Jordan Korinek in action against Eastern Michigan earlier this season.
Seniors Jordan Korinek and Naddiyah Cross are taking new career achievements with them as Kent State plays at Akron Saturday.
Both players moved into the top 10 in career statistical categories during KSU’s 62-55 victory in Toledo Wednesday.
Korinek’s overall statistics are spectacular and will be more so by the times she plays her last game. A recap:
SCORING (CAREER): Korinek has 1,553 points, ninth best in school history. Kent State will play at least 11 more games. If Korinek continues her 20 point average for the rest of the season, she’ll finish with about 1,770, fifth best in Kent State history. Her career 14.1 points per game average is 0.2 from 10th place.
SCORING (SEASON): If she keeps her average, Korinek will finish the season with about 640 points, third best in school history. Her current 20.1 point-per-game average ranks third in the conference and is seventh highest ever at KSU. She’s just 0.1 points per game behind Bonnie Beachy (1981-82) and Ann Forbes (1990-91). Larissa Lurken set both records last season with 752 points and a 23.5-point average.
FIELD GOALS: At her current pace, Korinek will finish with about 640, fifth best ever. She would have about 1,300 field goal attempts (ninth). Her current 50.1 field goal percentage is fourth in KSU history.
FREE THROWS (CAREER): Korinek made 17 of 18 foul shots at Toledo and 17 of 19 against Eastern Michigan. At her current pace, she’ll finish with about 450, sixth in the Kent record book. She would have about 560 free-throw attempts, also sixth. Her current free-throw percentage of 80.3 is sixth, too.
FREE THROWS (SEASON): She’s projected to finish the season with about 210 made foul shots, second only to Lurken’s NCAA-record 280 last season. She’d also be second in free-throw attempts at about 255. Currently she’s second in the country in made free throws (131). She has made 41 more than any other player in the Mid-American Conference.
REBOUNDS: Korinek moved into the top 10 in her career against Toledo and now has 659. At her current 6.5 average, she would finish her career with about 730, eighth in school history.
BLOCKED SHOTS: Though she’s not a huge shot blocker (0.7 per game this season), Korinek is likely to come very close to 10th place, now held by Anne Chicorelli (1994-98) at 66.
Cross, the 5-5 point guard who has started 81 games in her fourth years, moved into 10th in the KSU record book with 315 assists. She had four assists against Toledo, exactly her season average. Cross is currently averaging career highs in assists, scoring (6.0 points per game), rebounds (2.8), steals (1.0) and minutes (31.7). She even has three blocked shows, equaling her entire total before this season.
In Akron, Cross, Korinek and the rest of the Flashes will face a team that has yet to win a MAC game. The Zips are 0-8 in the league and 6-13 overall. They’ve lost nine games in a row but have been within 10 points in six of those games. Akron lost by three at 11-8 Ohio, by two against 10-9 Bowling Green, and by six at 13-7 Toledo.
Akron has been without its top scorer, guard Megan Sefcik (13.4 points per game), for five games, and she is not listed as probably for Saturday. Second-leading scorer is Shaunay Edmonds, a pre-season all-MAC East guard who scored 26 points in a 73-69 loss to Kent State last season.
Both teams average in the mid-60s in points per game on both offense and defense.
Akron is sixth in the conference in three-point baskets per game at 7.3. Kent State averages 4.9. The Flashes are second in the conference in rebounding margin at plus-5.3; Akron is second to last at minus-2.7. Akron is about even with its opponents in turnovers while Kent State is last in the conference in turnover margin at minus-3.45.
On the season, Kent State is 10-10 and 3-5 in the MAC.
To follow the game
Action starts at 2 p.m. Saturday at the James A. Rhodes Arena on the Akron campus. Here are directions from the Akron website if you plan to go. It’s about a 30-minute drive.
The game of part of the Crystal Clinic Orthopedic Center Wagon Wheel Challenge, in which teams get points for head-to-head victories. Akron leads in the 2017-18 competition, 3.5-1.5. (Half points are given for a each victory when teams meet twice, as in basketball.)
Video is on ESPN3. You can follow it online if your subscribe to ESPN on cable or on satellite.
Audio starts at about 1:45 p.m. on Golden Flash iHeart Radio.
Live statistics will be available through the Toledo website.
Game preview from the Kent State website, including links to statistics, roster, schedule/results, record book and more. Detailed media game notes.
Preview from the Akron website, including links. Detailed media game notes.
MAC statistics, including standings.