Kent State University
6-6, 0-0
Central Michigan University
8-4, 0-0
Flashes Drop Conference Opener 91-78 to Central Michigan
12/31/2016 3:40:00 PM | Women's Basketball
KENT, Ohio – Kent State (6-7. 0-1) rallied in the third quarter but ultimately fell short in a 91-78 loss to preseason favorite Central Michigan (9-4, 1-0) in the 2016-17 Mid-American Conference season opener Saturday afternoon.
Kent State broke a 5-5 tie to start the game as Larissa Lurken sunk two free throws but Central Michigan sunk shots from beyond the arc to get ahead. The Flashes were able to keep it close with a three of their own from McKenna Stephens and a nice jump shot from Jordan Korinek. However, five shots from beyond the arc for the Chippewas allowed them to lead 22-14 at the end of the first quarter.
Lurken opened the second quarter with a three from the left but Central Michigan was able to grow its lead to as high as 13 points. Kent State silenced that with a 9-0 run as they made up some room to trail 40-33 at halftime.
13 Chippewa points came as second chance points as half of their 24 rebounds in the first half came on the offensive end.
The Golden Flashes had a nice start to the third quarter as Stephens made back-to-back shots before Korinek took a charge to put the ball back into the home team's hands. Alexa Golden then was good on a three to make it just a three-point game, 43-40.
Lurken tied the game shortly after from another shot from deep to force a CMU timeout and make it a 10-0 KSU run. The Chippewas were able to answer out of the break and slip ahead by six before another three, this time from Stephens, closed the gap to 49-46 halfway through the third quarter.
In the final minutes of the third, Central Michigan was able to get a 9-0 run going before it came to an end on an old-fashioned three-point play from Lurken. The senior then did some work on the baseline to earn another trip to the line and put three different Chippewas into trouble with four fouls each.
The pace of the game picked up in the fourth quarter as both teams seemed to race back and forth on the court. Golden connected on a three to make it a 77-64 game with four minutes to go. The Flashes weren't able to get much closer, as free throws down the stretch solidified the 13-point win for the Chippewas.
Both teams had decent numbers on offense to make the game competitive, but the biggest difference was Central Michigan's 12 threes (eight alone from last year's MAC Freshman of the Year) compared to eight from the Flashes. The Chippewas also outrebounded 40-31 and scored 42 of their points from the paint.
Lurken exceeded her season average with 29 points. Korinek finished with 18 while Stephens and Megan Carter scored ten each. Stephens led the team in rebounds with eight.
Kent State will now hit the road to take on Ball State Wednesday and Eastern Michigan next Saturday before returning home on Wednesday, January 11.
