A key part of Kent State’s defensive mantra is “Defend without fouling.”
That and crucial points from Corynne Hauser and Katie Shumate in the last minute gave the Flashes a 55-53 victory at Akron Wednesday. Kent State is now in sole possession of fourth place in the Mid-American Conference at 6-3 and is 14-6 overall. Akron is in fifth place at 5-4 and 14-6 overall.
Hauser hit a 12-foot pull-up jump shot with eight seconds to go to give KSU a 55-50 lead. After the Zips made a 3-point basket, Shumate sank two free throws with seven seconds left. Akron made an irrelevant basket as time expired.
Akron came into the game averaging almost seven more points a game from free throws than its MAC opponents, leading the league. But on Wednesday Kent State outscored the Zips 19-12 at the foul line.
“We work on a lot of defensive strategies in practice — all the fundamental stuff,” said grad student Hannah Young, who led the Flashes with 16 points and six rebounds. “After repetition and repetition, it just translates into the game. So when you’re out here, you don’t really have to think too much about it.”
It was Kent State’s third-straight victory and fifth-straight strong defensive game. The Flashes lead the MAC in scoring defense. Only one MAC team has scored more than 70 points against the Flashes.
“Defensively we did a great job,” coach Todd Starkey said. “Our game plan was to really try and attack them, make them defend without fouling.”
Two Akron starters fouled out early in the fourth quarter.
Kent’s defense also earned the Flashes a 17-7 margin in points off turnovers. KSU turned the ball over only nine times, a season-low. Akron had 18 turnovers.
Hauser’s basket with 13 seconds left wasn’t exactly a set play.
“Earlier, I had been trying to get to the rim, and it wasn’t really working,” Hauser said. “My pull-up is my bread and butter, so I just went to that when I saw it was open.”
The key to the play, Starkey said, was getting the right match-up.
“We got the switch that we wanted,” the coach said. “So Corynne was going against Rachel Martindale (who is 5-8) instead of Lane Ferrell (who is 6-2).”
It was Hauser’s second game-winning shot of the season. In November, she hit a layup with five seconds left in KSU’s win over Oklahoma State.
Starkey said that Young, the night’s leading scorer with 16 points, is playing the best basketball of her five-year career.
“She’s a player that’s worked her tail off for every year she’s been here,” Starkey said. “She’s got progressively better, and she’s having her most consistent year. Tonight she knocked down some huge 3s and got some big rebounds for us.”
Shumate had 11 points and three steals for the Flashes. Hauser and grad student Lindsey Thall each had nine points, and freshman Tatiana Thomas had eight.
Running the numbers
- The Flashes outscored Akron 19-7 in the third quarter to take a double-digit lead. Akron outscored KSU 25-14 in its comeback attempt in the fourth quarter.
- Kent State missed 20 layups in 30 attempts. Akron was 14-of-28 on layups.
- The Zips outrebounded Kent State 43-30, the Flashes’ biggest deficit of the season. Akron has five players taller than 6 foot. With 6-3 sophomore Bridget Dunn out with an injury, Kent State has two.
- KSU made 17-of-55 shots for 30.9% and hit 4-of-14 three-pointers (28.6%). The four 3-pointers tied for KSU’s lowest total of the season. Because of the game, the Flashes dropped to second in the league in 3-point shots made per game (8.1).
- Akron hit 19-of-50 shots for 38% and was 5-for-17 on 3-pointers (29.4%). The Zips shot 53.4% (8-of-15) in the fourth quarter.
Next: At first-place Ball State Saturday
In an unusual 11 a.m. league game, the Flashes play at Ball State on Saturday on ESPN3. The Cardinals are 8-1 in the MAC (18-4 overall) and tied with Bowling Green for first place. Ball State beat Northern Illinois 76-68 on Wednesday in Muncie.
The game will be Kent’s fourth on the road in its last five games.