Kent State University
Ball State
Flashes Host Ball State Saturday Afternoon
1/20/2018 12:40:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Game Notes     Video    Audio    Live Stats
Kent State hopes that a return to the M.A.C. Center on Saturday and the support of the home crowd will be to its benefit when it hosts Ball State at 2 p.m.
The Golden Flashes (9-9, 2-4 MAC) have dropped back-to-back games, both on the road, and are just 1-4 since the calendar changed to 2018. The lone victory was against Eastern Michigan, 76-69, inside of the M.A.C. Center on Jan. 10. Kent State's four losses during the stretch have been by an average of just 5.25 points.
The Flashes followed their best offensive performance of the season last Saturday at Central Michigan with one of its worst in a 60-50 loss at Bowling Green on Wednesday. Kent State scored its fewest points in conference play and had their worst shooting performances from the floor (17-for-50; .350) and beyond the three-point arc (3-for-19; .158). After scoring the first six points of the fourth period to take a four-point lead, the Flashes were outscored 20-6 over the final 7:47. Ali Poole led all scorers with 17 points and Megan Carter added 12 points off the bench. Kent State held a decisive 45-30 edge on the glass, as McKenna Stephens pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds and Jordan Korinek added nine boards.
The Flashes have found success when they have been able to get to the free throw line. Kent State is No. 12 in the country in free throws made (289) and No. 28 in free throw attempts (389) for a 74.3 percentage that is third in the conference. Kent State's +5.6 rebounding margin is second in the MAC with seven games in which it has outrebounded its opponent by double-digits.
Senior Jordan Korinek is the conference's third-leading scorer (19.6 ppg) and adds 6.4 rebounds per game. The All-MAC forward ranks fourth nationally in free throws made (112) and seventh in free throw attempts (136).
Graduate student McKenna Stephens (10.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg) provides a versatile frontcourt presence as Kent State's leading rebounder and second on the team in three-pointers (20).
The starting backcourt of senior Naddiyah Cross (6.7 ppg, 4.3 apg,) and junior Alexa Golden (7.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg) are putting up career-bests in every major statistical category while playing more minutes than any other backcourt tandem in the conference. Cross enters the game with 363 career assists and in need of just two to break into Kent State's top 10 all-time. Golden has already made 51 free throws after combining to make only 37 in her first two seasons.
Redshirt sophomore Megan Carter (14.5 ppg) has provided an offensive boost since returning to the lineup at the start of the conference season. Carter has set a new career-high scoring mark in three of the four game she has played this season.
Scouting Ball State
Ball State (14-3, 3-3 MAC) went undefeated (11-0) during the non-conference season before dropping its MAC opener to Central Michigan, and enters on a two-game skid with losses to Buffalo and Toledo. The Cardinals are the second-highest scoring team in the conference at 81.6 ppg (21st in the nation) but has scored just 75.8 ppg in league contests.
As a team, Ball State ranks in the top 50 in the country in field goal percentage (.453), three-point field goal percentage (.362), three-point field goals per game (8.2), assists per game (20.1), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3), turnover margin (+6.06) and blocks per game (5.2).
All-MAC forward Moriah Monaco (16.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg) is sixth in the conference in scoring, three-pointers per game (2.7) and blocks per game (1.6). Forward Destiny Washington (13.0 ppg) leads the Cardinals in rebounding (6.6 rpg) and is fourth in the MAC in blocks per game (1.6). Point guard Carmen Grande (12.3 ppg) is second in the nation in assists per game (9.6) and adds 2.9 spg.
TV / Radio
Dave Wilson and Tanner Castora are on the call on ESPN3 and Rob Polinsky brings fans the action on the Golden Flashes iHeartRadio channel 640 WHLO.
Next Up For Kent State
The Golden Flashes are back on the road next week for games at Toledo (Wednesday) and Akron (Saturday).
