Junior guard Hannah Young had 10 points and five rebounds for the Flashes. (File photo by Hayley Steffy of KSU Athletic Communications.)
The obvious cause of Kent State’s 61-58 loss at Miami Saturday was a 3-point shot by the RedHawks’ Payton Scott at the buzzer.
But the real reason came at the foul line, where the Flashes missed 13 free throws.
Kent State held an 11-point lead over last-place Miami with 3:40 to go in the first half but never really found its offense for the rest of the game.
The Flashes shot only 29% after that point and for the entire game made only 2-of-12 three-point shots. KSU had been second in the conference in 3-point shooting at 36.5% and had been averaging 9.5 three-point baskets a game. The Flashes had only one assist in the second half.
Ohio and Central Michigan moved past Kent State in the Mid-American Conference standings without playing a game. Both teams had Saturday games canceled because of COVID-19 problems.
Ohio is in second place with a 10-5 MAC record and .667 winning percentage. CMU is 11-6 with a .647 percentage.
With two games to go, all about the MAC race and possible tournament seedings.
Kent State is now 9-5 with .643 percentage and 10-7 overall. The defeat broke a three-game winning streak for the Flashes.
“We definitely beat ourselves today,” coach Todd Starkey said from the team bus on the way home. “There’s no question about it.
“They hit the 3 at the buzzer to win it. But if you hold a team under 60, you should win a game. We just could not get it going offensively. We got some good looks at 3s but took only 12 and made only made two. And at the free-throw line, we were not good at all.”
Those free throws
Kent State hasn’t had great success at the foul line most of the season. The Flashes rank 11th in the MAC in foul shooting, making 65.8% of their free throws.
“Free throws are such a mental thing,” Starkey said. “We practice all the time. It’s just a matter of stepping up there and shooting with confidence.”
Nila Blackford, who has played at an all-conference level for the Flashes, has struggled the most at the foul line. She only made 4-of-11 free throws against Miami and missed five in the fourth quarter. For the season she’s making only 52.7% from the line. That’s down about 12 points from last season.
“She’s just in her head a little bit,” Starkey said.
Without Blackford, though, the Flashes weren’t in Saturday’s game. She had 18 points and 14 rebounds for her 11th double-double of the season. She equaled a career high with four steals.
The last 21 seconds
A steal Blackford didn’t get was key to the final seconds.
With the score tied 58-58, Katie Shumate missed a 3-point shot.
Miami called time out, advanced the ball to the front court and was holding for the last shot. Scott, the fourth-leading scorer in the MAC at 21.8 points game, lost control as she was dribbling 35 feet from the basket. She grabbed the ball back almost at half court, and Miami coach DeUnna Hendrix called time with 3.2 seconds left.
After the inbounds pass, Blackford went for a steal at half court and missed. That left Scott with a clear path, and she nailed the open shot at least five feet behind the 3-point line.
“If you’re going to gamble for the steal, you’ve got to get it,” Starkey said.
Here’s the last play, starting with Blackford’s attempted steal:
Ice. In. Her. Veins. 🥶@pcity24 wins it for @MiamiOH_WBB #MACtion
— #MACtion (@MACSports) February 27, 2021
For 16 minutes, things went well
Kent State made 8-of-13 shots in the first quarter and had built its 32-21 six minutes into the second. But Miami finished the half on a 10-1 run, then outscored the Flashes third quarter to take a 51-46.
“Our offense was stagnant, and they got frustrated when they didn’t see the ball go in,” Starkey said. “They were just off today. It didn’t feel like we had the same energy or fight.”
Both teams played good defense in the fourth quarter. Kent managed to make only 3-of-12 shots and missed five straight in the last four minutes. Miami missed its first 11 shots of the quarter and didn’t make a basket until Scott hit a layup and a free throw with 51 seconds to go.
Notes
- Shumate had 12 points for Kent State. Hannah Young 10 and five rebounds off the bench. Lindsey Thall scored nine for the Flashes.
- Miami’s Scott had 25 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and four steals and played all 40 minutes.
- Each team had 16 turnovers. But from them, Kent State scored 19 points and Miami only eight.
- The Flashes led in other specialty statistics: 38 (a season high) to 24 in the paint, 15-6 on second-chance points and 15-2 on bench points. KSU outrebounded Miami 38-32.
- But Miami outscored the Flashes 18-6 on 3-pointers and 15-23 at the foul line.
Next for the Flashes
Kent State travels to first-place Bowling Green for a 7 p.m. Wednesday game and finishes the regular season Saturday with a 2 p.m. home game against Akron.
The Flashes lost to BG 80-79 in overtime when the teams met on Feb. 10. Because of COVID, the Akron game will be the only game between the two teams this season.
Other MAC scores
- Bowling Green 79, Akron 64 at Akron.
- Ball State 88, Toledo 77 at Toledo.
- Western Michigan 86, Northern Illinois 53 at Western.
Ohio at Buffalo was canceled because of COVID problems at OU. Central Michigan at Eastern Michigan was canceled because of COVID at Central.