Month: February 2020

Uncategorized

Flashes face 2nd-place Ohio and MAC’s top two scorers

By on Friday, February 7, 2020

Modkins vs. BG

Guard Mariah Modkins has started three straight games and averaged almost 20 minutes a game in MAC play. She scored five points and had four assists against Bowling Green on Wednesday. (Photo by Nick Cammett from team Twitter feed.)

Kent State (5-4 and tied for 4th in MAC, 12-8 overall)

at Ohio (7-3 and 2nd, 14-7 overall)

Game is at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1, at Convocation Center at Ohio University. It’s about a three-hour drive. Address is 95 Richland Ave., Athens, if you need it for GPS. Here are directions from the OU website.

General admission tickets are $5, $3 if you buy them early online. Average attendance for OU women’s conference games has been 633, 10th in the MAC. Kent State home attendance is seventh in conference games at 1,200.

What’s at stake

It’s the first game of the second half of the season for Kent State. Flashes are in contention for a first-round bye in the MAC tournament, but have a tough second-half schedule. They have to play at first-place Central Michigan and at Buffalo and Western Michigan, both teams also completing for a bye. And they play Ohio twice, starting Saturday in Athens.

Ohio was the overwhelming choice of coaches to win the conference this season. The Bobcats went 30-6 last season and have four key starters back. OU just missed the NCAA tournament and scheduled a tougher schedule to try to make it as an at-large team this year if necessary.

It didn’t work all that well. OU lost to Power Five teams Syracuse, TCU and Texas. The Bobcats also lost to Butler, always one of the country’s stronger mid-majors. They did beat Ohio State in Columbus. OU might have fared better on its Texas road trip, but guard Erica Johnson, their second leading scorer, missed both games with an injury.

In the MAC, Ohio has lost three games by a total of five points. It lost by 73-71 to Central Michigan at home on a 3-point shot with seven seconds left, lost 92-90 in overtime at Central and lost 73-72 at Western Michigan on another shot with seven seconds left.

Kent State is two games behind Ohio in the East Division and the overall standings, which determine seedings.

A win at Ohio would be a significant upset but could propel the Flashes into another strong last half to the season. Last year, KSU went 6-3 in the second round, upsetting Miami and Buffalo in Kent. Kent lost to Ohio twice by two points.

When the Flashes won the East in Starkey’s first year, they went 8-1 in the second half and beat Ohio twice. The win at Ohio was the Bobcats’ first home loss of the year and started Kent State’s run to the East title.

REPORT CARD ON KSU WIN OVER BOWLING GREEN: Good shooting, great defense made the difference.

What to watch

The teams are very much alike. The biggest difference is that Ohio has about a year’s more experience at every position and Ohio’s top players ranked about a level ahead of Kent’s in last season all-MAC teams.

Ohio has three players who average in double figures; two average about 20 points in MAC games. Kent State has four in double figures.

“They’ve got four legitimate all-conference level players,” coach Todd Starkey told KentWired’s Kathryn Rajnicek this week. “So they can beat you in so many different ways.”

All five OU starters, Starkey said, “have the ability to put up 20 points in a game.”

“It’s not a matter of if you can shut down a player or two,” he said. “It’s got to be a really balanced defensive effort.”

OU guard Cece Hooks was first-team all-MAC and defensive player of the year in the league last year. She leads the MAC in scoring in league games at 22.3 points per game and leads the conference in steals at 4.0 per game. Johnson was MAC freshman of the year last season and is second in the MAC in scoring at 21.2 points a game. She also leads Ohio in rebounding at 7.4 per game. Senior Amani Burke averages 12.3 points and junior Gabby Burris 9.9.

The Bobcats have by far the best turnover margin in the conference at plus-8.3. They forced 20.5 a game — best in the conference — and commit only 12.2 — also the best. Kent is second-lowest in turnovers made at 14.1 and fourth in margin at 1.7. This is one key thing for the game: Can Kent State take care of the ball?

Ohio is an average 3-point shooting team but shoots a ton of them — almost 26 a game. The Bobcats make 8.3 3-pointers a game.

Kent State’s biggest defensive weakness has been guarding the 3-pointer, so that’s another thing to watch.

In scoring defense and two-point defense, the Flashes rank well ahead of Ohio.

Kent State is coming off its best defensive game of the season, a 61-47 win over last-place Bowling Green. Against Ohio, BG scored 69 points and shot 49%. (The Falcons shot 32% against KSU).

So the big key to Saturday is defense.

Team comparisons

All statistics are for conference games only, which are more current and reflect similar competition.

  • RPI: Kent State 120 of 351 Division I teams. Ohio 58. (RPI is based on a team’s record and schedule strength.)
  • Power rankings: Kent State 120. Ohio 72. (Adds factors like margin of victory, record in recent games, injuries.)
  • Kent State away record (MAC games): 2-2. Ohio home record: 4-1.
  • Scoring average: KSU 10th in MAC at 66.2 points per game. Ohio second at 78.4.
  • Defensive average: KSU first at 65.6. Ohio ninth at 71.1.
  • Field-goal percentage: KSU 11th at 39.8 (fourth on 3-pointers at 32.4%). Ohio  third at 42.2 (seventh on 3s at 32.0%).
  • Field-goal defense: KSU second at 38.5 (last on 3s at 40.4%). Ohio 10th at 34.3  (fourth on 3s at 29.6).
  • Free throw shooting: Kent State second at 72.8%. Ohio seventh at 68.2.
  • Rebounding margin: KSU 11th at -3.3. Ohio eighth at -1.9.
  • Turnover margin: KSU fourth at +1.7. Ohio first at +8.3. KSU sixth in steals at 6.8. Ohio first at 11.1.
  • Assists: Kent State last at 10.3. Ohio 11th at 10.9.
  • Blocked shots: Kent State first at 4.7. Ohio eighth at 1.8.

Top players

Kent State

  • 6-2 freshman forward Nila Blackford (14.1 points, 7.7  rebounds per game).
  • 5-4 sophomore guard Asiah Dingle (13.9 points, 2.4 assists, 1.4 steals).
  • 5-6 senior guard Megan Carter (12.0 points, 3.5 rebounds).
  • 5-11 freshman guard Katie Shumate (11.5 points, 6.3  rebounds, 44.8% three-point shooting).
  • 6-2 sophomore forward Lindsey Thall (9.9 points, 1.8  three-point baskets a game, first in MAC in blocked shots at 2.6 per game).

Ohio

  • 5-8 junior guard Cece Hooks (leads MAC at 22.3 points per game and with 4.0 steals, 3.9 assists, 6.4 rebounds).
  • 5-11 sophomore guard Erica Johnson (second in MAC at 21.2 points, 46.2% shooting, 42.6% 3-point shooting, 7.4 rebounds.)
  • 5-9 senior guard Amani Burke (12.2 points, 1.8 steals.)
  • 5-11 junior forward Gabby Burris (9.9 points, 6.4 rebounds).

Following the game from home

Video stream on ESPN3 starts at game time at 1 p.m. It’s free if you have a subscription to ESPN on cable, satellite or on the ESPN app.

Audio starts at about 12:45 p.m. on WHLO 640 and Golden Flash iHeart Radio. David Wilson is the announcer.

Live statistics will be on the Ohio website during the game.

Links

Kent State website, with links to roster, statistics, schedule and more.

Ohio website, with links.

MAC statistics.

MAC standings.

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Kent State women's basketball Uncategorized

Good shooting, great defense give Flashes excellent report card

By on Thursday, February 6, 2020

Thall vs. BG

Lindsey Thall had 19 points, seven rebounds, four blocks and two assists in KSU’s 61-47 win over Bowling Green. (Photo by KentWired’s Gina Schlegel.)

The Flashes made almost 46% of their shots and held Bowling Green to making 32% of theirs. That was more than enough for a victory and one of their best report cards of the season

GAME STORY: Kent State defense smothers Falcons

 

Kent State 61, Bowling Green 47

Score 70 points on offense: 61. It was a surprisingly defensive-oriented game for two teams known more for scoring. Kent State also slowed the game down late to lessen the chances of a BG comeback. NOT ACHIEVED but with the big win, who cares?

Hold opponent under 70: 47. Kent’s best defense of the season except for against Division III Hiram. ACHIEVED IN A BIG WAY.

Make 40% of shots: 45.5. Among KSU’s best of the season. ACHIEVED.

Hold opponent under 40%: 31.8.  Again Kent State’s best of the season against Division I opposition. Bowling Green’s worst shooting of the year. ACHIEVED IN A BIG WAY.

Outscore opponent by five on free throws: Fewest free throws of the season Flashes and their opponent combined. Kent State was five of seven, BG two of five. NOT ACHIEVED but irrelevant to results.

Outscore opponent by five points off turnovers: Bowling Green scored 13 off of KSU’s 18 turnovers. Kent State had 10 off of 14 from BG. In second half, when KSU outscored Falcons 34-19, points off turnovers went to Flashes 8-4.

Have 14 assists: 13 on 25 baskets. With that percentage and 45% shooting, we can count this ACHIEVED.

Get 10 points from the bench: 18 but mostly because Asiah Dingle didn’t start but still scored 16 points in 20 minutes. ACHIEVED with an asterisk.

BOTTOM LINE: Kent State’s shooting percentage and defense were good enough to give Flashes an A-.

Kent State statistics

Around the MAC

Ohio beat Eastern Michigan 75-65 at Eastern for the league’s only road win Wednesday night. Bobcats are in second place in MAC at 7-3 and have lost those three games by a total of four points. Kent State plays at Ohio Saturday.

The Bobcats never had consecutive turnovers in the game. Sophomore guard Erica Johnson had 20 points and 10 rebounds, junior forward Gabby Burris 19 points and junior guard Cece Hooks 16. Eastern was without three of its top players — leading scorers Areanna Combs and Aaliyah Stanley and leading rebounder Autumn Hudson. Combs was out with an injury. I found nothing about Hudson, who played Saturday against Akron, or Stanley, who has missed two straight games.

Central Michigan went 10-0 in the MAC with a 66-60 victory over Northern Illinois in Mt. Pleasant. It was one of CMU’s worst conference games; the Chippewas scored 13 points below their average, shot 37%, eight below their average, and were outrebounded 52-40. They still had enough to beat NIU, which is 2-7 and 11th in the league.

Miami won its third straight, scoring a season-high in beating Toledo 92-83 in Miami. Freshman guard Peyton Scott had her second straight career-high with 28 points. Lauren Dickerson had 23 and Savannah Kluesner 21. Toledo got a career-high 31 points from guard Mariella Santucci.

Akron, Ball State, Buffalo and Western Michigan all had midweek byes.

The ‘golf’ standings

Ohio was the only team to pick up points in the “golf” standings, which give a team -1 for a road win (a “birdie”) and adds a point for a home loss (a “bogey.” A home win or road loss gets zero (“par”).

-5

  • Central Michigan (10-0, 17-4)

-2

  • Ohio (7-3, 14-7)

-1

  • Ball State (6-3, 14-7)

Even

  • Kent State (5-4, 12-8)
  • Toledo (5-4, 10-10)
  • Eastern Michigan (5-5, 10-11)
  • Buffalo (4-5, 13-7)
  • Western Michigan (4-5, 11-9)

+1

  • Miami (4-6, 11-11)

+2

  • Akron (3-6, 10-10)
  • Northern Illinois (2-7, 6-14)

+3

  • Bowling Green (1-8, 8-13)

Regular MAC standings

MAC statistics

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Kent State women's basketball

Flashes’ defense smothers Bowling Green in 61-47 victory at M.A.C.C.

By on Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Modkins and Dingle celebrate

Mariah Modkins (5) and Asiah Dingle (3) combined to hold Bowling Green’s Madisen Parker to three shots and zero points. Parker had been the second-leading 3-point shooter in the country. (Photo by Nick Cammett from KSU Twitter feed.)

Kent State’s defense — not its strength for most of the season — looked championship caliber Wednesday.

The Flashes held Bowling Green, the second-best shooting team in the MAC, to 32% from the floor and 23% from 3-point distance in its 61-47 victory at the M.A.C. Center Wednesday. That’s:

  • 11 percentage points below Bowling Green’s average in league play.
  • BG’s second-lowest percentages of the season in both field goals and 3-point shooting.
  • Seven percentage points better than Kent State’s defensive average and 19 percentage points below its 3-point defensive average.
  • The lowest percentage a Division I opponent has shot against KSU this season, and second-lowest 3-point percentage.

Bowling Green’s 47 points was its lowest of the season. It’s the second fewest Kent State has allowed and the fewest scored against the Flashes by a Division I team. (Division III Hiram scored 36.)

The victory ended the Flashes’ first half of the MAC season at 5-4 and in a tie with Toledo for fourth place. They are 12-8 overall. Bowling Green is 1-8 in the MAC and 8-13 overall.

“Our defense was our backbone today, which was nice to see,” coach Todd Starkey said. “It hasn’t been a lot of the year.”

Bowling Green’s Madisen Parker went into the game making 47% of her 3-point attempts, second best in the country. She didn’t score. Kent State limited her to three shots, only one of them a 3-point attempt, in 32 minutes. KSU point guards Mariah Modkins and Asiah Dingle smothered Parker defensively. The plan, Starkey said, was:

“Crowd her on every catch. Make sure we have our hands over the ball.”

“Mariah was our first line of defense,” the coach said. “She had one of her best defensive games since she’s been here. When Asiah came in, she picked up right where Mariah left off.”

BG forward Angela Parker had been making 60% of her field-goal attempts, best in the conference. She made only four of 11 Wednesday. Lindsey Thall, Kent’s 6-2 sophomore forward, did much of the defense on Parker.

“I had to work every single possession, just banging it against her every time, not giving up anything easy,” Thall said.

Starkey said it was a two-part effort.

“We wanted to make sure we had great ball pressure so that they couldn’t make easy entry passes,” he said. “And we talked about with Lindsey about how she was just going to have to battle all game. She did a really good job of limiting Perry’s touches.”

Thall played one of her best games on offense and defense. She led the Flashes with 19 points, her most since scoring 32 against Ohio State in November. She had seven rebounds, her second highest of the season and blocked four shots, including two of Perry’s. She added two assists.

“She played 36 minutes,” Starkey said. “She really limited Perry’s looks. She had 19 points, seven rebounds. That’s a heck of a basketball game.”

Thall made three of six 3-point shots, which is her specialty. But she scored 10 of her points inside. She scored nine on close-in shots Saturday against Toledo.

“One of the things we’ve tried to do with Lindsey is to try to get her touches at different places on the court rather than just the 3-point line,” Starkey said. “Teams are dong a good job of defending her there, switching off guards on her. So we’re trying to get her touches in the paint so teams can’t do that.”

Dingle also played well on defense and offense. Back from a two-game suspension, she scored 16 points, had two assists and two steals. Dingle made seven of nine shots. That 78% is her best ever against a Division I team. (She made eight of nine against Hiram.) “She did a phenomenal job of finishing today,” Starkey said. “And at a really critical time, came up with a phenomenal offensive rebound on a scramble and stuck it back in.”

Dingle also had a spectacular defensive play when she knocked the ball away from the BG guard bringing the ball up court, then dove on the floor to push it away again.   The BG player lay on the floor as officials called a turnover for not getting the ball across half court in 10 seconds.

“We let her loose,” Starkey said. “Every now and then, if she’s not in foul trouble and we have a favorable matchup, we’ll say, ‘Asiah, go get her.’ And her eyes light up.”

And as Starkey was talking, Dingle’s eyes lit up.

Cutting the turnovers, stepping up the defense

Kent State trailed 28-27 at halftime, mostly because BG scored nine points off of the 12 turnovers the Flashes committed in the first half. Kent State barely averages 14 turnovers per game and had just seven against Toledo.

“We really focused on that at halftime,” Starkey said. “We can’t have empty possessions. So the guards did a really good job in the second half of cleaning that up.”

Kent had six turnovers in the second half and outscored the Falcons 8-4 off turnovers.

Another thing the Flashes emphasized starting the second half strong.

“We had to make sure that we didn’t come out flat the way did against Toledo,” Starkey said.

The Flashes were the opposite of flat. They outscored Bowling Green 18-4 in the third quarter, holding BG to two of 17 shooting.

Box score

The view from Bowling Green

Coach Robyn Fralick, quoted on the team’s website:

“I thought our defensive effort was really good, especially in the first half. Our third quarter was where the game was lost, so we’ve got to figure out how to fix that and move forward.”

Notes

  • Nila Blackford had a career-high 11 rebounds to lead Kent State to a 41-38 advantage. The Flashes did give up 12 offensive rebounds, something Starkey said had to be cleaned up in the second half of the season. But BG scored only two second-chance points.
  • Reserve forward Monique Smith equaled her career high with six rebounds. She also blocked a shot.
  • Kent State blocked nine shots overall, its high for the season. Besides Thall’s four, Katie Shumate blocked three. Shumate also had six rebounds and three assists.
  • Modkins had four assists, five points and two steals. Dingle and Megan Carter also had two steals.
  • Kent State outscored BG 15-4 on fast-break points.
  • Attendance was announced at 1,961, highest of the MAC season and third highest of the season.

The Flashes play three of their next four games on the road, starting Saturday afternoon at second-place Ohio.

Video highlights

2,000-POINT RECRUIT: Casey Santoro hits milestone in front KSU’s Todd Starkey, who will coach her next fall.

Other MAC scores

  • Miami (4-6, 11-11) 92, Toledo (5-4, 10-10) 83 at Miami.
  • Central Michigan (10-0, 17-4) 66, Northern Illinois (2-7, 6-14) 60 at Central.
  • Ohio (7-3, 14-7) 75, Eastern Michigan (5-5, 10-11) 65 at Eastern.
  • Western Michigan, Ball State, Buffalo and Akron had midweek byes.

MAC standings.

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Uncategorized

Last-place BG, Kent home opponent Wednesday, shoots well, allows a lot of points

By on Tuesday, February 4, 2020

5e325daf39519.image

Kent State freshman forward Nila Blackford leads the team in scoring (15 points per game) and rebounding (7.3). (File photo by KentWired’s Savannah Monks.)

Bowling Green (1-7 and last in MAC, 8-12 overall)

at Kent State (4-4 and 6th in MAC, 11-8 overall)

7 p.m. Wednesday at the M.A.C. Center. General admission tickets are $5. Students are free with Kent State ID. Average home attendance for Kent State is 1,010 in MAC games, seventh in the league.

What’s at stake

A win would give Kent State the same 5-4 conference record and 12-8 overall record that it had at this point last season. The Flashes went 6-3 in the second half of MAC play, won one game in the league tournament and the WNIT and finished 20-13.

Bowling Green went an encouraging 7-5 in non-conference play but has only beaten Western Michigan in MAC play. The Falcons lost two conference games in overtime and two other games by fewer than seven points. The Falcons have beaten Kent State twice in the last two years, though both times were in Bowling Green.

REPORT CARD ON KSU LOSS TO TOLEDO: Flashes won turnover battle, but Rockets won by far more at foul line.

2,000-POINT RECRUIT: Casey Santoro hits milestone in front KSU’s Todd Starkey, who will coach her next fall.

What to watch

Kent State should get starting point guard Asiah Dingle back from a two-game suspension. She’s the Flashes’ second-leading scorer at 13.5 points per game and leads the team in assists and steals. KSU split its two games with her out of the lineup.

Bowling Green ranks second in league in field-goal and 3-point percentage. 6-2 junior forward Angela Perry leads the MAC in shooting percentage at 56.5 Madisen Parker, a 5-9 junior guard, is second in the league in 3-point percentage at 45.0. Sophomore guard Katie Hempfling is third in the conference in assists at 5.0 per game; BG leads the league in assists.

But the Falcons are last in the conference in scoring defense, 10th in field-goal defense, 11th in rebounding margin and 10th in turnover margin.

Kent State is last in field-goal percentage and third in turnover margin. The Flashes are fourth in field-goal defense but last in 3-point defense.

The game is likely to come down as to which team plays better defense; it hasn’t been a strength for either.

Team comparisons

All statistics are conference games only, which are more current and reflect similar competition.

  • RPI: Kent State 113 of 351 Division I teams. Bowling Green 231. (RPI is based on a team’s record and schedule strength.)
  • Power rankings: Kent State 128. Bowling Green 250. (Adds factors like margin of victory, record in recent games, injuries.)
  • Kent State home record (MAC games): 2-2. Bowling Green away record: 0-3.
  • Scoring average: KSU 11th in MAC at 67.0 points per game. Bowling Green seventh at 68.1.
  • Defensive average: KSU fourth at 67.9. Bowling Green last at 75.8.
  • Field-goal percentage: KSU last at 39.2 (sixth on 3-pointers at 32.7%). Bowling Green second at 43.1 (second on 3s at 33.5%).
  • Field-goal defense: KSU fourth at 39.4 (last on 3s at 42.1%). Bowling Green 10th at 45.3 (fourth on 3s at 29.6).
  • Free throw shooting: Kent State second at 72.9%. Bowling Green seventh at 67.5.
  • Rebounding margin: KSU last at -4.1. Bowling Green 11th at -3.6.
  • Turnover margin: KSU third at +2.4. Bowling Green 10th at -3.1. KSU sixth in steals at 6.9. Bowling Green last at 5.9.
  • Assists: Kent State last at 10.0. Bowling Green first at 16.1.
  • Blocked shots: Kent State second at 4.1. Bowling Green last at 1.4.

Top players

Kent State

  • 6-2 freshman forward Nila Blackford (15.0 points, 7.3 rebounds per game).
  • 5-4 sophomore guard Asiah Dingle (13.5 points, 2.5 assists, 1.8 steals).
  • 5-6 senior guard Megan Carter (13.4 points, 4.0 rebounds).
  • 5-11 freshman guard Katie Shumate (12.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 48.0% three-point shooting).
  • 6-2 sophomore forward Lindsey Thall (8.8 points, 1.6 three-point baskets a game, first in MAC in blocked shots at 2.4 per game).

Bowling Green

  • 6-2 junior forward Angela Perry (14.1 points, leads MAC in field-goal percentage at 56.5)
  • 5-9 junior guard Madisen Parker (13.0 points, first in MAC in 3-point baskets per game at 3.4, second in 3-point percentage at 45.0.)
  • 5-9 sophomore guard Katie Hempfling (9.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, third in MAC in assists at 5.0). points, 1.7 assists.)

Following the game from home

Video stream on ESPN+ starts at game time at 7 p.m. Service costs $4.99 a month and includes about half of all MAC men’s and women’s games. (Others are mostly on ESPN3, which is free.) This link takes you to to the game, where you can sign up. David Wilson is the play-by-play announcer with former KSU player Amanda Sape doing commentary.

Audio starts at about 6:45 p.m. on WHLO 640 and Golden Flash iHeart Radio. Dan Griffin is the announcer.

Live statistics will be on the Kent State website during the game.

Links

Kent State website, with links to roster, statistics, schedule and more.

Bowling Green website, with links.

MAC statistics.

MAC standings.

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Uncategorized

Flashes got the turnovers, but Toledo had the free throws in Saturday’s loss

By on Monday, February 3, 2020

Shumate vs. BSU

Katie Shumate didn’t start for the first time this season but had 13 points at Toledo Saturday. (File photo from KentWired’s Savannah Monks.)

The report card on Kent State’s 69-60 loss to Toledo didn’t look any better than final score. The Flashes only hit two benchmarks, and a huge negative margin on foul shots made most other categories a minor factor

GAME STORY: Weak second half, 26-6 deficit in free throws made the difference

2,000-POINT RECRUIT: Casey Santoro hits milestone in front KSU’s Todd Starkey, who will coach her next fall.

Toledo 69, Kent State 60

Score 70 points on offense: 60. Toledo’s deliberate play made it a low-scoring game. So did Kent State’s 11-point third quarter. NOT ACHIEVED.

Hold opponent under 70: 69. ACHIEVED, just. But without a win.

Make 40% of shots: 39.3. NOT QUITE ACHIEVED.

Hold opponent under 40%: 42.2.  Not terrible, but NOT ACHIEVED.

Outscore opponent by five on free throws: It was 26-6 in favor of Toledo. That’s the worst margin since Todd Starkey became coach four years ago. Second worst I could find was negative 15. Third was negative 10. Kent State has outscored its opponents in four shooting in 80 of Starkey’s 120 games. Bad officiating Saturday? Maybe in part. But Toledo was more aggressive than Kent State, especially on rebounding. NOT ACHIEVED.

Outscore opponent by five points off turnovers: It was 16-4 Kent State, which partially offset the foul shooting disparity. But it was jus 4-2 in the second half, when Toledo outscored the Flashes to pull away. Kent did have a season-low seven turnovers. Toledo had 17. ACHIEVED.

Have 14 assists: Eight on 24 baskets. Not a good total, not a good percentage of assisted baskets, not a good enough shooting percentage to make up for it. NOT ACHIEVED.

Get 10 points from the bench: 27. But that was because regular starters Katie Shumate (13 points) and Megan Carter (12 points) came off the bench. ACHIEVED with a big asterisk.

BOTTOM LINE: We’ll hope the foul disparity was a fluke. Assists have been a problem all season. Scoring was seven points below Flashes’ average. Game grade, especially the second half, was probably a D.

Kent State statistics

Around the MAC

Central Michigan finished the first half of the MAC season a perfect 9-0. This week the Chippewas beat Buffalo 92-90 in overtime in Mt. Pleasant. It was CMU’s second victory of the season over East-leading Ohio — by a total of three points. Central is three ahead of second-place Ohio and Ball State. But as dominant as the Chipps have been in the win column, they’ve won only two conference games by more than eight  points.

Central star Micaela Kelly scored just 10 points, her lowest of the season and 13 off her average. But she had 12 assists (and 10 turnovers). Junior forward Kyra Bussell had a career-high 33 points; freshman guard Molly Davis had 23. Ohio guard Cierra Hooks had 35 points without making a 3-point basket.

In another overtime game, Akron beat Eastern Michigan 88-81 in Akron. Five Akron players scored in double figures, led by senior forward Haliegh Reinoehl with 19 and senior guard Alyssa Clay with 17. Clay had five 3-point baskets for the second game in a row. Eastern sophomore guard Juanita Agosto led five Eagles in double figures with a career-high 21 points.

Two games didn’t go to overtime but were just as close.

Ally May hit a layup with 4.9 second to go to give Northern Illinois a 64-63 upset over Buffalo at NIU. Senior forward Courtney Woods and junior guard Gabby Nikitinate had 17 points for Northern. Dyaisha Fair had 23 for Buffalo, which has lost three of four games.

Ball State freshman guard Estel Puiggros hit two free throws in the last 20 seconds to help the Cardinals hold off Western Michigan 68-65 in Muncie. Senior Jasmin Samz had 19 to lead Ball State. WMU graduate transfer Chelyane Bailey had 18 points.

Miami had four players score in double figures, led by freshman guard Peyton Scott’s 23, to lead the Redhawks to an 80-59 win at Bowling Green. Angela Perry had 23 points for BG but was the only Falcon in double figures.

Miami won another home game Monday, beating Western 70-67 in a game postponed from last Wednesday. Western had forced the postponement in a small panic over two possible off-campus cases of coronavirus. They turned out not to be that infection.

The ‘golf’ standings

Miami’s win at Bowling Green was the only road victory Saturday, so the Redhawks were the only team to gain in the “golf” standings.

They give a team -1 for a road win (a “birdie”) and adds a point for a home loss (a “bogey.” A home win or road loss gets zero (“par”).

-5

  • Central Michigan (9-0, 16-4)

-1

  • Ball State (6-3, 14-7)
  • Ohio (6-3, 13-7)
  • Eastern Michigan (5-4, 10-10)

Even

  • Toledo (5-3, 10-9)
  • Kent State (4-4, 11-4)
  • Buffalo (4-5, 13-7)
  • Western Michigan (4-5, 11-9)

+1

  • Miami (3-6, 10-11)

+2

  • Akron (3-6, 10-10)
  • Northern Illinois (2-6, 6-13)

+3

  • Bowling Green (1-7, 8-12)

Regular MAC standings

MAC statistics

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Kent State recruit Casey Santoro scores her 2,000th point in front of Starkey

By on Sunday, February 2, 2020

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Casey Santoro and her parents when she visited Kent State on a recruiting trip last season. (Photo is from family’s Twitter feed.)

Kent State recruit Casey Santoro scored her 2,000th point for Bellevue High School last  week.

She was playing in front of KSU coach Todd Starkey in her home gym and is the second player in school history to score 2,000. The first was her sister, Carly, who started for Bowling Green as an undergrad and at Ohio State as a graduate student. Another sister, Cory, is her team’s second-leading scorer. Her father, Kory, is her coach.

Casey Santoro is a 5-4 guard. She’s averaging 25 points a game this season and was district player of the year and first-team all-state both her sophomore and junior years. She once hit 10 three-point shots in a game. Her team is 18-0 and ranked third in Ohio’s Division II. She scored 28 more points Saturday and now has 2,033.

I don’t think Kent State has ever had a 2,000-point recruit before. Current sophomore Hannah Young came just about as close as possible in four years at Brookville High School in Virginia. She scored 1,998.

Here’s how Brian Kola’s of the Sandusky Register reported it (you can see all of it in the 90-second video):

“(Santoro) scored the milestone basket midway through the third quarter, doing what she does so well with the basketball — improvising.

“Santoro drove from the right wing, stopped, rocked back on her left foot and used her left hand to convert a short shot over taller opponents from about five feet away from the hoop.

“The clock stopped at the 3:58 mark and the game was stopped. Santoro hugged her teammates before walking to the bench to hug her dad. She then walked across the court to hug her family and acknowledge Kent State coach Todd Starkey, who will be her coach next season.

“The basket that put her at 2,000 also gave the Lady Red a 51-24 lead that would swell to as many 30 in the fourth quarter.

“ ‘My coach kept calling plays for me. I just wanted it to happen,‘ she said. ‘I knew I could take her off the dribble and that’s what happened, I guess. I’m very relieved.’ ”

“Kory Santoro was glad to see his daughter make history. Casey joined her older sister Carly (2,387) in Bellevue’s 2,000-point club on a night when the Lady Red honored the memory of the late Koby Bryant by wearing Lakers T-shirts and jerseys during warmups.

“ ‘Believe it or not, that’s a shot she actually practices,’ he said. ‘Maybe not so dramatic, but she does use that left-handed fadeaway runner, whatever you want to call it, quite a bit.

“ ‘Casey’s a gamer. She knew she’d get it tonight or Friday. The most important thing, she knew, was, “Let’s get the W.” If it happens, it happens. I thought she played amazing tonight.’ ”

Casey scored 10 points in the first quarter to start strong. She added five in the second quarter before scoring on a steal and layup 45 seconds into the second half. That put her at 1,998, which is where things got choppy.

“With the large crowd ready to erupt, Casey missed two shots as both teams struggled on offense. There was a long delay to clean up some blood after Brynn Vogel took a shot to the nose on a drive to the basket. Then came the basket that took Casey to 2,000.

“It feels great to know it’s out of the way now,” she said. “I told myself I was focused on winning. I knew it’d happen eventually, so I guess I just let it come to me.”

“Casey’s sister, junior guard Cory Santoro, had a strong game with 16 points and nine rebounds as the Lady Red shot a solid 50 percent from the field and outrebounded the taller Irish 31-22.”

“Afterward, Casey did a radio interview, posed for photos and thanked well-wishers. Her mom, Betsy, even brought out some cupcakes.

“ ‘It feels good that everyone who supports me is here,” she said. “A lot of people to talk to.’ ”

KENT STATE GAME STORY: Women fell at Toledo 69-60 on Saturday.

 

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Kent State women's basketball

Weak 2nd-half offense, 26-6 Toledo edge on free throws send KSU to 69-60 loss

By on Saturday, February 1, 2020

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Kent State’s Katie Shumate defends against Toledo’s Arianne Wheeler. Shumate was wearing No. 21 instead of her usual No. 14. Wheeler led Toledo with a season-high 12 rebounds. (Photo from Toledo Twitter feed.)

Kent State’s women were ahead as the second half began in Toledo Saturday, but somehow it didn’t seem that way.

The Flashes came out sluggish and never found any offense in the second half. They fell to the Rockets 69-60 and dropped to 4-4 in the MAC, 11-8 overall.

“We played like we were down when we were up by three,” senior guard Megan Carter said. “We just came out flat and disconnected, and they took advantage.”

The Flashes were outscored 22-11 in the third quarter and made only 10 of 31 shots in the second half.

The win moves Toledo past Kent State into fourth place in the league at 5-3, 10-9 overall. The Flashes are tied for sixth.

“They obviously came out of the locker room at halftime with more fight and toughness than us,” coach Todd Starkey said. “I thought we were in a good spot mentally coming out second half. We took our foot off the gas just a little bit and that’s all Toledo needed to feel like they were going to win the game.”

The slowdown really started two minutes before halftime. The Flashes had pushed their lead to 31-24 on a 3-point basket by Mariah Modkins.

But Toledo hit two foul shots with 40 seconds to go, and Rocket guard Mariella Santucci scored on a fast break at the buzzer.

Toledo took the lead at the start of the second half, but it was still a one-point game with four minutes to go in the third quarter. But over those last four minutes, Toledo made six foul shots and hit another shot at the buzzer, this one a 3-point basket.

That made the score 50-42, and Kent never challenged after that.

“Mentally tough teams overcome that type of thing and are able to fight back,” Starkey said. “I don’t think we handled that one at the end of the third quarter the way we should have. We looked down coming over to the bench.”

Foul shots were another big reason for the loss.

Toledo outscored Kent State 26-6 at the foul line, the biggest margin in Starkey’s four years at Kent State. The next biggest was 15, the next one below that 10. The Flashes have made more free throws than their opponents in 80 of 120 games Starkey has coached.

“It’s something we work on,“he said, carefully not criticizing the officiating. “It’s a discipline thing.”

All those foul shots also allowed Toledo time to set up a loose press through the second half. It didn’t force turnovers, but it delayed the Flashes as they moved the ball up the court.

“They were able to set up and slow us down,” Starkey said. “They really controlled the tempo of the game that way. It took us out of our rhythm.”

Box score

The lineup shuffle

Sophomore point guard Asiah Dingle missed her second straight game. In this pregame radio interview with David Wilson on Golden Flash iHeart Radio, Starkey called it “short-term suspension” and said he expected her back Monday. In his postgame interview, he sounded a little less certain about the date of her return. Dingle is KSU’s second-leading scorer.

Modkins started in Dingle’s place, hit two 3-pointer baskets and scored eight points in 34 minutes.

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Carter came off the bench in her third game back from mononucleosis. She played 34 minutes and scored 12 points,

Freshman Katie Shumate didn’t start for only the second time this season. Some kind of mixup with her jersey had her wearing No. 21 instead of her usual No. 14. She didn’t play the first four minutes and only scored two points in the first half. She finished with 13 and three 3-pointers.

“Katie’s a player who has to be aggressive from start to finish, and she was a little passive early,” Starkey said.

Hannah Young made the second start of her career but didn’t score in 15 minutes. Clare Kelly also started; she had two points in five minutes.

Notes

  • Kent State had 16-4 advantage in points off turnovers, but it was only 4-2 in the second half. The Flashes had only seven turnovers for the game, a season low. Toledo had 17.
  • Nila Blackford led Kent State with 14 points and nine rebounds. She played just 25 minutes because of foul trouble.
  • Lindsey Thall had nine points on four inside baskets, the most from close range I can remember. She didn’t have a 3-point basket for only the second time of the season and the sixth time of her 66-game career.
  • Toledo outrebounded Kent State 42-24, but because the Rocketrs were spending most of the afternoon shooting foul shots, KSU didn’t have a chance for many rebounds. Toledo made only 19 baskets; Kent State had 24.
  • Nakiah Black led Toledo with 22 points. Mariella Santucci had 20 .

Kent State returns to the M.A.C. Center on Wednesday to play last-place Bowling Green.

The view from Toledo

Coach Tricia Cullop, quoted in the Toledo Blade:

“In games past we’ve had good minutes, and then we labored in the fourth quarter. I thought today we stayed really focused.”

“We made our free throws and executed offensively better than we have been doing,  and we got stops – all those little things you need to do to win. I’m really proud of this group, and (Kent State) is a really good team.”

“This is kind of that divisive time in the league where there is kind of a logjam in the middle. Any separation we can get will help when we get the pairings later on. You have to try to take care of your home court. That’s why that last one (a Wednesday home loss to Eastern Michigan) stung so bad, and that’s also why this one felt so good.”

Other MAC scores

Central Michigan finished a sweep of the first-half of the MAC schedule with its second-straight overtime victory. The Chippewas beat second-place Ohio 92-90 in Mt. Pleasant.

CMU is 9-0 in the MAC, 16-4 overall. Central has beaten Ohio twice — by a total of three points. On Wednesday Central won in overtime at Buffalo 98-93. Ohio is 6-3 in the MAC, tied for second overall and first in the East Division. Overall the Bobcats are 13-7.

  • Northern Illinois (2-6 MAC, 6-12) 64, Buffalo (4-5, 13-7) 63 at NIU.
  • Akron (3-6, 109-10) 88, Eastern Michigan (5-4, 10-10) 81 in overtime at Akron.
  • Ball State (6-3, 14-7) 68, Western Michigan (4-4, 11-8) 65 at Ball State.
  • Miami (2-6, 9-11) 80, Bowling Green (1-7, 8-12) 59 at BG.

MAC standings.

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