Mikala Morris, Kent State’s 6-2 grad transfer from Quinnipiac, just missed a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds. Both were highs for her in a KSU uniform, though she had scored more several times at Quinnipiac. (Photo from KSU Athletic Communications.)
With 5:13 to go in Kent State’s victory over Missouri Saturday, junior guard Jenna Batsch hit a 12-foot jump shot to start the Flashes toward their fourth win over a Power 5 team in the last three years.
Batsch’s basket made the score 60-57, and for the rest of the game, neither team led by more than three points. For most of that time, neither team led by more than one.
Finally, point guard Corynne Hauser made a layup with 12 seconds left to give KSU a 65-64 lead. Katie Shumate added two free throws with three-tenths of a second left to make the final score 67-64.
Kent State is now 3-2 on the young season. Missouri is 5-2.
BEATING THE POWER 5s
First it was a 75-69 win over UCLA in the Gulf Coast Showcase on Nov. 26, 2021. Two days later it was Kent State 81, Penn State 74.
Last season, it was Kent 69-66 at Oklahoma State.
“Four Power 5 wins in the last three years is a big thing for us,” KSU coach Todd Starkey said. “It should continue to put our program on the map.
“UCLA, Penn State, Oklahoma State, and now Missouri…These are all programs that have significantly more resources than we do. They can do so much more for recruiting. They have NIL collectives. They have charter flights.”
BIG GAMES FROM MORRIS AND HAUSER
Morris just missed a double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds.
“She really stepped her game up today,” Starkey said. “We needed that from her. She’s been trending in that direction, so I wasn’t surprised by it. But I was really pleased to see it, and all of her teammates are pretty excited about it.”
Hauser had 17 points and eight assists.
“And just one turnover against a really good defensive guard,” Starkey added.
In Friday’s 64-54 loss to Chattanooga, Hauser made didn’t make a basket in six tries.
“She knew she didn’t play well,” Starkey said. “And for her to follow up with this type of performance — especially against that good of a team — is really kind of a monumental thing.”
LOTS OF OTHER HELP
Junior forward Bridget Dunn had seven rebounds and eight points.
“It was great to see Bridget break out of a shooting slump and hit two big 3s, one in the fourth quarter,” Starkey said.
Junior guard Jenna Batsch had a career-high eight rebounds, eight points, two assists and two steals.
Freshman Janae Tyler, who scored 14 points Friday against Chattanooga, had six against Missouri. Morris’s big day limited Tyler’s playing time.
Grad student Abby Ogle had four points, three rebounds, an assist, a steal and a blocked shot.
A FAST START
Kent State jumped to a 14-point lead in the first quarter and led 21-12 at the end of the period.
“It gave us confidence,” Starkey said. “We had kids that hadn’t seen the ball go through the basket in a while. So when you have players making shots early, it gives a boost to the whole team.”
FLASHY STATS
- Points off turnovers: Kent State 17 (from 11 Missouri turnovers), Missouri 9 (from nine KSU turnovers).
- Points in the paint: Kent 28, Missouri 20.
- Rebounds: Kent 39 (13 offensive), Missouri 34 (11 offensive).
- Second chance points: Kent 13, Missouri 5.
NEXT: AT LONG LAST, A HOME GAME
The Flashes host Coppin State (3-3) at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the M.A.C. Center.
“We probably are the only team in the country that hasn’t played at home,” Starkey said. “We’re excited about getting back.”
Coppin State beat Pittsburgh 61-56 Tuesday for the school’s first win over a Power 5 school. Laila Lawrence, a 6-2 junior forward, had double-doubles in that and three of the other four of the team’s first six games.
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