Kent State Women's Basketball Opens Holiday Homestand By Hosting Canisius

First 750 fans in attendance at Sunday's game will receive a free 2011-12 team photo.



	FREE

The Kent State women's basketball team opens a two-game holiday homestand Sunday (Dec. 18) by hosting Canisius. The opening tip is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the M.A.C. Center. The first 750 fans in attendance will receive a free 2011-12 team photo. Stop by the Athletic Ticket Office in the M.A.C. Center or call (330) 672-2244 for more information.

The Golden Flashes (1-6) take aim at their second home victory in three tries this season. Kent State won its 2011-12 M.A.C. Center lid lifter, 65-64, over Morehead State on Nov. 18 courtesy of junior forward Diamon Beckford (Upper Darby, Pa.) knocking down a three pointer with five seconds remaining.

Sunday's game against the Golden Griffins will feature live stats and free live web video. The provided links will activate at the start of Sunday's game.

Sunday's contest will be aired live on both ESPN Radio 990 AM and KentStateSports.com, with Dave Wilson providing play-by-play commentary for a second straight season. Click the link above to listen live on your computer.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT

CANISIUS GOLDEN GRIFFINS (3-5 overall, 0-0 MAAC)

All-time series: Kent State leads, 2-1

Kent State Head Coach Bob Lindsay vs. Canisius: 1-1

Current Streak: W1

• The Golden Flashes and Golden Griffins face off for the second straight season and fourth time ever. Kent State edged Canisius, 60-54, in the 2010-11 season opener on Nov. 12 in Buffalo. Jamilah Humes led Kent State with 13 points, with eight coming in the second half, while classmate Stephanie Gibson had 12 points, including a pair of three-pointers. Chenel Harris rounded out Kent State's scorers in double figures with 10 points. Defensively, the Golden Flashes tallied 14 steals, as Humes, Harris and Taisja Jones had three takeaways apiece.

• Kent State won the only other meeting between the two teams at the M.A.C Center, 78-76, on Nov. 26, 1988.

• Canisius is looking to put a halt to a two-game losing streak that most recently included an 84-41 setback at No. 13/15 Ohio State on Dec. 10.

• Sophomore forward Jamie Ruttle leads the Golden Griffins with 10.3 points per game.

• Head coach Terry Zeh is in his eighth season at the helm of the Golden Griffins. Like Kent State, Canisius features zero seniors on its roster this season.

IN THE AIR TONIGHT

• Improve Kent State to 7-2 all-time against programs out of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

• Improve Kent State’s all-time record in the month of December to 116-104. Kent State went 4-2 in the final month of the calendar year in 2010-11 and has won three of its last four December games.

• Improve Kent State’s all-time record in games played on Dec. 18 to 4-4 and be the second straight victory on the 13th-to-last day of the calendar year. The Golden Flashes downed Northern Arizona, 76-53, in 2007.

WE LOVE FREE STUFF

The Golden Flashes are currently 10th in the country in free-throw percentage, converting at an 78.8% rate from the charity stripe to rank first in the Mid-American Conference. Junior center Leslie Schaefer (Verona, Wis.) ranks third in the conference in freebie shots with an 87.5% success rate.

FLASH BACK: DEC. 6 AT TEMPLE

Kent State fell to Temple, 68-33, in non-conference action at the Liacouras Center.

Freshman guard Itziar Llobet (Sant Cugat de Valles, Spain) led the Golden Flashes with 13 points, reaching double figures for the fourth time in the last five games. She also added a team-high three steals and a block on the defensive end. Playing in front of her hometown crowd and a large group of family and friends, junior forward Beckford added nine points and a team-high five rebounds (two offensive, three defensive) and three assists.

MAKING OPPONENTS ITCHY

Kent State’s opponents have an encountered an itch they just can’t scratch in 2011-12 in the form of Llobet. Known as “Itchy” by her teammates, Llobet leads the Flashes with 2.1 steals per game and 2.4 assists per game and ranking second on the squad with 9.6 points per game. Llobet got her collegiate career started by tallying in four steals at Marshall (Nov. 11). She scored 11 points in Kent State’s win over Morehead State (Nov. 18), then followed that performance up by earning a place on the All-Hilton Garden Inn Thanksgiving Classic Team, leading the Golden Flashes with 12.5 points per contest. Llobet scored a career-high 14 points in Kent State’s loss to Utah Valley State (Nov. 25). She just missed out on reaching double figures against St. Bonaventure (Nov. 30), scoring nine points in addition to posting six boards (two offensive, four defensive) and a game-high three steals. Llobet reached double figures for the fourth time in the last five games with a team-high 13 points at Temple (Dec. 6). She also added a team-high three steals and a block on the defensive end.

FLASH FORWARD

Kent State plays its second game at the friendly confines in four days, welcoming Northeastern to the M.A.C. Center Wednesday (Dec. 21). Tip time is slated for noon. Stop by the Athletic Ticket Office in the M.A.C. Center or call (330) 672-2244 for more information.