Kent State University
5-2
St. Bonaventure
1-7
Flashes Take Bonnies to School on Kids Day
12/3/2019 4:52:00 PM | Women's Basketball
KENT, Ohio – Redshirt senior Megan Carter scored a game-high 21 points and eclipsed the 1,000-point milestone to lead Kent State past St. Bonaventure, 81-58, in front of a rambunctious crowd on "Kids Day Presented by PSI" at the M.A.C. Center on Tuesday afternoon.
The Golden Flashes (5-2) cashed in on frequent trips to the free throw line, converting 30 of 31 attempts overall and 23 straight to end the game. Carter led the effort with a 12-for-12 shooting performance.
Freshman Nila Blackford recorded her third double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds while adding a career-best four assists. Freshman Katie Shumate also grabbed 10 rebounds to set a new career-high. Sophomore Lindsey Thall was the third Flash in double-figures with 11 points.
"This was our most complete game from start to finish," head coach Todd Starkey said. "I thought we had a much better defensive second half and did a good off and really trusting our offense. It was nice to be able to get a lot of people playing time near the end of the game as well."
Kent State attacked the basket from the start, as Katie Shumate secured the opening tip and drove straight to the basket for a layup. Nila Blackford added a putback on the next possession for an early 4-0 lead. The Bonnies got within a point at 7-6 but the Flashes held them scoreless for the final 6:04 of the first quarter to lead 14-6 though 10 minutes of action.
The defense allowed just a single basket in the first three minutes of the second as the lead extended to 19-8. It was just a three-point game following a three-minute scoring drought, but Megan Carter and Lindsey Thall combined for eight points in the final minute to take a 33-26 lead into the locker room.
Kent State began to pull away with an 8-0 run over the final 31.3 seconds of the third quarter. Asiah Dingle lobbed a post entry over the defense to Thall, who scored and completed the three-point play after being fouled. Blackford added two foul shots after being knocked over going for a defensive rebound and then deflected a pass on the ensuing possession. The ball landed in the hands of Carter, who pushed the ball down the floor and was fouled attempting a three-pointer with 0.8 on the clock. She calmly sank all three free throws to make it 58-42.
St. Bonaventure scored on the opening possession of the final period but was then held scoreless for the next four minutes as Kent State took its largest lead of the game, 67-44, following a traditional three-point play by Blackford.
The Bonnies entered as one of the top three-pointing teams in the country but were limited to just 4-for-14 from long range. Kent State held a 37-32 rebounding advantage and outscored its guest 13-2 on second-chance opportunities. The Flashes finished with a season-low nine turnovers, which included one on their final possession by deciding not to shoot the ball and allow the shot clock to expire.
The game was played in front of more than 1,200 students from local elementary schools.
"I really thank the local schools for buying in and coming out today," added Starkey. "I think the kids had a great time, and it was a great lift for us and exciting for our players. This is a fantastic community to be a part of."
Kent State will play at Purdue on Sunday, December 8 in the first of three games away from the M.A. Center.
