The Flashes take their best start in five years on the road to Bradley University Tuesday.

The  Flashes are 3-4. Only once since 2011-12 have the Flashes won three non-conference games, and it took eight games to get there in 2013. KSU  won two in each of coach Danny O’Banion’s other two seasons and two in 2011-12, Bob Lindsay’s last season.

In 2010-11, Kent State went 9-3 outside the conference and was 20-10 overall. It was the last season KSU had a winning record.

The Flashes are coming off one of their best games in those five years. They beat North Dakota State 75-54 Saturday, forcing 34 turnovers and making 20 steals.

That formula would be a good one against Bradley, which had 23 turnovers in a 66-56 home loss to Illinois-Chicago (5-1) Saturday.

Like Kent State, the Braves are 3-4. It has beaten Detroit and Chicago State, two other teams with below .500 records, on the road, along with Division III Eureka College. It has lost to No. 17 Oklahoma, Western Michigan, Bowling Green and Illinois-Chicago. All those teams have winning records.

The Bradley game is the second of only three non-conference road games. KSU lost at Indiana Purdue at Fort Wayne, 86-68, on Nov. 19. They play their third away game Saturday at Youngstown State.

Bradley averages 63.1 points a game and has scored fewer than 60 in four games. The Braves padded their average with 87 against Eureka, which is 1-5. (Bradley team website.)

Bradley’s RPI is 300 (of 350 teams). Kent State’s is 319, according to the website Realtimerpi.com. The site rates Bradley’s schedule strengh at 168 and Kent’s at 282.

Bradley averages 35.8 percent shooting  (32.6 on three-pointers). Its leading scorer is 6-foot sophomore guard Anneke Schlueter, who averages 12.4 points a game, and leading rebounder is 5-10 junior guard Leti Lerma at 7.4 a game. The Braves average one more rebound a game than their opponents. Their tallest starters are 6-2 and 6-1 forwards.

Kent State’s tallest starter is 6-2 sophomore forward Jordan Korinek, who leads the Flashes in scoring (18.6 points a game) and rebounding (7.7). Korinek had been the only Flash starter taller than 5-11 until 6-foot McKenna Stephens, who had been sidelined with a knee injury, was in the line-up Saturday. Chelsi Watson, who had started the first six games at forward, is 5-10, though she has the highest vertical leap on the team. Redshirt freshman guard Tyra James is second on the team in rebounding with a 5.1 average.

The Flashes have been outrebounded by an average of 5.6, and four teams have outrebounded them by at least 11.

Their other biggest weakness has been three-point shooting, where they’re averaging only 23.1 percent and 3.4 a game. Junior Larissa Lurken, KSU’s best three-point shooter, is hitting only 26.2 percent of her shots, 5 percentage points below the average of her first two years here.

The Flashes have been able to overcome the rebounding and outside shooting problems by forcing the pace (and turnovers), driving to the basket and feeding Korinek inside. They’ve averaged 14 assists per game with a season-high 20 on Saturday. Kent State has had assists on 63 percent of its baskets this season. (Full KSU statistics)

KSU leads the MAC in steals per game at 12.4 and is second in turnovers margin at plus-3.43.

The game starts at 8 p.m. Kent time. Audio starts at 7:45 on WHLO 640 AM and Golden Flash iHeart Radio. You can get video through ESPN3 and live statistics through the Bradley website. You need to subscribe to ESPN through cable or satellite to get the video.

It’s been quite a while since we’ve seen a game like Kent State’s 75-54 victory over North Dakota State Saturday.

The Flashes have won only one other game by more than 20 points in coach Danny O’Banion’s four years here (69-46 over Niagara in 2013).

They had 20 steals and forced 34 turnovers, the most in at least three years. (Game-by-game records before that aren’t easily accessible.)

It’s the most steals and turnovers by any MAC team this season. KSU already led the MAC in steals per game.

Jordan Korinek’s 27 points were the second-high by an individual in the O’Banion era. (Korinek scored 28 last week against Division II Malone.)

“We had really talked a lot about re-establishing our identity” after a disappointing loss to Cleveland State on Wednesday, O’Banion said in her postgame radio interview. “We made a concerted effort to be in position on defense and not trying to force plays.”

Junior Larissa Lurken and redshirt freshman Tyra James each had four steals and 15 points. Freshman Alexa Golden and sophomores Naddiyah Cross and McKenna Stephens each had three steals.

The game turned  in an eight-minute span at the start of the second quarter when the Flashes forced the pace, forced turnovers and forced fouls.

Kent State had fought back from eight points down to lead 17-16 at the end of the first quarter.

Then in the second quarter, the Flashes had five steals in 57 seconds on their way to a 37-24 lead. Lurken made six straight free throws in that stretch, and the Flashes had assists on six of seven baskets in the second quarter.

“This team is special because they play so hard and play so hard for each other,” O’Banion said.

All in all, the coach said, “it was a fun night to be a Golden Flash.”

Notes:

• KSU’s record is 3-4. North Dakota State drops to 2-5.
• The game was called “Victor Day” in honor of people who have fought cancer and their families. Guest coach was Bonnie Beachy, KSU’s all-time leading scorer (men and women). Beachy is a cancer survivor, as is O’Banion, who fought lymphoma through last season. The name of the day came from Beachy, who describes herself as a cancer victor, not a victim.
•  KSU made its first starting line-up change of the season. Golden and Stephens started in place of Cross and Chelsi Watson. Other starters were  Lurken, Korinek and James. Cross still played 30 minutes and had one of her best games with 10 points, eight assists, three turnovers and three steals.
• Stephens, who had missed the first five games of the season with a knee injury, had four points, three rebounds and three steals in 17 minutes.
• Kent State had a season-high 20 assists on 31 baskets. James and Golden each had four assists.
• KSU’s 47 percent shooting was third highest of the season and its 31 baskets were the most of the year.
• The Flashes outscored North Dakota State 50-32 in the paint, 36-14 off turnovers and 16-11 on second-chance points.
• The Bison outrebounded KSU, 42-26.

Kent State goes on the road next week for games at Bradley Tuesday and at Youngstown State Saturday.

Full box score.

Kentstatesports.com story, including video highlights and O’Banion interview. 

Kent State had 20 steals, forced 34 turnovers and scored 36 points off those turnovers as it routed North Dakota State Saturday, 75-54.

It was the second-largest margin of victory for the team in coach Danny O’Banion’s four years here. (The Flashes beat Niagara 69-46 in 2013.)

Jordan Korinek scored 27 points — one off her career high. Larissa Lurken and Tyra James each had 15 points and four steals.

McKenna Stephens, Alexa Golden and Naddiyah Cross each had three steals in the “Victor Game,” which honored those who have fought cancer.

Kent State is now 3-4 on the season. North Dakota State is 2-5.

The Flashes fell behind by eight points early but came back to take a one-point lead after the first quarter. Then the Flashes forced the pace and turnovers and outscored NDSU 20-12 in the second quarter and 21-8 in the  third.

Detailed story with quotes and analysis will follow.

It was just over a year ago when Kent State women’s basketball coach Danny O’Banion learned she had lymphoma.

O’Banion went through chemotherapy all through last season and never missed a game.

Pronounced cancer-free by her doctors last spring, she’s the force behind Saturday’s “Victor Day,” in which people and their families who have fought cancer are honored.

Fans at the game with North Dakota State will be able to sign ribbons  with their names or with the names of loved ones who have fought cancer.  The ribbons will combined with a banner, and a photo will be taken of fans and the banner after the game.

“A lot of people reached out to me last year,” O’Banion said. “But I also heard from people who didn’t get that kind of support.”

The women’s basketball team spent Thursday afternoon at Akron General Hospital, where players and coaches toured the Breast Health Center and Cancer Center and heard doctors and nurses talk to them about patient care and prevention.

Guest of honor (and guest coach) at the game is Bonny Beachy, the only Kent State woman basketball player to have her jersey retired. She is KSU’s all-time leading scorer (men and women) with 2,071 points and has seven letters, including three in tennis. Since graduation in 1982, she has been a small business owner, teacher, coach and school administrator in Texas.

She too is a cancer survivor, having fought cervical and ovarian cancer. The name “Victor Game” comes from Beachy, who calls herself a cancer victor, not a victim.

The game against North Dakota State is a rematch of last season’s opener, which Kent State lost, 74-68.

The Bison are 2-4, the same record at Kent State. Their leading scorer is 5-11 senior guard Marena Whittle, who is averaging 19.8 points, tops in the Summit League. 6-1 forward Brianna Jones leads the Summit in rebounding at 11.3 a game.She also averages 10.7 points.

NDSU averages 66.2 points a game and gives up 72. It is outrebounding opponents by five a game but turns the ball over 17 times a game (a negative four average).

Kent State’s scoring and defense is similar. The Flashes average 68 points a game and give up 72. Their rebounding margin is a negative four, but they have a positive turnover margin (0.8) and lead the MAC in steals with 11.2 per game.

The Flashes lost  Wednesday to Cleveland State, 60-49,  in their weakest offensive performance of the season.

The game is at 7 p.m. in the MACC. Audio for the game starts at 6:45 p.m. on WHLO 640 AM and Golden Flash iHeart Radio. You can get video and live statistics through the KSU website.

The Flashes didn’t do a whole lot well in Wednesday’s 60-49 loss to Cleveland State Wednesday, but to me, the telling statistic was this:

CSU had 60 shots. Kent State had 52. That’s actually closer than I thought; with seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Cleveland State had 16 more shots than the Flashes.

The difference came because of offensive rebounds — CSU had 17 — and turnovers — Kent State had 23. Cleveland State had 14 second-chance points, Kent State 10. The Vikings scored 23 points off turnovers, the Flashes 20.

“They got the 50-50 balls,” was how Kent State coach Danny O’Banion put it in her postgame radio interview.

The other key statistic was three-point baskets. Cleveland State had eight (though it took 30 shots); Kent State was 4 of 14 and 0 for 8 in the second half.

The Flashes struggled with Cleveland State’s zone defense, especially in the first half. They had trouble getting the ball inside to leading scorer Jordan Korinek, who had just four points on four shots in the half. Korinek did finish with 16 points on 8 of 11 shooting.

The key moments of the game were the last six seconds of the third quarter. Kent State, which had been down by 12, had pulled within three, 43-40. They forced a missed CSU shot as the shot clock expired.

O’Banion called timeout with 5.6 seconds left in the quarter, and Kent State tried to set up a play to get within a point or tie the game. But a pass to Tyra James at midcourt went off her hands. James tied up the CSU player, but the possession stayed with Cleveland State. And at the buzzer, CSU’s Khayla Livingston banked in a half-court shot to make it 46-40.

Kent State never got within five points after that.

Notes:

• The 49 points were by far the fewest Kent State has scored this season. The Flashes had been averaging almost 71, with a low of 68 against Wright State and IPFW.
• Cleveland State outrebounded KSU 41-35. The Vikings had come into the game with a negative nine average in rebounding margin. KSU had a negative five margin. CSU’s line-up was no bigger than Kent’s.
• James and Larissa Lurken, Kent’s No. 2 and 3 scorers, struggled. Lurken was 3 for 13. After making two of her first three shots, she missed seven three-pointers. She finished with 12 points. James had 9 in the first half but didn’t score in the second. She was 4 of 11 shooting. “It will help Jordan when we get more out of them,” O’Banion said, “and that will come.”
• James had seven turnovers, point guard Naddiyah Cross five and Korinek five.
• Cross and starting forward Chelsi Watson, who had been averaging almost 10 points each, scored a total of three.
• James and back-up point guard Paige Salisbury had three steals each. Kent State, which leads the MAC in steals, had a total of 13, two more than Cleveland State, which leads the Horizon conference.
• Sophomore McKenna Stephens, one of only four returning players from last year’s team, saw her first action of the season after a knee injury. She played 11 minutes but didn’t score.
• Keziah Lewis had five points, including her first three-point basket. She scored more than 750 points in two years of junior college.
• Kent State led CSU 16-10 after a quarter, mostly because of four three-point baskets. But CSU dominated the second quarter 22-8 on the strength of six three-pointers.
• The Flashes, who had been averaging 22 foul shots a game, got only 12. They made nine.

Kent State finishes a four-game homestand Saturday against North Dakota State. It’s “Victor Day,” which celebrates people who have fought cancer. O’Banion was treated for lymphoma throughout last season and is in remission. Guest of honor at Saturday’s game will be Bonnie Beachy, Kent State’s all-time leading scorer (men and women) and only KSU woman to have had her jersey retired. Beachy is also a cancer survivor.

Full box score

Link to kentstatesports.com story, which includes video highlights and O’Banion interview.

Cleveland State battered Kent State for 17 offensive rebounds and forced 23 turnovers to beat the Flashes, 60-49.

The Vikings had eight more shots than the Flashes. At times that statistic reached as high as 16.

Jordan Korinek led KSU with 16 points, 12 in the second half, and 7 rebounds, 6 in the second half. Larissa Lurken had 12 and Tyra James 9.

Kent State had trouble getting the ball inside against CSU’s zone defense, especially in the first half, and made 4 of 18 three-point shots — 0 for 8 in the second half.

Cleveland State made eight three-pointers, though it took 30 shots. Six of those baskets came in the second quarter, when the Vikings outscored KSU 22-8.

It was CSU’s first victory of the season. The Vikings are now 1-4. Kent State is 2-4.

Full story with quotes and analysis will follow.

Full box score

We find out a great deal about the women’s basketball team this week.

The Flashes have two very winnable home games. They play Cleveland State, which is off to an 0-5 start, Wednesday and North Dakota State (2-4) on Saturday. Both games are at 7 p.m. at the MACC.

Kent is 2-3, having beaten Colgate (now 0-4) in its opener and Division II Malone on (2-3) Saturday. The Flashes played well in home losses to Wright State (6-2) and Minnesota (4-1) but not so well on the road at IPFW (3-3).

Now they play two teams of comparable ability. Last season KSU lost at Cleveland State, 69-67, after leading by seven with 2:46 to go. The Flashes lost last year’s opener at NDSU, 74-68, after leading by nine with seven minutes to go.

Cleveland State was 19-13 and third in the Horizon League a year ago. The year the Vikings were picked sixth in their conference. They lost leading scorer Imani Gordon but have gotten back redshirt freshman Ashanti Abshaw, who had suffered a season-ending injury before last year’s KSU game.

Abshaw, a 5-9 guard, leads CSU in scoring at 15.0 points a game and is second in rebounding on the team at 6.3 per game.

Cleveland State has forced 18.5 turnovers a game with a defense that uses full- and half-court traps.  The Vikings have made 36 percent of 92 three-point shots.

The Vikings have lost four of their five games by less than 10 points. They lost to Bucknell (4-2) by two at home and lost in overtime at Niagara (1-4) on Friday. (CSU women’s website.)

Kent State has defended the three-pointer well in four of its five games and is handling the ball better than it has in five seasons. The Flashes are plus-1.2 in turnover margin,  fourth best in the MAC. They lead the conference in steals per game (10.5).

KSU’s weaknesses have been two-point defense, often on the fast break, rebounding (a minus 3.4 per game average) and three-point shooting (just 24 percent).

Cleveland State has an even worse rebounding margin (minus nine).

Kent State is within two-tenths of a point of having all five starters average in double figures. All — forward Jordan Korinek (17.4), guard Larissa Lurken (13.4), guard Tyra James (11.2), guard Naddiyah Cross (10.0) and forward Chelsi Watson (9.8) — are in the top 30 in the MAC. (Full MAC statistics)

There have been times in the last five years when KSU had zero scorers in the MAC’s top 30.

The Flashes 71.2 scoring average is fourth in the MAC. But they’ve given up 74.8 points a game — second worst in the league.

Coach Danny O’Banion says that sophomore forward McKenna Stephens, who hasn’t played so far this season because of a knee injury, is likely to be available this week. Stephens averaged about five points a game last year.

O’Banion was expecting definitive word Tuesday on freshman guard Megan Carter, who was injured against IPFW. I don’t expect Carter to play; she may be out for the season.

Audio for the game starts at 6:45 p.m. on WHLO 640 AM and Golden Flash iHeart Radio. You can see video and get live statistics through the KSU website.