Kent State University
4-15, 1-8
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Western Michigan University
13-8, 5-4
Early Lead Lost in 65-53 Defeat
1/30/2016 4:39:00 PM | Women's Basketball
KENT, Ohio – Kent State (4-15, 1-8) could not maintain its halftime lead Saturday afternoon, losing 65-53 to Western Michigan (13-8, 5-4) at the M.A.C. Center.
The first quarter was evenly matched, with the Golden Flashes taking their first lead at the 8-7 mark on a shot from Jordan Korinek. The team shot an impressive 61.5% in the opening ten minutes to lead the Broncos 17-15 at the end of the first.
19 combined points from Korinek and Larissa Lurken helped lead Kent State to a 31-29 halftime advantage, as the game sustained it's back-and-forth momentum through the second quarter with neither team able to gain much ground.
Western Michigan went on a 5-0 run to start the third quarter to gain a 33-31 lead, its first lead since 4:26 in the first quarter.
With the seconds winding down in the third, Paige Salisbury grabbed a steal and Alexa Golden sunk a jumper just before the buzzer to make it a 44-39 game, WMU with the slight edge.
After a lengthy injury delay in the fourth Western Michigan extended to its biggest lead of the day at 49-40 with 6:30 left to play. The deficit grew to as much as 17 points in the 4th quarter, proving too much for Kent State to overcome.
The rebound margin was close, with the Flashes coming down with 31 and the Broncos 32. The Kent State defense came up with seven steals in the game and had ten more points in the paint than the visitors.
Korinek led in scoring with 18 points. Lurken had 11 points with nine rebounds.
The Golden Flashes head to Miami on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. contest.
