Some quick women’s basketball notes:
IN HER FIRST TWO GAMES, senior guard Larissa Lurken had 22 points and five rebounds and 27 points and 10 rebounds. The Eastern Kentucky game was the third double-double of her career. The 27 points were second highest to the 37 she scored against Northern Illinois last season, when she also had a career-high 11 rebounds. The 10 rebounds equals her second highest. For her career, Lurken had 960 points and 53 three-point baskets, which is second highest in school history.
THE LAST TIME KENT STATE WAS 2-0 was 2010-11, when the team started 6-0 under coach Bob Lindsay. The Flashes went on to a 20-11 season and second place in the MAC East. The team had five senior starters, and after they graduated, things started to fall apart. The next season was by far Lindsay’s least experienced team, and the recruiting class was pretty much a bust. Kent State went 6-21 and Lindsay’s contract wasn’t renewed. Coach Danny O’Banion took over the next season and went 21-98 over four seasons before her contract wasn’t renewed.
COACH TODD STARKEY HAS HIS TEAM STAYING ON THE COURT to talk to fans for 15 minutes after every home game, win or lose. “We did that at Indiana (where he was an assistant) last season,” Starkey said. “It’s good to build a connection with the community.”
AFTER THE FLASHES BEAT EASTERN KENTUCKY 80-67, the team stood in a line in front of the pep band and sang the school song. Starkey saluted the band and a noisy group of about 25 fans sitting next to it. Forward Jordan Korinek said in a radio interview after the game how nice it was to have a noisy gym behind the team. Attendance at the Eastern game was 489 and 562 for the Bradley opener. Average attendance last season was 490, second to last in the MAC behind Miami (482).
STARKEY GREETED two potential high school recruits after the game — both sophomore guards from Ohio.
IN THE MAC, Kent State, Buffalo, Miami, Ball State, Toledo and Northern Illinois are 2-0. (Standings are here.) Closest thing to marquee wins are three wins over second-division Atlantic 10 schools: Buffalo over Massachusetts, Toledo over the Rhode Island and Western Michigan over Davidson.
MOST INTERESTING MAC TEAM is Northern Illinois, which has scored 204 points in two games, including a 114-104 overtime win against Milwaukee. NIU was 4-14 (11-18 overall) and last in the MAC West last season. Senior Ali Lehman had 48 points and 21 rebounds in the Milwaukee game.
THE FLASHES host 1-1 Robert Morris at 2 p.m. Saturday at the MACC.
MAC scores this week
Tuesday
- Cincinnati (2-0) 68, Bowling Green (0-2) 58 at BG.
- Toledo (2-0) 65, Rhode Island (1-2) 50 at Toledo.
- Miami (2-0) 60, Northern Kentucky (0-2) 50 at Northern.
Wednesday
- Eastern Michigan (2-1) 68, Division II Ferris State 50 at Eastern.
- Northern Illinois (2-0) 114, Milwaukee (1-1) 104 at Northern.
- Ball State (2-0) 84, Evansville (0-2) 49 at Ball State.
- Buffalo (2-0) 73, Niagara (1-2) 63 at Buffalo.
- Penn State (2-1) 84, Akron (1-1) 71 at Penn State.
Game stories are on MAC website.