Kent State’s women had eight days to prepare to play No. 19 UCLA, and they took advantage of them.
The Flashes put together a game plan that included five different defenses and knocked off the Bruins 75-69 in the first round of the Gulf Coast Showcase tournament.
Kent State goes to 4-0 on the season and will play Massachusetts (6-0) in the tournament semifinals at 5 p.m. Friday. All tournament games are streamed on FloHoops, which costs $29.99 a month. If you watch the games, make sure to cancel after Sunday.
“We knew playing against a team like UCLA, we couldn’t be predictable,” coach Todd Starkey said. “They had too much firepower.
“If you’re predictable defensively, they’re the type of team that’s going to be able to pick you apart and get their personnel to their spots.”
The defenses were all variations on schemes the Flashes had played during Starkey’s six years in Kent. A lineup with its top eight players returning from last season made it possible.
“It’s a veteran team, and they know how important communication is,” Starkey said. “And communication won us the game as we went through the different defenses.”
Kent State held UCLA to 36% shooting and just 24% in the fourth quarter.
The fabulous fourth
Kent State outscored UCLA 27-17 in the fourth quarter. During three minutes starting with 4:18 to go, the Flashes went on a 12-0 run, forcing UCLA to tightly contested shots and then grabbing the defensive rebound.
“Those were really good defensive possessions,” Starkey said. “And we did a phenomenal job boxing out after the shots, then pursuing the ball instead of waiting for it. We were digging and scratching for everything.”
A big, big win
UCLA is the highest ranked team Kent State has ever beaten. The Flashes beat No. 25 Texas A&M in the first round of the 1997 NCAA Tournament and beat No. 24 Virginia in Kent on a Sunday afternoon in January 2000.
It was Starkey’s first win over a Power 5 team.
“This a huge win for our program and for the university,” Starkey said. “Obviously, UCLA is a great program. When you beat one of the blue bloods, it’s a special thing.”
But the coach wouldn’t call it the biggest win in his Kent tenure. He voted for the two home games when KSU clinched Mid-American Conference East Division titles.
“Anytime you cut the nets down, that’s always a bigger win,” he told broadcaster David Wilson.
Fighting off a third-quarter knockdown
The Flashes led 39-32 at halftime, but UCLA started the third quarter with much higher pressure defense, outscored KSU 20-9. lThe Bruins led 52-48 going into the last quarter.
“We took their best punch and got staggered a little bit,” Starkey said. “I knew they were going to come out, really play physical and try to dictate everything that happened. They did that for most of the third quarter, but they never got too far away from us. We really did a good job of getting the ball to where it needed to go and staying aggressive on offense.”
Lots of offense from lots of places
Kent State made 50% of its shots and 53% of its 3-point attempts. The Flashes took the lead in the second quarter when Lindsey Thall, Katie Shumate and Hannah Young hit consecutive 3-pointers. Then Casey Santoro hit a layup and followed with another 3-point basket.
“We were getting good shooters good looks,” Starkey said. “We had some really good ball movement and good spacing. We’re tough to defend when we space the floor like that.”
The Flashes were able skip passes over the UCLA defense and work the ball into the paint, then kick it out for 3-point attempts.
Five Flashes scored in double figures.
LINDSEY THALL made 5-of-7 three-point shots on her way to 20 points. She added seven rebounds, two assists and a block.
“She was dialed in on both ends of the court,” Starkey said. “When she can shoot in rhythm like that, she can knock down 70% or 80% from 3. She’s a fourth-year player and has played a lot of big games and big moments. She doesn’t get rattled in those situations.”
Thall on the win: “We just tried to practice and prepare the way we do for all games. We didn’t want to come out and play afraid. And I don’t think we did that….This is only going to give us confidence going forward.”
KATIE SHUMATE had 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting, along with seven rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal. She had 10 points in the first quarter, when UCLA had jumped to a 14-5 lead. The Flashes trailed only 22-20 after the quarter.
“Katie really helped turn things around for us early by getting aggressive and getting to the basket,” Starkey said. “She had a great drive and finished with her left hand early in the game that helped us establish that we could score at the basket.”
CASEY SANTORO scored 14 points, including seven free throws in the fourth quarter. She ran the offense for 30 minutes against potential all-PAC 12 guards.
“Casey’s not gonna back down from anybody,” Starkey said. “She’s as tough as they come and she loves those types of challenges.”
Santoro on the game: “Going into the game, we kind of told ourselves, ‘It’s just another team.’ And going against a Power 5 school, we knew they had a chip on their shoulder. So that gave us even more energy and confidence.”
NILA BLACKFORD had eight rebounds, her most of the season, to go with 11 points. All eight of her rebounds were in the second half, with four of them in the last four minutes. She scored off of one offensive rebound and grabbed another offensive rebound off of a missed foul shot with a minute to go.
“Nila did a great job of not getting frustrated and forcing things after struggling in the first half,” Starkey said.
HANNAH YOUNG scored 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting, including a 3-pointers. She had three rebounds and a resounding block of a shot by UCLA all-American candidate Charisma Osborne. In KSU’s fourth quarter rally, she scored on a left-handed drive, spinning and scoring with her right hand.
“Her growth over the second part of last year and into this year has been phenomenal,” Starkey said. ” It’s so great to see a player that has invested so much time in her own development get this kind of payoff.”
Young on the win: “Every time we would get into a huddle, we’d say, ‘Look, this is a big team, but that’s okay. If we play in our game, if we stay controlled, if we play solid defense, we’re going to be fine. And that’s what happened.”
Pretty numbers
Kent State outrebounded UCLA 35-33. The Flashes scored 12 second-chance points to the Bruins’ seven.
UCLA made only five turnovers for the game, but Kent scored 11 points from them.
Kent State blocked four shots. UCLA blocked zero.
The Flashes outscored UCLA in the paint 28-18.
Eight different KSU players played at least 10 minutes. UCLA had only eight players in uniform. All played at least 12 minutes, and all scored.
The score was tied six times and the lead changed hands 10 times.
NOT SO GOOD NUMBER: Kent State made only 16 of 30 foul shots.