Kent State University
4-3
Memphis
1-6
Kent State Uses Big Fourth Quarter to Topple Memphis, 70-55
11/25/2017 8:51:00 PM | Women's Basketball
LAS VEGAS – Kent State dominated the fourth quarter of a 70-55 victory over Memphis in the 2017 Play4Kay Showcase seventh-place game on Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
Tied 50-50 after three quarters, the Golden Flashes (4-3) outscored the Tigers 20-5 over the final 10 minutes to complete the come-from-behind victory. Memphis took its largest lead of the game, 41-30, at the 6:51 mark of the third quarter before the Flashes closed the game on a 40-14 run.
"This was a great team effort and win over a good Memphis program," said Kent State head coach Todd Starkey. "The biggest thing we wanted from the team today was to be relentless from start to finish —to not have any mental or physical letdowns. Everybody is tired on the third day. We told the team that the mentally and physically tougher team from start to finish is going to win the ball game, and I think we proved that."
Kent State played stifling defense to force six turnovers and hold the Tigers to just 2-for-13 (.133) shooting in the fourth quarter. After attempting just nine free throws over the first three quarters, Kent State made 13 of 15 tries at the charity stripe in the final period. Senior Naddiyah Cross, who played the entire 40 minutes and logged 108 minutes over the past three days, helped put the game away with seven points and four rebounds in the fourth.
"We went with more size in the fourth quarter with Merissa [Barber-Smith] and Jordan [Korinek] in together," noted Starkey. "I thought they did a great job of talking on ball screen defense, and then we limited them to one shot. Overall, our defensive effort as a team was really, really good."
Cross finished with 13 points and pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds to record her first double-double in a Kent State uniform. She also recorded five assists and two steals while turning the ball over just once.
"I didn't realize I played the whole game until they told me. I just work on playing until I get pulled out and playing as hard as I can while I'm in there," Cross said. "Today my job was just to go in and try to get a lot of defensive rebounds to help out our bigs."
Senior Jordan Korinek scored a game-high 25 points on 9-for-13 from the floor and 6-for-7 at the foul line. Korinek now has four 20-point games this season and 16 in her career.
Junior Alexa Golden played her usual solid all-around game and totaled nine points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists. Golden drained both of her three-point attempts and kept possessions alive with four offensive rebounds. Her stellar defensive play on Memphis' Brea Elmore helped hold the guard to just six points on 13 shot attempts in the second half after going off for 13 points in the first half.
Kent State won the bench scoring battle by a slim 8-5 margin but received quality minutes from junior Merissa Barber-Smith and freshman Kasey Toles. Barber-Smith contributed five points and four rebounds in only 10 minutes of action, while Toles had three points and four rebounds in 20 minutes, all career-high marks. Her three-point field goal on the opening possession of the fourth quarter put Kent State ahead for good.
"Merissa and Kasey really gave us a spark," Starkey said. "Kasey played much more composed, much more under control and hit a big three for us. But defensively and rebounding wise, she did a great job. Merissa did a great job of contesting a lot of shots and keeping them off the offensive glass."
The Flashes entered the game ranked third in the country in free throws made and attempted, and were once again successful at getting to the charity stripe often. Kent State shot 19-for-24 (.792) in the contest compared to Memphis making only five of six attempts.
Kent State opens its home schedule against Detroit Mercy on Thursday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. This will be Kent State's first women's basketball game as part of its ESPN3 broadcast schedule.
