Kent State University
3-4
Florida Gulf Coast University
2-5
Kent State Shuts Down FGCU 77-64
11/27/2016 2:14:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ESTERO, Fla. – A well-rounded effort led Kent State (3-4) to a 77-64 victory against Florida Gulf Coast (2-5) in the Flashes' final contest at the Gulf Coast Showcase on Sunday afternoon.
"We were fortunate to contest enough shots and get enough rebounds," Head Coach Todd Starkey said. "That's a really good Florida Gulf Coast team that went 33-6 last year. It was a really good team effort for us and we are really pleased to be leaving this tournament with a win in such a talented field."
The Eagles opened up the game with a three, but the Flashes made good on four straight shots, including two threes of their own, to have a 12-7 lead at the first media break of the day.
Kent State's defense started off strong once again as they kept FGCU off its game, holding them to just a 1-of-9 success rate from three-point range at the onset. That helped Kent State hold a 21-14 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Golden Flashes continued to make shots and hold FGCU off its mark as the Eagles missed nine-straight shots and committed three turnovers over more than a seven-minute span in the second. The Flashes put together a 12-0 to extend their lead in that time. At the half, it was a 41-22 game.
The third quarter was evenly matched with each team scoring 16 points. That allowed Kent State to remain ahead 57-38 despite FGCU starting to sink some of its trademark threes during the period. They would attempt 43 shots from deep in the game.
The Eagles got some rhythm back as they connected on three from deep to start the final quarter, but Larissa Lurken hit a three and Jordan Korinek grabbed her own rebound and made her second shot to silence the run. Down just nine points, the Eagles were forced to quickly fire up threes and foul in the final minutes. Luckily, they were not able to get enough shots to fall while Naddiyah Cross made five free throws in the final minute to help the Flashes get the 77-64 victory.
Kent State dominated the board with 47 rebounds compared to FGCU's 26. The Flashes also outscored the Eagles 32-18 in the paint.
Four Golden Flashes reached double-digits in scoring, led by a double-double from Lurken who had 24 points and 13 rebounds. Korinek finished with 16 while Naddiyah Cross had 11 and Chelsi Watson ten.
Kent State will return home to host Fort Wayne on Wednesday in a 7 p.m. game at the M.A.C. Center.
