Kent State University
Niagara University
Kent State Hopes to Stay Hot to Start Homestand
12/3/2013 5:51:00 PM | Women's Basketball
AUDIO
VIDEO
LIVE STATS
THE GAME
Kent State (2-5) will aim towards a winning streak as they host Niagara (1-4) at 5:00pm in the M.A.C. Center Wednesday night (Dec. 4).
The game is part of a doubleheader with the men's team, as they host Bucknell following the women's game at 7:00pm. Fans who purchase a ticket to the women's game are allowed to stay for the men's game and move to general admission seating.
The Golden Flashes are coming off a 54-52 victory against Stephen F. Austin that closed out the David Jones Memorial Classic in Houston this past weekend. The second win for the program marks the fastest the team has secured their second win in the past three seasons. Both CiCi Shannon and Larissa Lurken were named to the All-Tournament Team after helping the earn a 1-1 record. Kent State was the only school with more than one player on the five-man All-Tournament team.
The Golden Flashes currently rank fifth in the Mid-American Conference in free throw percentage. Defensively, they lead the conference in blocked shots and are fourth in steals. CiCi Shannon is the conference leader in blocks per game with 2.4 and also ranks 22nd nationally in the same category. Mikell Chinn is leading the MAC with a 94% free throw percentage.
Last year's meeting with Niagara was the first for Kent State women's basketball. The Golden Flashes lost 55-82 in the game in Niagara Falls. A 25% shooting performance in the second half and 25 turnovers that resulted in 34 Purple Eagle points plagued the Golden Flashes in the contest.
This season, Niagara is 1-4, with a win at home against Binghamton and losses to Lehigh, Bowling Green, St. Bonnaventure and Oakland. The Purple Eagles are led by scoring leader Meghan McGuinness, who is averaging 13.4 per game. No one on the team is averaging more than 5 rebounds a game. McGuinness has already made 17 three-point shots this season, shooting 49% from beyond the arc.
LIVE STATS
Live stats will be available at sidearmstats.com/kent/wbball.
TV / RADIO
Dave Wilson will have the call on Golden Flashes Radio on iHeart Radio and 640AM WHLO. A live video stream will be available at mac-sports.com
UP NEXT
Kent State remains at home on Sunday, December 8th as they host Georgia State at noon.
THE MATCHUP: NIAGARA
• The meeting came last season, when the Purple Eagles won 82-55 on December 1 in Niagara Falls.
• In that game, the Golden Flashes were plagued by a 25% shooting performance in the second half and committed 25 turnovers. The Purple Eagles were able to score 34 points off those turnovers.
IN A FLASH
• The Golden Flashes have secured two wins faster this season than the last two.
• Last year, their second win came on January 2; their first came on December 6.
• During the 2011-2012 season, the team did not record their second win until January 7th.
ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM
• Kent State is coming off a 1-1 weekend at the David Jones Memorial Classic in Houston where CiCi Shannon and Larissa Lurken were named to the All-Tournament Team.
• Shannon averaged 13 points in the two games with 5.5 rebounds and seven total blocks.
• Lurken averaged 10.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2 assists and totaled two steals.
NATIONAL RANKS
• Besides being the Mid-American Conference leader in blocked shots, CiCi Shannon is ranked 22nd in NCAA Division I basketball in the same category.
• She is averaging 2.7 per game.
FRESHMAN PHENOM
• Larissa Lurken currently leads the team in points per game with 11.3.
• The true freshman has started all seven of Kent State's games this season.
• She also has nine assists, three blocks and eight steals.
• Lurken has also begun to establish herself as the premier free-throw shooter, as she has made 31 of her 35 attempts so far this season.
STEPPING UP
• Mikell Chinn has stepped up Kent State's game as a starter the past five games.
• She currently leads the team with 16 assists and 13 steals.
• Chinn has also found success at the line, sinking 17 of her 18 free-throws.
