Kent State University
11-15, 4-10MAC
Miami
16-9, 8-6MAC
Kent State Owns Paint in Saturday’s Play4Kay Game
2/17/2018 9:51:00 PM | Women's Basketball
KENT, Ohio – Kent State's frontcourt controlled play around the basket during Saturday's Play4Kay Game, but visiting Miami was able to escape the M.A.C. Center with a 65-59 victory.
The Golden Flashes (11-15, 4-10 MAC) outscored the RedHawks, 32-14, in the paint to go with a 37-24 rebounding advantage. Kent State turned 12 offensive rebounds into a 14-6 lead in second-chance scoring.
While the Flashes accounted for nearly two-thirds of their points in the paint or at the charity stripe, Miami did a large portion of its scoring from long range. The RedHawks bounced back from a 2-for-21 performance at home last Saturday with a 9-for-17 shooting night from beyond the three-point arc.
"Turnovers on crucial possessions late in the game and three-point shooting were the difference in the game," said head coach Todd Starkey. "Playing from behind is not a good equation for us. I thought we played with good effort but not with the type of focus we need to win games."
Senior Jordan Korinek and redshirt sophomore Megan Carter had 17 points apiece to lead all scorers. After combining for only four points in the opening half, the duo accounted for 30 of Kent State's 35 points over the final 20 minutes. Korinek was limited to just 10 minutes in the first half after being whistled for her second foul at the 7:26 mark of the second.
"When Jordan gets in foul trouble, we turn into a different offensive team," Starkey said. "We don't have other players that have stepped up offensively. We ran action to get her the ball in the second half, and she was able to score. When she's on the court, she helps us. When she's not, it sets us back."
Korinek made her final six shots and finished shooting 6-for-8 from the floor and 5-for-5 at the free throw line. The All-MAC forward also grabbed seven rebounds and had one steal.
A back-and-forth first quarter featured two ties and five lead changes. Leah Purvis gave Miami an 11-10 lead at the 2:46 mark and neither team was able to score the rest of the period.
With Korinek forced to the bench in foul trouble, redshirt senior Zenobia Bess provided a lift off the bench during the second period. Bess shot 3-for-3 and matched her career-high six points in the period. A jumper by Bess at the 5:56 mark evened the score at 16-16, but the RedHawks made six of their final nine shots to take a 31-24 lead at the break.
Kent State trailed 50-40 with under 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter, but a jumper by Carter in the closing seconds was followed by two straight scores to start the fourth that made it a 50-46 game with eight minutes on the clock.
A key stretch of play began with the Flashes converting on just one shot after being fouled on a three-point attempt. Miami then came down and buried a three-pointer for a 55-49 lead, and the Flashes turned it over on three of the next four possessions while the RedHawks extended the lead to 59-51 with just 3:50 to play. After getting within 59-55, the Flashes failed to control Miami missed shots on back-to-back possessions and the guests were able to escape with a 65-59 victory.
Graduate student McKenna Stephens grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds to go with nine points, three assists and two blocks. Junior Alexa Golden added eight rebounds.
The Flashes will head back on the road and visit Ohio on Wednesday, Feb. 21.
Notes
• Senior Jordan Korinek moved into a tie with Dawn Zerman (1996-00) on Kent State's career scoring list with 1,685 points.
• Korinek moved to ninth on Kent State's single-season scoring list and now has 543 points on the year.
