Throughout Kent State’s 5-2 start to the season, its defense has carried the team.
On Wednesday, the defense couldn’t hold up.
Duquesne made 48.1% of its shots and 56.3% of its 3-point attempts on its way to a 73-67 victory over the Flashes in Pittsburgh. Both were the highest numbers put up by a Kent State opponent this season.
Kent State is now 5-3; Duquesne is 7-2.
The win broke KSU’s four-game winning streak.
“Our defense was subpar, for sure,” coach Todd Starkey said. “I thought Duquesne did a good job of executing their stuff, and we did a good job of letting them do it. Some of it was a collective lack of effort, but we just weren’t as connected physically and verbally as we’ve been recently.”
Kent State’s offense shot as well as it has all season in the first half but couldn’t keep it up the rest of the game.
In the first 20 minutes, the Flashes made 10-of-19 three-pointers (52.6%) and 16-of-31 total field goal attempts (51.6%). Both were well above KSU’s season numbers.
But in the second half, KSU made only eight baskets (23.5%) and four 3-pointers. In the fourth quarter, KSU made 3-of-15 shots and scored just nine points.
“We gave up way too many first-quarter points (21) and kind of were playing out of a hole,” Starkey said. “We shot well, and that’s what kept us in the game.
“We had opportunities in the second half but really struggled to score. Our execution offensively down the stretch wasn’t what it needed to be. They just outplayed us for a good portion of the game.”
A 26-18 second quarter put Kent State up by five at halftime, but Duquesne tied it halfway through the third quarter. The Dukes went ahead by as many as four, but Bridget Dunn tied the game with a 3-pointer with 12 seconds to go in the third quarter.
Duquesne scored the first six points of the fourth quarter and led the rest of the game. In the fourth quarter, Kent State twice went four minutes without scoring.
Hannah Young made her first four 3-point attempts but was shut out for the rest of the game. Duquesne point guard Tess Myers made her first 3-pointers and finished 6-of-8 from beyond the arc.
“They made the adjustment on our hot shooter,” Starkey said. “We did not make the adjustment on theirs.”
Down the lineup
- Carey Santoro led Kent State with 13 points and had seven assists, the most by a Kent State player this season. At 5-4, Santoro blocked a shot by Duquesne’s 6-4 Precious Johnson.
- Young had 12 points and three rebounds.
- Katie Shumate led the Flashes with 10 rebounds and scored eight points.
- Freshman Corynne Hauser started her first game and had seven points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal. She had a large group of fans from her hometown of Rochester, Pennsylvania, which is about 30 miles from Pittsburgh.
- Lindsay Thall, KSU’s leading scorer, made 2-of-13 shots and didn’t have a rebound for the first time this season. She blocked two shots.
- Bridget Dunn, Kent State’s 6-3 sophomore forward, had a season-high nine points and seven rebounds.
- Abby Ogle went 3-for-4 from the field and had two rebounds.
Kent State’s bench outscored Duquesne’s 20-0.
More numbers
- Kent State’s 14 three-point baskets are the fourth most in a game in school history.
- The last five games between Kent State and Duquesne have been decided by fewer than seven points. KSU had won three in a row before Wednesday.
- The Flashes scored 16 points off of 13 Duquesne turnovers. Kent had 12 turnovers, second lowest of the year.
- Duquesne outscored Kent State in the point (34-18), on second-chance pointers (17-13), and on fast breaks (10-5).
- Two Duquesne players had double-doubles: Amaya Hamilton with 22 points and 12 rebounds and Megan McConnell with 11 points and 12 rebounds. McConnell also had eight assists; she has already had two triple-doubles this season. Myers led Duquesne with 23 points.
- All five Duquesne starters played at least 38 minutes.
The MAC and the Mid-Majors
Five Mid-American Conference teams were ranked in this week’s Mid-Major Top 25. Toledo (6-2) was fifth, Kent State (then 5-2) was ninth, Northern Illinois (7-1) was 13th, Bowling Green (6-1) was 14th and Ball State (5-2) was 19th.
Next: Hiram on Sunday
The Flashes play Division III Hiram at 2 p.m. Sunday, then break for exams. They will play Otterbein, another Division III school, on Dec. 20.