Kent State University
Eastern Michigan University
Solid Shooting Performance Earns 83-65 Victory for Women's Basketball
2/8/2017 9:57:00 PM | Women's Basketball
KENT, Ohio – Kent State (13-11, 7-5) sunk half its attempts on Wednesday night to earn an 83-65 victory over Eastern Michigan (6-17, 1-10). The trio of Jordan Korinek, Larissa Lurken and McKenna Stephens all recorded career marks while accounting for 68 of the team's points.
After the Eagles scored the opening bucket, the Flashes scored seven-straight to take the lead. But, Eastern Michigan strung together a 6-0 run to turn the game into a back-and-forth opening quarter. The Flashes led by one after ten minutes played.
Kent State was able to keep its advantage in the second, thanks to some good work from Korinek. She hit two shots at the line, sunk a jumper just inside the perimeter and then drained a three to make it a 30-23 lead, the largest of the game up to that point. Lurken fed Korinek right under the basket for a layup at the buzzer as the Flashes led the Eagles 34-26 at the break. Korinek had 18 points at the midway point while no other teammate had more than five.
Korinek and Lurken each found an early bucket to give Kent State a ten-point lead as the third quarter was not even two minutes old. A Stephens three added to that and forced a Eastern Michigan timeout.
With less than two minutes to go in the third the Eagles were able to work their way back in and bring the deficit back to single digits. Alexa Golden went to the foul line with thirty seconds left and increased the lead to 59-48. That would be the score with ten minutes left to play.
Those two free throws helped ignite a 13-0 run into the fourth quarter that forced an EMU timeout once KSU's lead got up to twenty. After that, the Eagles would not get any closer than 17 points away from the lead as the Golden Flashes continued to hit shots down the stretch for the victory. They made eight of their 12 baskets from the floor in the final ten minutes while hitting three threes in four attempts and five of six from the line to close out the game.
Kent State finished hitting thirty shots on the night in double the attempts and made more than half their shots from beyond the arc. The Flashes grabbed seven more rebounds than the Eagles.
Korinek matched her career high in scoring with 28 points while adding in ten rebounds for another double-double on the season. Lurken added in 22 points with eight rebounds, three steals and a career-high eight assists. Stephens was a point shy of her career scoring mark with 18 points.
The Crystal Clinic Wagon Wheel Challenge returns to the hardwood in Kent State's next outing as the Flashes will travel over to Akron for a 2 p.m. game on Saturday.
