Kent State University
11-12, 4-7MAC
Northern Illinois
11-11, 3-8MAC
Starting Backcourt Leads Flashes in Setback to Huskies
2/3/2018 9:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
KENT, Ohio – Redshirt sophomore Megan Carter and freshman Erin Thames combined for more than half of Kent State's points in a 72-62 loss to Northern Illinois at the M.A.C. Center on Saturday.
Carter scored a team-high 19 points and was a perfect 7-for-7 at the free throw line. Thames connected on three of six three-point attempts and finished with 13 points to surpass her total on the season entering the contest. Starting in the backcourt for the second straight game, the duo combined for just two turnovers in 61 minutes of action.
Senior Jordan Korinek posted 14 points and nine rebounds to come a rebound short of a double-double for the second game in a row. Korinek, who was limited to 27 minutes on the court due to foul trouble, went 6-for-10 from the floor and 2-for-2 at the charity stripe.
Outside of those three, the Golden Flashes (11-12, 4-7 MAC) struggled to get much going on the offensive end. The rest of the team combined for 16 points on 7-for-24 (.292) shooting from the floor and 1-for-3 (.333) from the foul line. Kent State went just 4-for-23 (.174) as a whole from behind the three-point arc.
"We've been very inconsistent this year," said head coach Todd Starkey. "The biggest thing I didn't like is how stagnate we were offensively. They packed it in and gave us three-point shots, and we took them. We don't win games when we take 23 three-pointers."
The Flashes played well enough on the defensive end to give themselves an opportunity to win, holding the high-powered Huskies below their season average in several categories. Northern Illinois was limited to more than six points, two three-point field goals and five percentage points from the three-point line below its season scoring average.
Kent State won the battle on the glass, 34-30, and had an 11-7 advantage in second-chance scoring. NIU led 34-26 in points in the paint and 19-4 in fast break points.
The Flashes will go back on the road to face MAC East-leading Buffalo on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
