Kent State University
Georgia Southern
Flashes to Play Pair of Sun Belt Foes at Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic
12/17/2019 6:03:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Kent State women's basketball team returns to the "Entertainment Capital of the World" for the second time in the past three years this week to participate in the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic. The Golden Flashes are scheduled to play Georgia Southern on Thursday, December 19 and Troy on Friday, December 20. Both games from South Point Arena will tip at 3 p.m. ET.
The 2019 Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic field features a competitive slate of six mid-major teams. The tournament will give fans two days of exciting contests as four of the programs set to compete in Vegas saw postseason play during the 2018-19 season.
Kent State (5-3) has already played a pair of neutral site contests and went 1-1 at the Akron Classic last month. The Flashes fell to No. 24 Michigan, 88-53, in the opening game and then took care of Purdue Fort Wayne, 75-67, the following day.
Prior to breaking for final exams, the Flashes lost at Purdue, 77-64, on December 9. The contest was extremely competitive with the exception of the final 5:06 of the first half in which the Boilermakers used a 12-2 run to lead by 14 at halftime. Despite being undersized, Kent State held its own around the basket. The Flashes finished even in paint scoring (28-28) and were outrebounded by just one (35-34). Asiah Dingle led the way with 16 points and three assists. Lindsey Thall shot 3-for-5 from downtown and totaled 11 points. Megan Carter added 10 points and a career-high nine rebounds
All five starters are scoring in double-figures. Nila Blackford (14.6 ppg, 8.3 rpg) is one of only two MAC players among the top-10 in the conference in both scoring and rebounding. Lindsey Thall (14.3 ppg) made a school record eight three-pointers and had a career-high 32 points in the home opener against Ohio State. Megan Carter (12.5 ppg) has provided the game-winning shot in the final 2.2 seconds on two occasions already this season. Katie Shumate (11.1 ppg) has displayed a versatile skill set and ranks in the top-two on the team in rebounding (6.0 rpg), steals (17) and blocked shots (11). Asiah Dingle (11.9 ppg) averages a team-best 3.4 assists per game.
Scouting Georgia Southern
Georgia Southern (2-6) missed two game-winning shot attempts in the final seconds of the fourth period and fell at Ole Miss, 69-66, in overtime on Monday. This is the Eagles' only game this season that has been decided by single-digits. Georgia Southern ranks in the bottom 50 nationally in field goal percentage (.336), field goal percentage defense (.439), three-point field goal percentage (.252), assists per game (9.4) and assist-to-turnover ratio (0.56).
Guard Tatum Barber scores a team-high 12.3 points per game. All-Sun Belt Second Team Guard Alexis Brown adds 11.8 points per game and a team-high 10 three-pointers. Brown has gone 34-for-35 at the foul line and ranks second in the country in free throw percentage (.971). Guard Nikki McDonald (10.3 ppg), a grad transfer from Louisiana Tech, poured in a career-high 26 points against Ole Miss and is the Eagles' top rebounder (6.5 rpg).
Scouting Troy
Troy (7-2) defeated Chattanooga, 90-51, on Sunday to extend its win streak to four games. The Trojans lead the nation in rebounding (58.0 rpg) and offensive rebounding (25.2 orpg) and rank in the top-five in defensive rebounding (32.8 drpg), rebounding margin (+14.4 rpg), free throws made (188) and free throw attempts (260).
Fueled by a fast-paced tempo that ranks second in the country at 84.6 possessions per 40 minutes allows Troy to average 82.8 points per contest. The Trojans have put at least 90 points on the scoreboard three times, including 101 against Fort Valley State in the season opener.
Selected second in the Sun Belt Preseason Coaches' Poll, Troy had two players earn preseason all-conference accolades. Forward Amber Rivers (8.9 ppg) received second team recognition and forward Japonica James (11.6 ppg) received third team recognition. Guard Jasmine Robinson (13.0 ppg) is leading the Trojans in scoring and had a career-high 25 points at Duke. Guard Kayla Robinson adds 11.2 points per game and reached the 1,000-point mark in her last game. Forward Alexus Dye (8.8 ppg) grabs 9.3 rebounds per game and had a career-best 16 against 15th-ranked Mississippi State.
Series History
• Kent State is 0-2 all-time vs. Georgia Southern.
• The Eagles won most recent meeting, 71-47, on Nov. 24, 2012.
• Georgia Southern won the first matchup in the series, 110-101, at home on Jan. 4, 1992.
• Kent State and Troy have never met on the hardwood.
TV / Radio
Dave Wilson will be on the call on the Golden Flashes iHeartRadio channel.
Next Up For Kent State
The Golden Flashes will return to the M.A.C. Center for the non-conference finale against Hiram on December 30 at 5:30 p.m.
