lead with 11:40 left in the half.
The teams traded baskets for the next six minutes until Kowalska made a layup and put the Golden Flashes up 19-14 with 5:12 remaining in the half. Two Navy layups would cut the lead to one, but an old-fashion three-point play by freshman Ellie Shields (Warren, Ohio/ Howland) pushed the KSU lead back up to four.
Whitney Davidson cut the deficit in half for the Mids with a jumper, but Kent State answered with a 5-0 run to take its biggest lead of the half into intermission.
Kent State held Navy at arm's length for most of the second half. When the Mids pulled within four at 42-38 with 7:26 remaining, the Golden Flashes answered with a 5-0 run of their own. First, Kowalska hit two free throws and then Gibson added a critical three with the shot clock winding down.
Kent State pushed the lead to 53-42 on two Harkins free throws with 1:29 remaining, but Navy would not quit. The Mids hit a three-pointer and free throws, but it was too little too late as the Golden Flashes pulled out the six-point win.
"We made some plays at crucial times in the game to keep the lead and never gave up the lead," Lindsay said. "It is a credit to the players that stepped up and made some big plays when they had to. That is really the name of the game. They did make some runs at us and we were able to finish them up."
The Golden Flashes return home and take a week off from competition before hosting Vermont Saturday, Dec. 1 at the M.A.C.Center. The Catamounts defeated KSU 91-73 last season in Burlington.
