Katie Shumate led Kent State with 19 points, including 3-of-5 three-point baskets. She is making 57% of her 3-pointers so far this season. (File photo from KSU Twitter feed.)
Kent State’s rebounding has it off to the team’s best start since 2010.
For the second straight game, the Flashes overwhelmed their opponent on the offensive boards as they won at St. Bonaventure 64-53.
KSU is now 6-1 to start the season. The 2010-11 team, which finished 20-11, started 6-0 before losing two games in a row. St. Bonaventure is 5-2.
The quick summary:
- Kent State outrebounded St. Bonaventure 35-26 and 14-3 on offensive boards. Three Flashes had at least eight rebounds.
- Katie Shumate led KSU with 19 points. Nila Blackford had 16, her most of the season.
- Kent State’s defense held St. Bonaventure to just 43 shots, the Bonnies’ fewest of the season and also the fewest by a KSU opponent.
Winning on the boards
Kent State has outrebounded opponents by an average of 10.1 a game, by far the best in the Mid-American Conference. Against St. Bonaventure, the margin was 35-26, with a 14-3 advantage in offensive rebounding. Against Penn State on Sunday, the offensive-rebounding margin was 17-2.
Friday’s edge helped the Flashes to an 18-5 differential in second-chance points, more than their margin of victory.
Guard Hannah Young led KSU with nine rebounds. Forwards Lindsey Thall and Nila Blackford each had eight.
“We’re doing it by committee,” coach Todd Starkey said. “I think all the best rebounding teams do it that way. Everybody’s got to join the party when it comes to rebounding.”
Blackford, who is 6-2, was third in the MAC in rebounding last season, averaging 10.8 a game. Thall, also 6-2, is averaging 7.7 rebounds a game, 2.6 more than last season.
The 5-10 Young worked her way into the starting lineup by becoming one of the best rebounding guards in the league.
Blackford gets on track
Blackford scored 16 points, her most of the season. She was only 1-for-7 shooting midway through the third quarter, but made her last four shots.
“They were really double-team hard,” Starkey said. “That led to some tough shots and turnovers for a good bit of the game.
“Then we came to a timeout and talked about that. She slowed things down a little bit and just finished her shots. She’s gotten a lot of attention in the early part of the season, and she continues to learn how to play through that.”
Thall and Young contribute big without scoring
Thall, who averagd 19.7 points a game in last weekend’s tournament in Florida, scored only three points. So did Young.
“In a tough gritty game like this one, you could still win basketball games by doing the hard things,” Starkey said. “They both did that tonight. To have two starters with three points and nine rebounds, I think, is a testament to us doing whatever it takes to win.”
Katie Shumate led the Flashes in scoring with 19 points, making 7-of-11 shots and 3-of-5 three-point attempts. She is tied for first in the MAC in shooting percentage at 53.6% and is fourth in 3-point percentage at 57.1%.
Casey Santoro had 11 points, all but one in the first half, two assists and three steals.
Kent State’s 64 points, despite being 14 below the team’s average, was still the most scored against St. Bonaventure all season.
A time for defense
Starkey said the Flashes’ defense made the biggest difference the game.
“We looked like we were running in mud at times,” Starkey said. “Nothing came easy.
“We’ve talked to the team since summer that you’re going to have to rely on your defense to be solid every night — that there are nights that like tonight, when you’re not going to shoot the ball and things aren’t going to go as smoothly. And defense and rebounding is something that you can take with you everywhere and you can depend on it.”
St. Bonaventure got off only 43 shots, the fewest they’ve taken all season and also the fewest Kent State has allowed against any opponent.
The Flashes forced 19 St. Bonaventure turnovers, tied for the most this season against a Division I team.
A key defensive run came after the Bonnies had closed the scfore to 40-36 with 4:37 to go in the third quarter. Over the next eight minutes, KSU held St. Bonaventure without a point, forcing three turnovers and 0-of-6 shooting.
After that, KSU led 51-36.
Next: A home game at last
The Flashes play Duquesne at 7 p.m. Wednesday in their first game at the M.A.C. Center in two weeks. Duquesne is 4-4 this season.