Kent State University
Miami
Women’s Basketball Visits Miami on Saturday
1/25/2019 12:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Kent State women's basketball will play its fourth road contest in the past five games when it takes on Miami on Saturday, Jan. 26. Tip-off from Millett Hall is scheduled for 1 p.m.
The Golden Flashes (10-7, 3-3 MAC) fell in a defensive battle, 48-44, at Ball State on Wednesday. Kent State forced 23 turnovers and held the Cardinals to 16-of-49 shooting. Alexa Golden had six steals and Asiah Dingle had five, as both players matched their career-high. Golden added two blocks and a team-high four assists. The Flashes had 19 offensive rebounds and held a 46-44 advantage on the boards overall. Lindsey Thall and Merissa Barber-Smith led the rebounding effort with eight and seven boards, respectively. Megan Carter led the offense with 12 points and Dingle scored 11.
Guard Megan Carter (15.8 ppg) has scored at least 12 points in all but three games this season and has a team-high 39 assists. Freshman Asiah Dingle (13.7 ppg) has provided a scoring threat at the point guard position. Forward Lindsey Thall (9.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg) leads Kent State with 26 three-pointers to go with a MAC-best 25 blocks. Center Merissa Barber-Smith is the team's top rebounder at 6.9 per game and has 19 blocked shots. Guard Alexa Golden (7.4 ppg) leads the team in assists (2.6 apg), steals (2.1 spg) and three-point field goal percentage (.410).
Scouting Miami
Miami (12-4, 3-2 MAC) bounced back from a 1-2 league start with back-to-back three-point wins last week. The 70-67 victory in Mount Pleasant on Jan. 16 was Central Michigan's first home MAC loss since 2016. The RedHawks were not in action on Wednesday and own a 6-1 home record this season.
One of the best defensive teams in the conference, Miami has held 10 opponents under 60 points. The RedHawks have the nation's top three-point field goal defense (.213), although MAC teams are making better than 30-percent of shots from long range, and allow a MAC-best 58.9 points per game.
Point guard Lauren Dickerson leads the offense with 14.4 points per game and is the MAC leader at 5.9 assists per game. Dickerson adds 5.4 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. Savannah Kluesner (13.8 ppg) leads Miami at 7.6 rebounds per game and was named MAC East Player of the Week on Monday. Kluesner is averaging 18.8 points and 10.4 rebounds per game during league play. Guard/forward Kendall McCoy, Preseason All-MAC East selection, adds 12.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. McCoy is tied for the team lead with 32 three-pointers and is making better than 45-percent of her attempts from beyond the arc.
Series History
• Kent State is 44-45 all-time vs. Miami.
• The Golden Flashes are 10-30 on the road against Miami and have lost six of their last seven visits to Millett Hall.
• Kent State has held the RedHawks under 70 points in nine consecutive meetings.
• The Flashes are 2-2 vs. Miami under third-year head coach Todd Starkey.
TV / Radio
Dave Wilson will have the call on 640 WHLO and the Golden Flashes iHeart Radio channel. The game will be streamed on ESPN3 with Steve Baker and Carol Smith on the call.Â
Next Up for Kent State
The Golden Flashes have a scheduled bye during the mid-week and will return to action at the M.A.C. Center on Saturday, Feb. 2 against rival Akron.
