Kent State University
7-4
Clarion
7-5
Kent State Dominates Clarion in Non-Conference Finale
12/31/2018 4:47:00 PM | Women's Basketball
KENT, Ohio – Kent State held visiting Clarion without a field for almost the entire first period and went on to a 92-38 victory in the final non-conference game of the season Monday at the M.A.C. Center. The 54-point win is the third-largest margin of victory in program history.
The Golden Flashes (7-4) scored the game's opening 19 points and finished with the highest scoring performance since putting 97 on the board against Northern Illinois on Jan. 11, 2017. Kent State shot a season-best 52.4-percent on 33-for-63 from the field, which included a season-best 11 three-pointers.
Eight different Flashes scored at least eight points with four in double-figures. Redshirt junior Megan Carter led all scorers with 15 and senior Alexa Golden was right behind with 13. Freshman Hannah Young turned in the best performance of her young Kent State career with 13 points, seven rebounds and three steals in 18 minutes of action. Senior Merissa Barber-Smith scored a career-high 11 points to go with seven rebounds and two blocked shots. Freshman Asiah Dingle stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, five assists, a career-high five rebounds and two steals. Freshmen Mariah Modkins and Lindsey Thall contributed eight points each.
The Flashes shared the ball well and totaled a season-high 19 assists. Dingle led the way with five and Carter added four.
Defensively, Kent State held its third opponent of the season to 40 points or fewer and prevented its fifth consecutive opponent from shooting better than 40-percent from the floor. The Flashes pressured the ball the length of the court, at times, to force 25 turnovers. Kent State took advantage of Clarion's mistakes and scored a season-best 29 points off turnovers.
Nine players contributed to the Flashes' 17 steals, which is the most since recording 20 against North Dakota State on Dec. 5, 2015. Golden had three thefts to match Young for the team lead. Four additional Flashes had multiple steals.
The Flashes played with great intensity from the opening tip and led 26-1 before Clarion made a three-pointer on its final possession of the first period. Alexa Golden provided some early offense with a jump shot on the team's first possession and then connecting on a pair of three-pointers that helped make it 13-0 and force the visitors to call timeout at the 5:48 mark. Merissa Barber-Smith scored on consecutive possessions and Hannah Young converted off a strong drive to the rim to extend it to 19-0. Clarion made a free throw with 2:48 left in the period to finally get on the board.
Kent State scored the first eight points of the second period to make it 34-4. Clarion was able to trim its deficit to 27 with 1:30 left in the half, but the Flashes responded with back-to-back three-pointers from Lindsey Thall and Megan Carter, followed a driving layup by Carter in the closing seconds to make it 49-18 at halftime.
Following a basket on Clarion's first possession of the third, Kent State clamped down on the defensive end and allowed just one field goal for the remainder of the period. A Golden Eagles free throw out of the media timeout made it 61-25. Kent State answered with 13 straight points before another Clarion free throw made it 74-26 heading into the final 10 minutes.
After scoring on three of its first four possessions to extend the lead to 50, Kent State had a three-minute scoring drought before Hannah Young connected a short jump shot in the lane and Asiah Dingle made a steal and went in for a breakaway layup to make it 83-31 going into the media timeout. The Flashes allowed just two field goals over the final six minutes and Margaux Eibel made a free throw with a few second remaining to put the finishing touch on the 92-38 victory.
All 12 players in uniform saw at least eight minutes of action with none playing more than 25 minutes. Freshman Annie Pavlansky played extended minutes for the first time and contributed four points and three rebounds.
Kent State begins Mid-American Conference play against Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois for the second year in a row, this time at the M.A.C. Center. The Eagles visit on Saturday, Jan. 5 and the Huskies come to Kent on Wednesday, Jan. 9.
