Former Kent State forward Jordan Korinek (back row, just left of mid-court line) stopped by practice Friday. Korinek, who graduated in 2018 as the fifth-leading scorer in KSU history, is playing professionally in Germany and played in Greece last season. (Photo from KSU Twitter feed.)
Kent State returns to action at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the M.A.C. Center against Hiram. For the Flashes, it’s:
- A tuneup before conference play starts at Ball State on Saturday. Hiram, a below-average Division III team, shouldn’t be able to mount much of a challenge to the Flashes, who are 6-4 against Division I opposition.
- Their first game in 10 days. They split two games at the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic before Christmas, beating Georgia Southern 62-48 and losing to Troy 71-64.
- Their first game in Kent since Dec. 3, when they beat St. Bonaventure 81-58.
The Hiram game gives Kent State a chance to work off Christmas rust and, almost certainly, a chance to give everyone on the roster extended minutes. The Flashes played Division II Clarion at this time last season and beat it by 54 points, the third largest margin of victory in KSU history.
Hiram is 3-8 and was picked seventh in the nine-member North Coast Athletic Conference. Kent State has never played the Terriers in a regular-season game but beat them by 28 in an exhibition in 2015, coach Danny O’Banion’s last season.
Coach Todd Starkey has said it’s hard to find a Division I team to play at this time of season. Many have already started conference play; others don’t want to play a strong team right before the league season. Ball State, Miami and Bowling Green all play Division II schools Monday and Tuesday.
All five KSU starters average in double figures, led by senior Megan Carter’s 13.7 points a game. Freshman Nila Blackford averages 13.4, sophomore Lindsey Thall 12.4, sophomore Asiah Dingle 11.7 and freshman Katie Shumate 11.5. All but Shumate have led the team in scoring in at least one game; she has led KSU in rebounding twice.
Hiram’s top player is 5-2 guard Tashauna Wright, who averages 19.5 points a game.
To follow the game
The game starts at 5:30 p.m. at the M.A.C. Center. General admission tickets are $5.
Video is on ESPN3, which is free if you get it through your cable or satellite service or the ESPN app. David Wilson is the announcer.
Audio starts about 5:15 p.m. on Golden Flashes iHeart Radio. Dan Griffin is the announcer.
Live statistics are available on the KSU website.