Kent State University
6-4
Troy
9-2
Flashes Let Lead Slip Away in Final Minute of Loss to Troy
12/20/2019 6:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball
LAS VEGAS – Kent State led for nearly 34 minutes of game time, but a 9-0 run over the final 50.4 seconds allowed Troy to leave South Point Arena with a 71-64 victory in the final game at the 2019 Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic on Friday afternoon.
The Golden Flashes (6-4) took their final lead of the contest, 64-62, on a pair of Megan Carter free throws with 1:15 on the clock. With the score now tied, Carter missed a shot inside the top of the arc with the shot clock winding down but sprinted back in transition defense and drew a charge call with 19.0 seconds to go. Troy stole the inbounds pass near midcourt and went down to convert a three-point play. Kent State turned it over on its next two possessions and were forced to send the Trojans to the foul line to make the final margin of defeat misleading.
"I thought we played a really good basketball game and showed incredible toughness against a really good Troy team," stated head coach Todd Starkey. "We felt that we kind of gave the game away at the end. Their pressure is intense and we didn't take care of the ball the way we needed to. We held them to 11 offensive rebounds, which is their lowest total of the season, so a lot of good takeaways from today's performance."
Carter led the Flashes with a season-high 24 points and added three assists. Freshman Katie Shumate shot 4-for-7 from long distance and had career-best totals of 18 points and 10 rebounds for her first collegiate double-double.
Freshman Nila Blackford also scored in double-figure with 11 points and grabbed six boards.
Troy held a 40-30 rebounding advantage but was held to six fewer offensive rebounds (11) than in any other game this season.
Kent State will return to the M.A.C. Center for the non-conference finale against Hiram on December 30 at 5:30 p.m.
