Kent State University
13-9, 6-5MAC
Akron
10-12, 3-8MAC
Defense Keys Road Rivalry Victory
2/12/2020 10:51:00 PM | Women's Basketball
AKRON, Ohio – Kent State made defensive stops down the stretch to defeat Akron, 60-55, in a Crystal Clinic Wagon Wheel Challenge contest inside of James A. Rhodes Arena on Wednesday evening. The Golden Flashes closed the game with a 9-2 run to secure their fourth straight victory in the rivalry.
For the third game in a row, Kent State (13-9, 6-5 MAC) held the opposition to at least 10 points below its season average. Sophomore Lindsey Thall's five blocked shots and sophomore Asiah Dingle's four steals led the way defensively. The Flashes held a 43-34 rebounding advantage and allowed only two second-chance points.
Tied 45-45 entering the final period, Akron scored on the opening possession. Freshman Katie Shumate answered with a tough finish in the lane and redshirt senior Megan Carter's baseline jumper put the Flashes ahead, 49-47, with 8:09 remaining.
Neither team was able to score again until the Zips sank a pair of free throws to even the score at the 4:59 mark. Less than a minute later, Alyssa Clay was able to get a contested floater from outside the lane to rattle in and put the hosts back in the lead.
Kent State still trailed by a basket with just under two minutes remaining when Thall ran down a defensive board after rejected a transition layup attempt and threw an outlet pass to Dingle, who pushed the ball the other way. After freezing the defender with a hesitation, Dingle was unable to convert a layup attempt. However, sophomore Hannah Young tracked down the miss and found the trailing Thall for an opener three-pointer at the top of the key for a 54-53 lead.
The Flashes' full-court pressure following an Akron timeout created chaos and resulted in a turnover, which led to a three-point play by Dingle with 1:20 to play.
Now leading by only two, Dingle came up with a steal in the backcourt following a Kent State miss with just over 30 seconds on the clock. She would be sent to the free throw line with 27.3 left, splitting a pair to make it 58-55. Following a timeout by the Zips to advance the ball into the frontcourt, Young contested a three-point attempt that was off the mark and rebounded by Carter. After two free throws by Carter, Thall blocked another three-point attempt to seal the victory.
Asiah Dingle paced Kent State with 15 points. Freshman Katie Shumate had 12 points and seven rebounds, while classmate Nila Blackford added 10 points and nine boards.
The Flashes will return to the M.A.C. Center for the annual Play4Kay game against Toledo on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 3:30 p.m.
