Megan Carter had to wait seven months for this game, but she was there when the Flashes needed her in their Mid-American Conference opener.

Carter had been academically ineligible in fall after she had struggled in pre-med classes last spring.

In her first game back, she scored a career-high as Kent State beat Eastern Michigan in Ypsilanti, 67-60.

“Sixteen points (for Carter), and we needed every one of them,” coach Todd Starkey said in his postgame interview on Golden Flash iHeart Radio. “She was rusty, but you know that will come for her.”

Carter had six turnovers and made only three of eight foul shots. She also had an assist and three rebounds in 29 minutes. She was six of 15 shooting from the floor.

The Flashes as a team had 21 turnovers. That’s been a weakness for Kent State all season and has been a strength of Eastern’s. The Eagles, 21st in the country in steals per game, had 12 of them Saturday and scored 25 points off KSU turnovers.

“They put on a lot of pressure,” Cross said. “We definitely need to work on our press break going through the conference.”

Kent State handled Eastern’s press and pressure with ease in the first quarter in running to a 21-11 lead.  But the Eagles dominated the second and most of the third quarter and led the Flashes 47-42 with 49 seconds to go in the third quarter.

Alexa Golden had an assist on a McKenna Stephens basket and three foul shots at the end of the quarter to tie the game for the Flashes going to the fourth quarter.

The Flashes scored the first six points of the fourth quarter and never trailed the rest of the game, though Eastern cut the lead to three points several times late in the game.

“The aggressor was the one going on runs, and we just had to be more aggressive,” Starkey said. “Eastern keeps bring subs off the bench and keeps at you, trying to turn you over. You can’t be passive against it. When we were aggressive, we did a good job of scoring and getting to the free throw line.”

Golden ended with nine points and tied a career high with 10 rebounds. She also had five assists and made four free throws in the last 14 seconds to guarantee the victory.

Stephens had a career-best 12 rebounds and scored 17 points on seven of 14 shooting and three of four three-pointers. She had two assists and two steals.

Jordan Korinek led Kent State with 21 points, two above her average. She made eight of 16 shots, had six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal.

Notes

• Kent State made 24 of 57 shots for 42 percent, one percentage point above its season average. Eastern was 23 of 65 for 35 percent, two points below its average and about four points below Kent State’s defensive average.
• Kent State is now 5-1 in road games, with its only loss coming at No. 21  Michigan.
• The Flashes’ starting lineup was the same it has been for all except Michigan game — Korinek, Stephens, Golden and guards Ali Poole and Naddiyah Cross. Carter was the first player off the bench. She often played point guard last season, but she and Cross were on the court together for more than 20 minutes and shared bringing the ball up and starting the offense.
• Kent State was 15 of 25 from the foul line for 60 percent, its lowest percentage of the year. Eastern was 12 of 25 for 48 percent and only three of 12 in the second half.
• The Flashes outrebounded Eastern 49-36. Each team had 14 offensive rebounds; EMU had led the MAC in offensive rebounding.

Because of breaks for final exams and Christmas, it was only Kent State’s second game in 21 days. “There was a little bit of rust, and hopefully we got rid of that and can move forward,” Starkey said. “This is an unforgiving conference schedule.”

Kent State plays at Northern Illinois (8-4) Wednesday. Northern lost 67-65 at Miami  (9-3) Saturday.

Box score

Other MAC scores

• Central Michigan (9-3) 69, Ball State (11-1) 65 at Ball State. Ball State had been the second-ranked mid-major in the country and received votes in both top 25 polls. Central Michigan was the preseason MAC favorite but had the league’s fourth-best non-conference record.
• Buffalo (10-2) 89, Akron (6-6) 66 at Akron.
• Western Michigan (8-5) 67, Bowling Green (8-4) 58 at Western.
• Toledo (9-3) plays at Ohio (6-5) Sunday.

Jordan Korinek had 21 points, Megan Carter scored 16 in her first game of the season and McKenna Stephens and Alexa Golden both had double-figure rebounds as Kent State beat Eastern Michigan Saturday, 67-60.

It was the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams. On the season, KSU is now 8-5, Eastern 4-8.

Kent State had strong first and fourth quarters. In between, Eastern Michigan dominated and led by five points late in the third quarter. But KSU went on a 5-0 run to end the quarter and a 6-0 run to start the fourth.

In her first game back after sitting out the fall for academic reasons, Carter made 6 of 15 shots and had three assists and three rebounds in 29 minutes. Her 16 points were a career high.

Stephens had 17 points and a career-high 12 rebounds. Golden had nine points and 10 rebounds and made three foul shots in the last minute.

Kent State plays its second MAC game at Northern Illinois Wednesday.

Box score

On paper, Eastern Michigan is the kind of team you like to come off the Christmas break against.

On paper, Eastern Michigan looks like a game Kent State should win to open its Mid-American Conference season on Saturday, even on the road.

The Eagles’ record is 4-7, worst in the MAC. Their RPI is 288, worst in the MAC. The three Division I teams they’ve beaten have a combined record of 2-28.

Eastern was the league’s worst team last season. KSU beat them twice, once by 19, once by 18.

The Flashes go into the MAC season with a 7-5 record and an RPI of 165. Their last game before Christmas was their best of the non-conference season — a 46-31 victory over Robert Morris, last year’s Northeastern Conference champions and the favorite in its league this season.

Saturday should mark the 2017-18 debut of KSU guard Megan Carter, who missed the first semester with academic problems. Coach Todd Starkey calls Carter the teams best offensive guard; she averaged 10 points a game in the second half of Kent’s conference season last year.

Carter has never started a game for the Flashes. She usually came off the bench last season to replace starting point guard Naddiyah Cross and played more minutes than Cross did in conference games. The two did sometimes play together last year. Cross has played very well defensively in Kent State’s last two games. Expect to see them together Saturday, with Carter also spelling guards Alexa Golden and Ali Poole.

Cross, Golden and Poole have all averaged more than 30 minutes a game this season. Carter should give them some needed rest.

Golden is Kent’s third leading scorer at 9.1 points a game, Poole the team’s fourth at 8.8 points. Cross leads the team in assists with 5.1 per game.

Senior forward Jordan Korinek leads Kent State in scoring (18.8 points a game, third in the MAC) and rebounding (5.8 per game). Grad student McKenna Stephens averages 9.6 points and 5.5 rebounds.

Eastern Michigan is led by 5-10 freshman guard Courtnie Lewis, who is averaging 12.3 points per game. Danielle Minott, a 5-8  junior transfer from Syracuse, averages 11.2 and Sasha Daily, another guard and the Eagles’ leading scorer last season, averages 10.0. Two other key players are transfers — 6-1 Emoni Jackson (Michigan) and 6-1 Loraine Enabulele (Kansas). Nine of the 13 women on Eastern’s will be playing their first MAC game as second-year coach Fred Castro rebuilds his roster.

Most concerning stat from Eastern is that the Eagles average 11.9 steals a game and have a plus-3.8 turnover margin. Kent State has had turnover problems — 25 against Robert Morris — and minus-3.7 average margin on the season. That’s the thing most likely to beat the Flashes.

Somehow it seemed that the non-conference season was so concentrated that I never found the spot to write my usual “Keys to the Season” post.

But since MAC play starts Saturday, it’s a good time now.

The Flashes are sitting pretty much where they were at this time last season. They’re 7-5 and have shown potential. But right now I wouldn’t call them a championship contender.

How can we? I know I’ve carped on this, but the team has beaten one team with a winning record and no team with an RPI better than 200.

Nine MAC teams have a winning record and an RPI of at least 170. Six have RPIs better than 115.

A year ago the Flashes were 6-6 going into conference play. We were ecstatic. Kent State hadn’t been at .500 in five years. All I really hoped for was for the team to keep it up and break even on the season.

And in one of the great stories I’ve watched in 50 years of following sports, KSU won 13 conference games and the MAC East and finished 19-13.

Can the Flashes do it again?

It’s certainly possible, but like last year, things have to fall in place. The three key ones:

1. The Flashes have to show the consistency they did in their two final non-conference games. KSU spent its first 10 games playing a couple of good quarters in every game, even against teams like Stanford and Florida Gulf Coast, Gonzaga and Wright State (three top mid-majors). But the Flashes lost all of those games by double digits because they only played a couple of good quarters. They always had at least one really bad quarter that put the them out of the game.

Against No. 24 Michigan and Robert Morris, the Flashes played about as hard on defense for 40 minutes as a team can play. Michigan scored 54 points — 20 below its season average. Robert Morris, the favorite to win the Northeastern Conference, scored 31 — half its average and the fewest points a Kent State team has allowed in 21 years.

If KSU plays like that through the conference season, it will be another fun ride.

2. The Flashes have to cut down their turnovers.  Their margin is minus-3.7, the worst in the MAC by two a game.

That’s got to come back to a break-even point.

3. They need a spark from Megan Carter, the redshirt sophomore guard who missed the first semester because of academic problems. It’s not that Carter is a bad or unmotivated student; she was a pre-med major and got in over her head in some lab classes last spring.

She’s now a public health major and eligible for the second semester. Back in September, I asked coach Todd Starkey what he thought keys to the season were. He immediately answered: “What happens when we get Megan Carter back?”

Carter played starter minutes for the second half of the conference season last year and averaged about 10 points a game in that time. Starkey says she’s looked even better in practice this year — “our best perimeter scorer.”

If her presence means five points a game more than KSU did in the non-conference schedule, the Flashes should contend.

One thing Carter gives Kent State is a player who makes things happen. Even as a freshman, she was among the best on the team at creating her own shot — by driving, pulling up for a jumper or hitting a three-point shot. The Flashes have needed that badly this season in some possessions as the shot clock wound down.

Some secondary needs:

• Get Jordan Korinek help in scoring. Korinek, the team’s 6-3 preseason all-MAC forward, averages 18.8 points a game. The Flashes have to get at least three players a game in the eight- to 12-point range. Carter can do that. So can McKenna Stephens, Ali Poole and Alexa Golden — even Naddiyah Cross on occasion.
• Keep up their good rebounding. The Flashes average a plus-5.6 rebounding margin, third best in the MAC. They outrebounded Robert Morris 44-21. They outrebounded Michigan and its all-Big Ten center by four.
• Keep scoring from the foul line. Kent State led the nation in made free throws last year and won at least 10 games at the foul line. Despite the graduation of Larissa Lurken, who set an NCAA record in scoring from the line last season, Kent State still ranks 14th in the country and is outscoring opponents by seven points a game in free throws.

The path to a MAC East title

SWEEP THE SEASON SERIES from four of these five teams: Eastern Michigan, Bowling Green, Miami, Ohio and Akron. The Flashes swept all five last season, but Bowling Green and Miami have better records and higher RPIs than Kent State does at this point.

SPLIT WITH BUFFALO AND NORTHERN ILLINOIS. The road to the East goes through Buffalo, which is 9-2 and has an RPI of 30. NIU swept the Flashes last season.

WIN AT LEAST ONE OF THEIR FOUR single games with West Division teams. Those are games in Kent against 11-0 Ball State and 7-5 Western Michigan and away games against 8-3 Central Michigan and 9-3 Toledo. Best chance is Western, which Kent State beat in Kalamazoo last season. The game is Kent’s first home MAC game, on Jan. 6.

That would be 12 wins. KSU was 13-5 in the MAC last season.

Right now, on paper, KSU is no better than the sixth or seventh best team in the 12-team MAC. That’s based on record, RPI and team statistics.

But on paper includes 10 inconsistent non-conference games. It includes 12 games without Megan Carter.

As they did last season, the Flashes will have to prove on the court that they’re better than their non-conference record.

Last season the West dominated the MAC with the top two regular-season teams (Central Michigan and Ball State), the fourth best team (Northern Illinois) and the tournament champion (Toledo). Preseason results this year are pretty much the same.

On paper, only Buffalo in the East challenges Ball State, Central and Toledo. Bowling Green and Miami have solid 8-3 records but against lesser competition.

Here’s the breakdown of the MAC East after the preseason:

Buffalo (9-2)

• RPI: 30 (of 349 teams).
• Schedule Strength: 100.
• Preseason MAC prediction: First in East.
• Overview: The Bulls went through last year’s non-conference season with a league best 10-1 record but faded to fourth place in the East. We’ll see if they can do better this season. The Bulls have everyone but leading scorer Joanna Smith back, along with a good freshman class and some transfers. In the last week, they beat 7-4 St. John’s (RPI 25) but lost to 3-8 Niagara (RPI 188), both on the road.
• Top wins: St. John’s (7-4, RPI 25), Clemson (10-3, 138), Nebraska (9-4, 129).
• Top players: Senior Cassie Oursler (13.2 points,1.5 blocks per game, 50 percent shooting percentage), sophomore Summer Hemphill (5.8 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 59.3 shooting percentage), junior Cierra Dillard (12.3 points, 4.7 assists, 3.5 steals).
• Key statistics: 61.1 opponents’ points per game (second in MAC), 36.2 opponents’ shooting percentage (third), 18.9 assists (second), 13.9 steals (second).
• Statistical weakness: Three-point shooting (29.2 percent, 10th).

Bowling Green (8-3)

• RPI: 101.
• Schedule Strength: 213.
• Preseason MAC prediction: Fifth in East.
• Overview: Bowling Green has been well below .500 for three seasons but put together a very solid non-conference record. The Falcons’ statistics, almost across the board, are in the middle of the MAC.
• Top wins: Xavier (7-4, RPI 118), Norfolk State (6-5, 168), Robert Morris (7-4, 228).
• Top players: Junior Carly Santoro (14.7 points, 10.4 rebounds), sophomore Andrea Cecil (12.5 points), junior Sydney Lambert (10.8 points, 1.7 steals, 2.1 three-pointers).
• Key statistics: 67.1 points per game (eighth in MAC), 66.6 points allowed (10th), 71.7 free-throw percentage (fifth).
• Statistical weakness: 38.9 field goal percentage (ninth), 41.2 field goal defense (ninth).

Miami (8-3)

• RPI: 115.
• Schedule Strength: 278.
• Preseason MAC prediction: Fourth in East.
• Overview: Miami has a new coach (former Michigan assistant Megan Duffy) and returns freshman of the year Lauren Dickerson. The Redskins have put together a surprising preseason. Signature win came at IUPUI, currently No. 23 in the Mid-Major Top 25, by 13 points.
• Top wins: IUPUI (8-3, RPI 116), Jacksonville State (4-5, 144), Valparaiso (5-4, 234).
• Top players: Sophomore Lauren Dickerson (MAC-leading 21.5 points per game, 6.0 assists, 3.5 three-pointers), senior Molly McDonagh (6.0 rebounds), senior Megan Galloway (64.7 field goal percentage).
• Key statistics: 73 points per game (fourth in MAC), 62.7 points allowed (fifth), 46.2 field goal percentage (first), 43.2 three-point percentage (first).
• Statistical weakness: Turnover margin (-0.2).

Kent State (7-5)

• RPI: 165.
• Schedule Strength: 254.
• Preseason MAC prediction: Second in East.
• Overview: The Flashes have played three top 50 RPI teams and two more between 50 and 85 but have lost to all of them. They’ve beaten seven teams with RPI ranks below 200. Their last two games was outstanding defensive efforts, holding No. 24 Michigan to 54 points in a losing effort and defending Northeastern Conference champion Robert Morris to 31 in a convincing win.
• Top wins: Robert Morris (7-4, RPI 228), Memphis (5-8, RPI 236).
• Top players: Senior Jordan Korinek (18.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 50.3 field goal percentage), grad student McKenna Stephens (9.6 points, 5.5 rebounds).
• Key statistics: 61.4 points allow per game (third in MAC), plus-5.6 rebounding margin (third), 193 made free throws (26 more than any other conference team).
• Statistical weakness: Minus-3.7 turnover margin (12th), 61 points per game (12th).

Akron (6-5)

• RPI: 253.
• Schedule Strength: 276.
• Preseason MAC prediction: Sixth in East.
• Overview: Zips haven’t beaten a team with anything near a winning record. They came within six points of 10-3 Dusquesne on the road.  For several years, Akron has had decent non-conference records against weak competition, then struggled in the MAC.
• Top wins: Southern Illinois at Edwardsville (3-8, RPI 227), Eastern Kentucky (3-6, 274).
• Top players: Sophomore Shaunay Edmonds (10.8 points, 4.1 assists) sophomore Haliegh Reinoehl (8.5 rebounds).
• Key statistics: 59.4 points allowed per game (first), 35.3 field goal percentage defense (first), 33.2 three-point percentage (fifth).
• Statistical weakness: 65.1 points scored (10th), 37.1 field goal percentage (11th), minus-2.4 rebounding margin (10th).

Ohio (5-5)

• RPI: 127.
• Schedule Strength: 72.
• Preseason MAC prediction: Third in East.
• Overview: This is Ohio’s worst non-conference record since coach Bob Bolden’s first year. The Bobcats had won two straight conference championships and were favored to win the East last season (but didn’t). They played the league’s second toughest schedule this year.
• Top wins: Purdue (9-5, RPI 56), High Point (3-5, 141).
• Top players: Sophomore Amani Burke (13.0 points per game), freshman Cierra Hooks (12.0, 3.2 steals), senior Taylor Agler (4.5 assists, 2.6 steals).
• Key statistics: Plus-13 turnover margin (best in conference by seven), 14.6 steals (first).
• Statistical weakness: Minus-13.4 rebound margin (worst in conference by 10), 36.4 field goal percentage (12th), 45.0 field-goal defense (12th), 26.6 three-point percentage (12th).

MAC statistics, including standings.

The Mid-American Conference is having a very good year in women’s basketball.

The MAC has the eighth-best RPI of the 32 Division I conferences and seventh-best winning percentage (64.8), according to WarrenNolan.com, the rating service I follow most closely. That’s about as high as the MAC has been in my time following women’s basketball. The last two years the MAC has been 10th, which is good historically.

Such rankings — which are based on a team’s record and schedule strength — are one thing that might help the conference get two bids to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 20 years.

Five MAC teams are ranked in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. Undefeated Ball State (11-0) is fifth. Buffalo (9-2) is ninth. Ball State has received votes in both major Top 25 polls.

Here’s a look at how the teams are doing as they head into conference play this weekend:

West Division

Ball State (11-0)

• RPI: 22 (of 349 teams).
• Schedule Strength: 140.
• Preseason MAC prediction: Third in West.
• Overview: The Cardinals lost two 1,000-point scorers to graduation but have been the class of the MAC in non-league play. They have two wins over top-50 RPI schools (the entire MAC had none last year). The closest any team has come to Ball State is six points.
• Top wins: Western Kentucky (8-4, 26th RPI), Butler (8-4, 50th), Purdue (9-5, 57th).
• Top players: Senior forward Mariah Monaco (17.0 points, 5.7 rebounds), junior guard Carmen Grande (12.6 points, 10.1 assists, 2.9 steals), senior forward Destiny Wshington (13.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 59.2 shooting percentage).
• Key statistics: 84.8 points per game (first in MAC). +21.5 scoring margin (first). In top three of MAC in 13 of 21 statistical categories.
• Statistical weakness: Foul shooting (67.4 percent, eighth in conference).

Toledo (9-3)

• RPI: 66.
• Schedule Strength: 177.
• Preseason MAC prediction: Second in West.
• Overview: Defending MAC Tournament champions have one of the best post players in the conference in Kaayla McIntyre and four players averaging at least nine points a game.
• Top wins: Cleveland State (8-3, 91 RPI), Dayton (7-4, 103 ).
• Top players: Kaayla McIntyre (14.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 65.1 field goal percentage), guard Mikaela Boyd (5.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.8 steals).
• Key statistics: 42.9 field-goal percentage (fifth), 39.4 field-goal percentage defense (fifth), 29.3 three-point defense (fourth).
• Statistical weakness: Foul shooting (64.94 percent, 10th in conference).

Central Michigan (8-3)

• RPI: 104.
• Schedule Strength: 198.
• Preseason MAC prediction: First in West.
• Overview: Chippewas were overwhelming favorites in coaches’ poll to win the West, the MAC overall and the league tournament. They lost their first game to Purdue and last two to Duquesne and Quinnipiac, two perennial good mid-majors. They’re a deep team with two returning all-conference players — guard Presley Hudson and post Tinara Moore.
• Top wins: Iowa State (6-5, 241 RPI), Vanderbilt (3-10, 136, Oakland (6-4, 176).
• Top players: Junior guard Presley Hudson (18.8 points, 4.2 three-pointers , 5.3 assists per game), senior post Tinara Moore (16.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 60.4 field goal percentage).
• Key statistics: Plus-9.2 rebounding margin (first in MAC), 40.1 three-point percentage (second), 82.5 points per game (third).
• Statistical weakness: Scoring defense (68.3 points per game, 11th), three-point field goal defense (37.2 percent, 12th), turnover margin (-1.64, 11th).

Northern Illinois (8-3)

• RPI: 167.
• Schedule Strength: 327.
• Preseason MAC prediction: Fourth in West.
• Overview: As they were last year, the Huskies are a high-scoring, low-defense team. Losses have been to Iowa (12-1) and Albanh (10-2) and Lamar (1-5), and they’ve beaten only one team with a winning record. Strength of schedule is lowest in conference.
• Top wins: Western Illinois (8-3, 114 RPI), Bradley (4-5, 147).
• Top players: Junior Courtney Woods (19.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 39.5 three-point percentage), junior Mikayla Voigt (16.0 points, 4.4 assists, 48.6 three-point percentage), sophomore Ally May (8.9 rebounds, 50 percent field goal percentage).
• Key statistics: 83.2 points per game (second in conference), 9.2 three-pointers per game (second), 39.6 three-point percentage (third), 44.4 field goal percentage (fourth).
• Statistical weakness: Points allowed (76.1 per game, 12th in MAC), field goal defense (41.3 percent, 10th).

Western Michigan (7-5)

• RPI: 75.
• Schedule Strength: 48.
• Preseason MAC prediction: Fifth in West.
• Overview: Broncos have played the toughest schedule in the MAC, and its five losses all have been to teams in the top 50 RPI. But they haven’t beaten a team with a winning record, and three of their victories have been over non-Division I teams.
• Top wins: East Tennessee State (6-8, 162 RPI), New Mexico State (4-7, 214 RPI).
• Top players: Breanna Mobley (16.0 points, 8.5 rebounds, 55.1 field goal percentage), Marley Hill (10.8 points), Deja Wimby (5.3 assists, 1.8 steals).
• Key statistics: 62.4 points against per game (fourth best in MAC), 27.1 three-point defense (first), 37.4 field goal defense (fourth).
• Statistical weakness: Three-point field goal percentage (29.5, ninth), three-pointers per game (5.3, 11th).

Eastern Michigan (4-7)

• RPI: 288.
• Schedule Strength: 307.
• Preseason MAC prediction: Sixth in West.
• Overview: Eagles were weakest team in conference last season and so far are again, despite what was supposed to be an excellent freshman class. They’ve beaten three Division I teams with a combined 2-27 record) and a Division II school.
• Top wins: Detroit Mercy (0-11, 268 RPI, Florida A&M (1-10, 319).
• Top players: Freshman Courtnie Lewis (12.3 points, junior Danielle Minott (11.2 points, 1.8 three-pointers per game).
• Key statistics: Steals (11.9 per game, third in MAC), plus-3.8 turnover margin (fourth).
• Statistical weakness: Scoring offense (64.7 points per game, 11th in MAC), scoring defense (64.4, eighth), field goal percentage (37.4, 10th).

MAC East teams will follow in a next post.

MAC statistics, including standings.

In Kent State’s 11-day break for Christmas, we have time to look back at the non-conference opponents and ahead to the MAC season.

The Flashes non-conference schedule was a strange one. The Flashes finished 7-5, their best record since 2010-11. They beat six teams with weak records. They lost two two teams in the Associated Press Top 25 and three more in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. And they finished with a win over 7-4 Robert Morris, the preseason favorite in the Northeastern Conference and participant in the NCAA tournament the last two years.

Here’s a rundown on where their opponents stand (records and rankings are as of Friday afternoon):

NORTHERN KENTUCKY (1-9). Kent State beat NKU 59-54 on the road in its opener. Since them, the only team the Norse have beaten is Division II Oakland City University, which itself is 4-6. Northern Kentucky is probably a better team than its record; it hasn’t lost a game by more than 12 points.

• RPI: 341 (of 349 teams).
• Schedule strength: 252. (Figures come from WarrenNolan.com. RPI is a rating system based on a team’s record, its opponents’ record, and opponents’ opponents’ record.)

YOUNGSTOWN STATE (3-7). Kent State won, 55-44, in Youngstown. YSU has beaten only Division II Ohio Valley (0-8), Loyola of Chicago (1-9) and Northern Arizona (2-8). The Penguins came within six points of 7-4 American, which has an RPI of 98.

• RPI: 308.
• Schedule strength: 292.

FLORIDA GULF COAST (10-3). The Flashes lost to FGCU, 80-62, in the Akron Classic Tournament. Florida Gulf Coast is the nation’s third-ranked mid-major. The XXXX have lost only to two other ranked mid-majors (Belmont and Chattanooga) and No. 8 Ohio State. They’ve beaten Illinois (9-4), DePaul (8-4) and Kentucky (8-5).

• RPI: 25.
• Schedule strength: 52.

SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA (1-10). Kent State won, 81-60, at the Akron Classic. The Lions have beaten only Bethune-Cookman (6-3). They’ve lost to some good teams — LSU (7-3), Cincinnati (6-5), TCU (9-2) and Auburn (8-3).

• RPI: 309.
• Schedule strength: 221.

STANFORD (6-6). The Cardinal beat KSU 79-54 in the Play4Kay Showcase in Las Vegas. Stanford, a Final Four team a year ago, has played one of the toughest schedules in the country. It’s lost to No. 1 Connecticut, No. 6 Baylor, No. 7 Tennessee, No. 12 Ohio State (twice), and Western Illinois, which is ranked 18th in the mid-major poll.

• RPI: 44:
• Schedule strength: 5.

GONZAGA (7-4). The Bulldogs beat Kent State 77-57 in Las Vegas. They’re ranked 19th in the mid-major poll with wins over Western Illinois (8-3) and Washington State (7-5) and losses to Belmont (9-3), Colorado State (7-3) and DePaul (8-4).

• RPI: 79.
• Schedule strength: 80

MEMPHIS (5-8). The Tigers had lost five in a row when Kent State beat them 70-55 at the Play4Kay Showcase in Las Vegas. They’ve now won four in a row, including a two-point victory over 9-2 UAB.

• RPI: 238.
• Schedule strength: 180.

DETROIT (0-11). I thought Detroit was far better than a winless team when Kent State beat the Titans 82-74. They’re still winless and still, I think, pretty good. Their non-conference schedule practically makes them a MAC team: they’ve lost to Miami by 27, Bowling Green by four, Kent State by eight, Western Michigan by 12, Eastern Michigan by two and Toledo by 17. They’ve also lost to Michigan State, Michigan, Clemson and Illinois. Tough schedule.

• RIP: 267.
• Schedule strength: 47.

EASTERN KENTUCKY (3-7). Kent State escaped at EKU with a 65-57 overtime victory. The Colonels have beaten Division II Ohio Christian,  Western Carolina  (2-9) and North Carolina Greensboro (3-7). They’re another team that’s played a MAC-heavy schedule, losing to Kent State, Bowling Green, Akron and Ohio, along with Cincinnati (7-5) and George Mason (10-3).

• RPI: 274.
• Schedule strength: 234.

WRIGHT STATE (9-3). The Raiders, who beat KSU 72-60 in Kent, are ranked 13th among mid-majors. Besides Kent State, the only team with a winning record they’ve beaten is Belmont, which is 9-3 and fourth in the latest mid-major poll. They’ve lost to some good teams: No. 16 Missouri, Georgia (12-1) and Providence (7-5).

• RPI: 69
• Schedule strength: 163.

MICHIGAN (11-2). Kent State held the Wolverines to their second-lowest point total of the year in KSU’s 54-41 loss in Ann Arbor. (Michigan’s lowest was 49 points against No. 3 Louisville.) Michigan is ranked No. 24 in the latest AP Poll with wins over Kent State, George Mason (10-3), Oakland (6-4) and Marquette (6-5).

• RPI: 47.
• Schedule strength: 118.

ROBERT MORRIS (7-4). The Flashes beat the Colonials 46-31 in their best and most recent victory. Robert Morris has yet to beat a team with a winning record; its best win was over 4-6 San Francisco.

• RIP: 231.
• Schedule strength: 321.

Kent State’s RPI is 178 and schedule strength 266.

Next week we’ll look at how the rest of the MAC did in non-conference play. (Short answer: Very well, with five teams in the top 100 in RPI.

KSU opens MAC play at Eastern Michigan (4-7) Dec. 30.

All through the non-conference season, Kent State coach Todd Starkey had said the Flashes hadn’t put four good defensive quarters together.

Through 11 non-conference games, KSU hadn’t beaten a team with a winning record.

That ended Tuesday morning at Robert Morris.

The Flashes held the Colonials — a team that has gone to the NCAA tournament the last two years and that beat the Flashes in Kent last season — to the lowest point total for an opponent since 1996 and won, 46-31.

Kent State finishes its non-conference season with a 7-5 record. Robert Morris is 7-4.

“Our defensive effort was just phenomenal from start to finish,” Starkey said in his postgame interview on Golden Flash iHeart Radio. “If we can defend like that in MAC play and get more efficient offensively, I like where we’re potentially headed.”

It was the second good defensive effort in a row for Kent State. On Dec. 10 — before the team broke for final exams, the Flashes held No. 23 Michigan to five points in the first quarter and 54 overall in a 54-41 loss.

Robert Morris had been averaging 62.5 points a game — twice what it scored Tuesday.

The Colonials had averaged 41.3 percent shooting. Kent State held them to 25 percent. They had averaged 35 percent shooting from three-point distance. KSU keep them to 11 percent — two of 19.

The Flashes outrebounded RMU 44-21. Robert Morris starts three seniors who average 6-foot-1 on its front line and brings the team’s leading rebounder, a 6-2 sophomore, off the bench. The Colonials had a plus-one average rebounding margin in their first 10 games.

Jordan Korinek led Kent State with 17 points. Ali Poole had 11 on five-of-nine shooting and a career-high eight rebounds. Korinek had seven rebounds and guard Alexa Golden, playing a short drive from her home in suburban Pittsburgh, had six rebounds and five assists.

“We had time for individual meetings with all our players this week,” Starkey said. “The complete and total emphasis of Ali’s meeting was to think rebounding.

“Everything else kind falls in place. Her defensive effort was better. Offensively I thought she was in more of a flow because she wasn’t trying to force things.

“I’m really proud of her response. That’s what being coachable is. It’s not just listening. It’s being able to respond after listening.”

The Flashes led 12-10 after the first quarter and 21-18 at halftime (the second game in a row their opponents scored fewer than 20 in the first half). They held Robert Morris to 13 points in the second half.

Turnovers — KSU’s biggest weakness all season — continued to be a problem. The Flashes committed a season-high 25 as Robert Morris had 15 steals. The Colonials managed to score only 13 points off the turnovers, though, and Kent State scored 11 off of RMU’s 13 turnovers.

Box score

Notes

• Kent State’s 7-5 non-conference record is its best since 2010-11, when it was 9-3. Last season the Flashes were 6-6. The Flashes schedule strength, according to WarrenNolan.com, is 275 out of 349 Division I teams. Last year’s non-conference schedule strength was 80, counting its WNIT game against Michigan.
• The win moved Kent State’s RPI up 30 positions to 184, also according to WarrenNolan.com. RPI is a rating based on a team’s record and schedule strength. Road victories count substantially more than home wins, and KSU finished the non-conference season 4-1 in true road games. It went 2-3 at neutral sites and 1-1 at home.
• 2010-11 was also the last year the Flashes beat Robert Morris. The teams are now 5-5 in their series. Last season RMU beat Kent State 68-65 in overtime at the M.A.C. Center.
• Kent State missed eight free throws (four of 12) in the first half. They had missed more than that in an entire game only twice this season. But in the second half, the Flashes made 13 of 14.
• The Flashes made 14 of 39 field goals for 38.9 percent, slightly below its season average and three of nine three-point shots (33 percent), which is slightly above.
• Senior forward Zenobia Bess played a season-high 11 minutes. Starting forward McKenna Stephens played a season-low 22. Freshman point guard Erin Thames played seven minutes, second highest of her career. Neither Bess nor Thames scored.
• Only two teams have scored fewer than 31 points against the Flashes. KSU beat Coppin State 88-29 in 1996 and Muskingham 91-25 in 1979. Neither team had a record remotely as good as Robert Morris.
• The game was at a strange time — 10 a.m. — because of a career-day for school children at Robert Morris. It was at a strange place — RMU’s recreation center — because the Colonials are building a new basketball facility. Attendance was

Kent State played best perhaps its defensive game in two decades Tuesday as it defeated Robert Morris, 46-31.

It was the lowest point total for a KSU opponent since 1996.

The Flashes finish their non-conference season with a 7-5 record. Robert Morris, defending Northeastern Conference champions and a team that beat KSU in Kent last season, is 7-4.

Jordan Korinek led Kent State with 17 points. Ali Poole had 11 and a career-high eight rebounds.

The Flashes held Robert Morris to 25 percent shooting and 2 of 19 on three-point shots. The Colonials had averaged 62.5 points a game, 41.3 percent shooting and 35 percent on three-pointers.

KSU committed 25 turnovers in the game and missed eight foul shots in the first half. The Flashes hadn’t missed more than nine in a game all season. But they were 11 of 12 from the free-throw line in the second half.

The Flashes now break for Christmas and will open the Mid-American Conference season on Saturday, Dec. 30, at Eastern Michigan.

Box score

Photo from kentstatesports.com

Ty Linder, who usually broadcast men’s basketball for Kent State, has a nice profile of women’s coach Todd Starkey on kentstatesports.com, the athletic department’s website.

You can read it here.

Starkey is always quotable. Some excerpts from the story:

On getting the opportunity to switch from coaching men to women at Lenoir-Rhyne University in North Carolina: “I’d never thought about coaching women’s basketball. I was spinning my wheels on the men’s side.”

On substitute teaching to help make ends meet: “Every kid in the class was smarter than me. I was literally 24 hours ahead of them in their knowledge of economics.”

On watching Kent State’s Elite Team at the NCAA Regionals in 2002: “I fell in love with Trevor Huffman’s game. He had an unbelievable tournament, and I remember thinking, ‘Man, this dude can play.'”

On Larissa Lurken’s record-breaking season last year:”I’ve never seen a turnaround from one season to the next like I saw in Larissa.”

On coaching at Kent State: “I’m in my dream job here. I love it here, even more than I thought I would. And I thought I was going to like it a lot.”