Even though the players are the same, things look a little different for the Kent State women’s basketball team this season.
In an 80-73 opening game victory at Northern Kentucky Wednesday, KSU got 34 points from its bench. That’s more than 20 points above its average in bench scoring last season.
Nine Flashes played more than 16 minutes, something I can’t remember happening in a close game in coach Todd Starkey’s six years in Kent. Seven players scored at least seven points. Four scored in double figures, led by 19 from sophomore point guard Casey Santoro (who didn’t start).
“We have capable people as deep as 7, 8, 9 down the bench that can really give us great minutes and the ability to score,” coach Todd Starkey said. “I don’t think we’ve ever had kind of depth since we’ve been here.
“Today it was Casey and Lindsey. Next game, it’s going to be somebody else. It’s a nice thing to have all these options.”
“Lindsey” is senior Lindsey Thall, one of five returning starters. She had 17 points, and there will be more on her later.
Three of the returning starters combined for only eight points. Two didn’t score at all.
But senior guard Hannah Young got her first early-season start in her time at KSU (she had started because of injuries in mid-season). She had 11 points, six rebounds, two blocked shots and a steal.
“She earned the start in practice,” Starkey said. “She’s been playing with great effort, and it was nice to see her benefit from all the hard work she’s put in over the last four years.”
Santoro started only two games her freshman season. Wednesday she scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, nine in the last three minutes. After Northern Kentucky briefly took a 64-63 lead with 2:47 to go, Santoro scored on a short jumper. Eighty seconds later, the Flashes led by just a point when she hit a 3-point shot to give KSU a 70-66 lead. She added four free throws as Kent State pulled away in the last minute.
“The 3 was huge for us,” Starkey said. “Casey did some really nice things attacking the basket and a couple of really nice steals down the stretch, too. She played with a lot of composure and took care of the basketball.”
Santoro’s scoresheet line: 5-of-9 shooting, 8-of-11 free throws, three assists, a blocked shot (she’s 5-4) and one turnover in 24 minutes.
1:06 4Q | Kent State 70, NKU 66
Huge shot by Casey Santoro puts the Flashes ahead by 4!#GoFlashes⚡️ pic.twitter.com/iwmOpftsJ7
— Kent State Women’s Basketball (@KentStWBB) November 11, 2021
Thall, starting her 84th straight game, had an even better line: 6-of-13 field-goal attempts, 3-of-4 three-pointers, eight rebounds, three blocked shots, three steals and two assists. She had several other strong defensive plays close to the basket.
Thall played 37 minutes, the only Flash to play more than 30. In recent seasons, it wasn’t usual to see four or five players play more than 30 minutes in a close game.
Two newcomers gave the Flashes good first games.
Abby Ogle, a former junior college all-American guard, scored eight points and had three steals and three assists in 18 minutes
“I wouldn’t be surprised if she leads our team in steals,” Starkey said. “She just has a knack for that stuff. She’s a little bit of a higher-risk, high-reward type player. We haven’t really had much of that for the last couple of years. She’s a different type of player, which is nice to have.”
Freshman forward Bridget Dunn, an all-state player from Indiana, scored seven points, including a 3-point basket, and had four rebounds, an assist and a steal in 16 minutes.
“In her first college game, she showed good composure, had a big 3 early, and some good rebounds,” Starkey said. “She gives us a nice post rotation.”
Wednesday’s game was evenly matched. Northern Kentucky led by as much as eight points, Kent State by as much as 10. The Flashes spotted NKU a 7-0 lead, then scored 12 in a row of their own. Northern Kentucky outscored KSU 16-7 to start the second quarter, then the Flashes take the lead before NKU hit a 3-pointers at the halftime buzzer.
“At halftime, we talked about how we had played great basketball for 15 minutes,” Starkey said. “But five of it, we looked brain dead.
“We made some adjustments, and in the second half, we had a lot fewer lapses. We had 10 turnovers at halftime but ended with just 14.”
The Flashes also outrebounded NKU 26-16 in the second half.
“Overall, I was pleased with our efforts, especially in the second half,” Starkey said. “It was a really balanced effort and performance, and really I’m pleased with the way we played crucial possessions down the stretch.”
Special shooting
The Flashes made 50.9% of their shots, 3 percentage points better than they did in any game last season. They made 50% of their 3-pointers (6-for-12).
Next, the home opener
Kent State plays Saint Francis of Pennsylvania at 2 p.m. Sunday at the M.A.C. Center. Saint Francis beat the Flashes 67-64 last season and went 14-9. This year they’re picked third in the Northeast Conference. Saint Francis lost to Temple 73-53 Wednesday.
Notes
- Nila Blackford, last season’s leading scorer and rebounder, had 10 points and four rebounds. Katie Shumate, the second-leading scorer, had eight points. “It’s a really solid overall performance when you win when Nila and Katie didn’t score a whole lot.”
- Kent State outscored NKU 20-7 at the foul line, 27-20 in points off turnovers, 40-30 in the paint, and 10-5 on second-chance points
- Northern Kentucky was led by senior Lindsey Duvall, a Louisville transfer who scored 27 points. NKU is picked to finish fourth in the 12-team Horizon League.
- Attendance was announced at 842.