Kent State University
Buffalo
Flashes and Bulls Set for MAC Tournament Quarterfinals Matchup
3/7/2018 7:53:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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Tenth-seeded Kent State seeks to bust the 2018 Mid-American Conference Women's Basketball Tournament bracket with its second upset in three days when it battles second-seeded Buffalo on Wednesday at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. The tournament's third quarterfinal game of the day will tip-off at approximately 5 p.m.
The Golden Flashes (13-18) rallied from 17 down late in the third period to upset No. 7 seed Toledo, 80-76, in overtime on Monday night and earn the program's first MAC Tournament victory since 2010. Trailing 53-36 with 2:16 left in the third quarter, Kent State ended regulation with a 36-19 run. Megan Carter, who missed a contested three-point shot that would have tied the game in the closing seconds of a quarterfinals lost to the Rockets a year ago, converted a pair of free throws with 3.7 seconds remaining to forced overtime. The Flashes never trailed during the extra session. The run started with seven consecutive made field goals, and Kent State made seven of its final eight field goals and seven of its final nine free throws to end the game. Carter finished with a game-high 24 points while matching her career-high with six rebounds. Jordan Korinek scored 18 of her 21 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, while Naddiyah Cross totaled 20 points and a team-high four assists.
This will be the third matchup in the past month between the teams with Buffalo winning both regular season meetings. The Bulls outscored the Flashes by an average of 80.5-46.5 in those contests and assisted on 44 of their 61 field goals. Kent State struggled from long range, going 3-for-35 (.086) from beyond the three-point arc. Jordan Korinek averaged 18.0 points per game and was the only Flash to score in double-figures in either game. Alexa Golden averaged a team-best 7.5 rebounds per game.
Kent State has found success when it has been able to get to the free throw line. The Flashes are No. 9 in the country in free throws made (479) and No. 18 in free throw attempts (643) for a 74.5 percentage that is third in the conference. Kent State's +4.8 rebounding margin is second in the MAC with 12 games in which it has outrebounded its opponent by double-digits.
Senior Jordan Korinek is the conference's second-leading scorer (19.9 ppg) and adds 7.0 rebounds per game. The All-MAC forward ranks fourth nationally in free throws made (191) and 10th in free throws attempted (227). Graduate student McKenna Stephens (9.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg) provides a versatile frontcourt presence as Kent State's leading rebounder and second on the team in three-pointers (31).
The starting backcourt of senior Naddiyah Cross (5.2 ppg, 3.5 apg,) and junior Alexa Golden (7.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg) are putting up career-bests in every major statistical category. Golden has made 82 free throws after combining to make only 37 in her first two seasons. Sophomore Ali Poole (7.4 ppg) leads the Flashes with 33 three-pointers in her first season as a starter.
Redshirt sophomore Megan Carter (10.4Â 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 ranks seventh in the record book with 395 assists and is six assists away from tying Jamilah Humes (2006, 08-11) for sixth.
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 fifth on the all-time scoring list with 1,770 points and 29 points behind Lindsay Shearer (2002-06) for fourth.
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 746 to move ahead of Marvetta Froe (1987-90), Ann Forbes (1989-92) and Carrie Templin (1995-98, and needs 19 rebounds to tie Amy Sherry (1992-96) for sixth.
Kent State in the MAC Tournament
• Kent State is making its 32nd appearance in the MAC Tournament.
• The Golden Flashes are 33-27 in MAC Tournament games.Â
• Kent State has advanced to the semifinals 17 times, recording an 12-5 record in those games.
• The Flashes have won three MAC Tournament titles: 1999, 2000 and 2002.
• Kent State appeared in the championship game seven straight years from 1996-2002 and has played for the title 12 times overall.
MAC Tournament History vs. Buffalo
• Kent State is 2-1 all-time vs. Buffalo in MAC Tournament play.
• The Golden Flashes won the first two postseason meetings between the teams, knocking the Bulls out of the tournament in both 1999 (84-48) and 2000 (71-68).
• Buffalo won the most recent matchup, 66-54, in 2009.
• All three previous meetings between the schools were also in the quarterfinals.
Scouting Buffalo
Buffalo (25-4) has won nine consecutive games and earned the first MAC East Division title in program history. During the current winning streak, the Bulls have outscored their opposition by an average of 20.6 points per game. Buffalo is No. 11 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 and enters Wednesday at No. 19 in the RPI. Buffalo received a program-record seven votes in the USA Today/WBCA Top 25 Poll. All four of the Bulls' losses this season have come in true road games.
As a team, Buffalo averages 77.0 points per game while allowing 64.0 points per game. The Bulls are among the top 25 teams in the country in rebounds per game (43.3), assists per game (18.7), turnovers forced per game (20.62), steals per game (11.8) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.264), while leading the conference in blocks per game (5.0) and field goal percentage defense (.365).
Guard Cierra Dillard is Buffalo's top scorer at 14.5Â points per game. Dillard, a transfer from UMass, ranks second in the MAC in steals per game (2.8), sixth in assists per game (5.1) and ninth in three-pointers per game (2.1). Point guard Stephanie Reid is (11.2 ppg) leads the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.78) and is second in assists per game (7.1) and fourth in steals per game (2.5). Center Cassie Oursler (13.7 ppg) is the Bulls' top interior scorer and is second in the MAC with 2.0 blocks per game. Forward Summer Hemphill (10.3 ppg) averages a team-best 7.6 rebounds per game to go with 1.6 blocks per game.
Series History
• Kent State is 25-15 all-time vs. Buffalo.
• The Flashes have lost 12 of the last 13 against the Bulls with the lone victory coming in the 2017 regular season finale at the M.A.C. Center (80-71).
• Head coach Todd Starkey is 1-3 vs. Buffalo.
• The Flashes have never lost to Buffalo three times in the same season.
• Kent State owns an 2-1 lead in MAC Tournament matchups.
FLASHback to Last Meeting
• Kent State dropped an 81-51 contest to Buffalo in the final game of the season at the M.A.C. Center just one week ago (Feb. 28).
• The Golden Flashes trailed by just eight at halftime, 34-26, as Zenobia Bess finished inside off a pass from McKenna Stephens to beat the buzzer.
• The opening 20 minutes of action saw Kent State shoot 12-for-25 (.480) from the field, but shots stopped falling in the second half.
• The Flashes went just 7-for-30 (.233) over the final two periods and finished 2-for-18 on three-point attempts.
• Jordan Korinek led the Flashes with 14 points and seven rebounds.
• McKenna Stephens added 10 points and a team-high four assists.
• Buffalo converted 18 KSU turnovers into 24 points and led 14-2 in fast break scoring.
• Cierra Dillard led Buffalo with 17 points, while Autumn Jones, Cassie Oursler and Stephanie Reid added 11 points apiece.
TV / Radio
Dave Wilson will have the call on the Golden Flashes iHeartRadio channel and 640 WHLO and Dave Bacon and Jacki Windon will call the game on ESPN3.
Next Up For Kent StateÂ
With a win, the Golden Flashes advance to the MAC Tournament semifinals on Fri., March 9 against the winner of tonight's quarterfinal between No. 3 seed Ball State and No. 6 seed Western Michigan.
