Kent State University
Bowling Green
Women’s Basketball Aims to Split Season Series with Falcons Wednesday in Return to M.A.C. Center
1/30/2018 6:32:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Game Notes   Video    Audio    Live Stats
After a challenging first half of the conference schedule, Kent State will play six of the final nine regular season games inside the friendly confines of the M.A.C. Center, beginning with a matchup against Bowling Green on Wednesday evening. The 7 p.m. contest is kicks off the second half of the Mid-American Conference season for both teams.
Kent State (10-11, 3-6 MAC) aims to bounce back from a 75-60 loss at rival Akron on Saturday. The Flashes struggled to get shots to fall and finished 22-for-79 from the floor for a season-worst .278 shooting percentage. Jordan Korinek recorded 22 points and 10 rebounds for her second straight double-double while shooting 9-for-16 from the field as the only KSU player with multiple attempts to shoot better than 30 percent. The Flashes pulled down a season-high 23 offensive rebounds and outscored the Zips 20-3 on second-chance opportunities. Overall, Kent State held a 53-42 rebounding advantage. Alexa Golden led the effort on the glass with a career-high 11 rebounds, which included five on the offensive end.
The Flashes have found success when they have been able to get to the free throw line. Kent State is No. 7 in the country in free throws made (337) and No. 21 in free throw attempts (456) for a 73.9 percentage that is third in the conference. Kent State's +5.6 rebounding margin is second in the MAC with eight games in which it has outrebounded its opponent by double-digits.
Senior Jordan Korinek is the conference's third-leading scorer (20.1 ppg) and adds 6.6 rebounds per game. The All-MAC forward ranks fourth nationally in free throws made (133) and seventh in free throws attempted (159). Graduate student McKenna Stephens (10.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg) provides a versatile frontcourt presence as Kent State's leading rebounder and second on the team in three-pointers (23).
The starting backcourt of senior Naddiyah Cross (5.7 ppg, 3.8 apg,) and junior Alexa Golden (7.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg) are putting up career-bests in every major statistical category while playing more minutes than any other backcourt tandem in the conference. Golden has already made 60 free throws after combining to make only 37 in her first two seasons. Sophomore Ali Poole (8.5 ppg) leads the Flashes with 28 three-pointers in her first season as a starter.
Redshirt sophomore Megan Carter (11.9 ppg) has provided an offensive boost since returning to action at the start of the conference season. Carter has set a new career-high scoring mark three times and has scored at least seven points in seven of eight games played.
Scouting Bowling Green
Bowling Green (10-10, 2-7 MAC) has lost by an average of 19.3 points in its three games since defeating the Golden Flashes on Jan. 17 at the Stroh Center. After rallying from a 16-point first quarter deficit to lead by as much as five in third, the Falcons dropped a 77-67 rivalry matchup to Toledo on Saturday.
The Falcons are led by guard Carly Santoro (13.4 ppg, 9.5 rpg), who has a MAC-best 10 double-doubles this season. Santoro has a team-high 36 steals and is second in the conference with 121 free throw attempts, which she makes at a 66.1-percent clip. Guard Sydney Lambert (10.0 ppg) scored a career-high 24 points in Saturday's rivalry game and makes two three-point field goals per game. Guards Haley Puk (9.1 ppg) and Caterrion Thompson (5.3 ppg) are both shooting better than 45-percent from beyond the three-point arc during conference play. Forward Andrea Cecil (9.6 ppg) provides an interior scoring option.
Series History                                                          Â
• Kent State is 32-51 all-time vs. Bowling Green.
• The Falcons won the first matchup of the season, 60-50, at the Stroh Center on Jan. 17. The teams have not split the season series since 2011
• The Flashes swept the season series in 2015 and 2017.
• The Golden Flashes went 17-1 from 1995 until the 2005 MAC Tournament title game, which the Falcons won, 81-75.
• Kent State is 18-19 all-time at home against Bowling Green with wins in two of the last three matchups inside the M.A.C. Center.
• Last season, Megan Carter made a pull-up jumper from the elbow with 2.2 seconds to play to give the Flashes an 8-78 victory at the M.A.C. Center on Jan. 28, 2017.
FLASHback to Last Meeting                                                     Â
• Kent State was unable to uphold a four-point lead in the opening minutes of the fourth period in a 60-50 loss inside of the Stroh Center on Jan. 17.
• The Golden Flashes appeared to be headed for another big fourth quarter after scoring the first six points of the period to lead 44-40 at the 7:47 mark.
• The Falcons responded with layups on three straight trips down the floor as part of a 20-6 run to close out the game, as Kent State shot 2-for-10 and turned the ball over five times the rest of the way. The Flashes also split four attempts from the charity stripe.
• Ali Poole led all scorers with 17 points and added four rebounds and two blocks. Poole led Kent State to a 14-11 lead at the end of the first quarter, as she scored 12 points and was the only Flash to score a field goal in the period.
• Megan Carter added 12 points off the bench.
• The Flashes dominated the rebounding battle throughout the night and finished with a 45-30 advantage. McKenna Stephens led the way with a career-high 13 rebounds and Jordan Korinek added nine boards.
• Sydney Lambert scored 13 points to lead BG and Caterrion Thompson added 12 points.
TV / Radio
Dave Wilson and Brad Hamilton are on the call on ESPN3 and Jacob Pavilack brings fans the action on the Golden Flashes iHeartRadio channel 640 WHLO.
Next Up For Kent State
The Golden Flashes host Northern Illinois on Saturday at 2 p.m. for the "She Will" game.
