You expect Ohio U to make lots of three-pointers and dominate Kent State, as the first-place Bobcats did Wednesday.
But for Bowling Green to do the same thing?
After the first quarter, it was a low point of a hard season as BG beat the Flashes 71-49 in Bowling Green.
It was the 10th loss in a row for Kent State, which is 3-14, 0-7 in the MAC. Bowling Green is 7-9 and 3-4. The Falcons are one of the teams KSU is most likely to beat in the league; only two other teams have losing records.
BG made 15 of 28 three-point shots, almost double their average per game and 22 percentage points above their season average of 31.9 percent.
That was almost as good as OU, which set a MAC record of 17 three-pointers in a game against Kent in the Bobcats’ 93-54 victory in Kent. OU (15-3, 7-0 MAC) is the ninth best three-point shooting team in the country.
Kent State struggled on offense all game, making only 26.5 percent of its shots and only 22 percent of its two-point shots. KSU had just six assists.
Part of that was the absence of starting point guard Naddiyah Cross, who missed most of the game with an undisclosed injury. Cross played five minutes in the second half. Coach Danny O’Banion called her “day to day.”
Shooting guard Larissa Lurken started at the point and she and wing Tyra James handled most of the ball handling. They had one assist between them.
“I thought the tempo of the game was the difference, and their three point shooting was prolific,” said coach Danny O’Banion in her postgame radio interview. “The first half was Kent State tempo, and the remainder of the second half they turned us into a half-court team.”
Jordan Korinek led KSU with 14 points but scored only four in the second half and fouled out with about five minutes to go. No other Kent player scored in double figures.
KSU led 13-11 after a quarter, but Bowling Green made 5 of 9 three-pointers in the second quarter, including three straight at the end of the quarter.
Then the Falcons made 6 of 9 more three-point shots in the third quarter as they outscored KSU 25-11.
Notes:
- The 49 points ties KSU’s lowest total of the year. The Flashes were beaten 60-49 by Cleveland State in Dec. 2.
- BG had 20 assists on 24 baskets. Every team that has hurt the Flashes badly in three-point shooting has had huge assist numbers.
- Tyra James led Kent State with eight rebounds but was 0 for 8 from the field.
- Bowling Green scored only 12 of its 71 points in the paint.
- Freshman Paige Salisbury made her first collegiate three-point shot and had a career-high five points and five rebounds in 11 minutes.
- Sophomore forward McKenna Stephens had eight points and made 2 of 5 three-pointers.
- The Flashes had 17 turnovers, leading to 19 BG points. They scored 13 points off 18 Bowling Green turnovers.
- Bowling Green outrebounded Kent 38-34.
- BG freshman guard Sydney Lambert had a career-high 20 points for BG. She made six three-pointers. Rachel Myers had five three-pointers.
KSU is home at 7 p.m. Wednesday against Northern Illinois, the team with the second-worst record in conference play at 1-6.
Other MAC scores:
- Central Michigan (11-7, 5-2) 81, Akron (10-89, 4-3) 60, at Central Michigan.
- Miami (8-10, 2-5) 69, Buffalo (10-8, 2-5) 58, at Miami.
- Ohio (15-3, 7-0) 72, Northern Illinois (8-10, 1-6) 47, at Northern.
- Ball State (14-4, 6-1) 77, Western Michigan (12-7, 4-3) 53, at Western.
- Eastern Michigan (13-5, 4-3) 59, Toledo (9-9, 4-3) 41, at Eastern.