'We’re at a good place:' Kent State stays hot, routs Ohio in MAC women's basketball
The Kent State women’s basketball team scored more than 80 points for the second time in five days, defeating Ohio University 82-56 in a Mid-American Conference game Wednesday at the M.A.C. Center.
“I was really proud of the way we came out of halftime,” Golden Flashes coach Todd Starkey said. “We were really good at both sides of the ball; it kind of reminded me of how we played against Akron. We were really rigid on the defensive end and connected. Offensively, we really executed.”
The Flashes (21-6) are fourth in the MAC at 10-5, and with their 41-point win over Akron Feb. 18 they have secured a spot in the conference tournament, which will run from March 8-11.
The Bobcats (6-20) are tied for last place in the conference at 4-11. Bowling Green and Toledo are tied for first place at 13-2.
“We’re at a good place right now,” junior guard Casey Santoro said. “I think we need to keep building off of things and playing better and better.”
Senior guard Katie Shumate led four Kent State players in double figures with 16 points. Sophomore guard Yaya Felder, the MAC's leading scorer, had 24 points for the Bobcats.
Kent State’s lead hits the 20s
Shumate and Santoro each scored five first-quarter points for the Flashes, who never trailed again after tying the score with less than four minutes left in the quarter.
Kent State led 35-30 at halftime behind graduate student forward Lindsey Thall, who scored 11 of her 13 points in the first half. Santoro and Corynne Hauser each chipped in 14 points
“One of our big mantras is ‘don’t practice bad habits,’ and we were practicing some bad habits in the first quarter, second quarter,” Starkey said. “First quarter, I thought we were just playing even, back and forth. We really weren’t setting the table like we wanted to. Second quarter, we pushed things out a little bit, then we took our foot off the gas.”
The Flashes built a 21-point lead with 1:56 left in the third quarter and did not lead by less than that the rest of the way. It peaked at 29 twice in the fourth quarter.
Shumate scored six of her points that quarter, and she was a mode of consistency in leading Kent State in scoring in three of the four quarters.
“Katie has been playing really good basketball … playing with great energy,” Starkey said. “The way that she has consistently been bringing that type of effort has really raised the level of our whole team."
Kent State to next play Eastern Michigan
The Flashes play at Eastern Michigan (13-12, 5-9) at 1 p.m. Saturday in their third-to-last game before the conference tournament.
Kent State defeated EMU 79-66 at home on Jan. 18.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Kent State clinches spot in MAC women's basketball tournament
