Kent State University
Akron
Senior Day Set for Saturday’s Women’s Basketball Rivalry Tilt
2/23/2018 7:23:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Game Notes Video Audio Live Stats
Kent State hosts rival Akron in a Mid-American Conference matchup on Saturday at 2 p.m. The winner of the game will earn a half-point for its school in the Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center Wagon Wheel Challenge standings, which the Zips currently lead 4.0-2.0.
Prior to the game, the Golden Flashes will honor Zenobia Bess, Naddiyah Cross, Jordan Korinek and McKenna Stephens in a Senior Day presentation.
The Golden Flashes (11-15, 4-10 MAC) were unable to get a pair of potential game-winning shots in the final seconds to fall in a 79-78 loss at Ohio on Wednesday night. After getting a key stop on the defensive end of the floor to get the ball back with 17.6 seconds, McKenna Stephens missed a rushed three-pointer and Megan Carter's desperation shot from under the basket while falling to the ground could not draw iron. Kent State held a decisive 42-26 rebounding advantage and outscored the Bobcats 16-4 in second-chance points. Alexa Golden grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and added 14 points for her first career double-double. Jordan Korinek had a perfect night shooting the ball en route to scoring a game-high 26 points. Korinek was 9-for-9 from the field and 7-for-7 at the charity stripe. The All-MAC forward also grabbed nine rebounds. Tyra James (15 points) and Zenobia Bess (6 points, 7 rebounds) provided quality contributions off the bench. Naddiyah Cross led the Flashes with seven assists and Stephens matched her career-high with five assists.
Kent State has found success when it has been able to get to the free throw line. The Flashes are No. 10 in the country in free throws made (432) and No. 20 in free throw attempts (580) for a 74.5 percentage that is second in the conference. Kent State's +5.6 rebounding margin is second in the MAC with 11 games in which it has outrebounded its opponent by double-digits.
Senior Jordan Korinek is the conference's second-leading scorer (20.7 ppg) and adds 7.0 rebounds per game. The All-MAC forward ranks third nationally in free throws made (175) and seventh in free throws attempted (207). Graduate student McKenna Stephens (9.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg) provides a versatile frontcourt presence as Kent State's leading rebounder and second on the team in three-pointers (28).
The starting backcourt of senior Naddiyah Cross (5.0 ppg, 3.6 apg,) and junior Alexa Golden (7.3 ppg, 6.0 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 made 74 free throws after combining to make only 37 in her first two seasons. Sophomore Ali Poole (7.9 ppg) leads the Flashes with 31 three-pointers in her first season as a starter.
Redshirt sophomore Megan Carter (10.7 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 this season.
Record Book Watch
Seniors Naddiyah Cross and Jordan Korinek both broke into the top-10 in program history in statistical categories during Kent State's 62-55 victory at Toledo on Jan. 24.
Cross is tied with Denise Duncan (1981-83) for eighth for in the record book with 383 assists and is seven assists away from tying Jennifer Grandstaff (1985-88) for seventh.
Korinek passed both Mary Bukovac (1986-89) and Carrie Templin (1995-98) with 30 points in the contest against the Rockets. The Akron, Ohio native is now tied with Dawn Zerman (1997-00) for sixth on the all-time scoring list with 1,711 points and is just 17 points away from cracking the top-5.
Korinek added 11 rebounds against Toledo to pass Margie Zezulewicz (1976-79) for 10th in program history and bring her career total to 659. She has since increased her total to 720 to move ahead of Marvetta Froe (1987-90) and Ann Forbes (1989-92) and needs 18 rebounds to tie Carrie Templin (1995-98) for seventh.
Scouting Akron
Akron (8-18, 2-13 MAC) is 1-8 in true road games this season with that lone win coming on Feb. 11 at Eastern Michigan, 77-65. The Zips are 1-4 since defeating the Golden Flashes on Jan. 27 with their average defeat being by a margin of 22.4 points.
As a team, Akron is 10th in the MAC in scoring (65.0 ppg) and seventh in scoring defense (65.3 ppg), but are allowing 73.5 points per game in league play. The three-point line plays a big role in the Zips' offense, as they are sixth in the conference in three-point field goals per game (7.3) with greater than 36-percent of their field goal tries coming from three-point distance. Turnovers (17.8 per game) and rebounding (-2.7 rebounding margin) have been struggles for Akron, which ranks 11th in the MAC in both categories.
Leading scorer Megan Sefcik (12.9 ppg) scored six points on Wednesday in her first action since Jan. 6. Sefcik broke Akron's single-game three-point record, while also tying the MAC record, with 10 triples against Ohio Christian back on Dec. 16. Preseason All-MAC East point guard Shaunay Edmonds (11.5 ppg) leads the Zips with 4.3 assists per game and 2.1 steals per game. Forward Haliegh Reinoehl (7.5 ppg) is fourth in the MAC in rebounding (8.7 rpg).
Series History
• Kent State is 50-16 all-time vs. Akron.
• The Golden Flashes swept last year's season series but lost 75-60 in this year's first matchup.
• Kent State has dominated matchups at the M.A.C. Center historically with a 27-5 all-time record.
• However, Akron won four straight at the M.A.C. Center from 2013-16 and missed a three-pointer that would have tied the game in the final minute of last year's four-point loss.
• Kent State looks to force the first season split since 2012.
• The Flashes' 18-game winning streak from Jan. 8, 2000 through Feb, 23, 2008 is the longest for either school.
FLASHback to Last Meeting
• Kent State shot just 22-for-79 from the floor and host Akron used a big fourth quarter to pull away for a 75-60 victory inside of James A. Rhodes Arena on Jan. 27, 2018.
• The Golden Flashes missed their final 17 shots, including 12 in the final minute of play.
• Meanwhile, Akron made 12 of its final 17 shots from the floor and went 7-for-11 at the charity stripe to close the game on a 34-20 run.
• Kent State pulled down a season-high 23 offensive rebounds and outscored the Zips 20-3 on second-chance opportunities.
• Overall, the Flashes 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.
• Jordan Korinek led all players with 22 points to go with 10 rebounds. Korinek fouled out with 3:25 remaining and her basket at the 3:49 mark was the final made field goal for Kent State.
• Destiny Perkins led Akron with 19 points and a career-high eight rebounds off the bench.
• Shaunay Edmonds posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists.
• Haliegh Reinoehl grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.
TV / Radio
Dave Wilson will have the call on the Golden Flashes iHeartRadio channel and 640 WHLO.
Next Up For Kent State
The Golden Flashes host Buffalo in final home game on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m.
