Corynne Hauser's 'breakout game' brings success for Kent State women's basketball
KENT ― Freshman guard Corynne Hauser was perfect by halftime of the Kent State women’s basketball game Sunday.
Coming off the bench, she had scored 12 points in two quarters, going 3-of-3 from the field, 2-of-2 behind the arc and 4-of-4 at the free throw line.
Hauser went on to lead her team in scoring and from the field in the Flashes’ 64-49 victory over St. Bonaventure.
“She sees the floor really well,” said senior guard Katie Shumate, who had scored a second-best 15 points. “I have a ton of confidence in her scoring at all three levels. I just hope she continues to be aggressive and go out there and do what she can do.”
Hauser finished the game with 18 points and went 5-of-8 from the field and 2-of-3 on 3-pointers. This is the first time the freshman has led in scoring this season.
Kent State (6-2) is now on a four-game winning streak. The Bonnies are 2-7.
Going into Sunday, Hauser was fourth in scoring for Kent State with 56 points. She has played in every game this season and has yet to start.
“It was really good to see Corynne start to have a bit of a breakout game and shooting the ball well,” coach Todd Starkey said.
Graduate student guard Hannah Young and Hauser totaled two 3-pointers each.
Junior guard Nadechka Laccen led St. Bonaventure with 22 points.
Staying ahead the whole way
Kent State had a 15-11 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Shumate scored first in the second quarter with a 3-pointer. Young and Hauser later added their own 3-pointers. By the half, Kent State was winning 38-20.
The Flashes had outscored St. Bonaventure 23-9 in the second quarter.
“We really executed well offensively,” Starkey said. “Defensively, we were really solid.”
Shmuate said her team has been playing on defense first this season.
“We’re just locking in and focusing on what we need to do and not looking forward to the offensive end,” she said. “It’s just good to see our team really putting some emphasis on the defensive end. The better we play on defense, the sooner we’re going to get back on offense.”
After a layup from Shumate at the start of the third quarter, the Flashes recorded three 3-pointers in less than three minutes. Kent State then had a 49-28 lead, its biggest lead of the game.
The Bonnies only outscored the Flashes in the fourth quarter, 12-7. Hauser added only two of those points.
Kent State finished the afternoon shooting 35.6% from the field and 32% behind the arc. St. Bonaventure shot 30.2% from the field and made 30.4% of its 3-pointers. Both teams were perfect on free throws.
“Defensively, we were really good for most of the game,” Starkey said. “Our interior defense was really good.”
The Flashes’ bench added 29 points for their team, and Kent State outrebounded the Bonnies 37-33.
“We’re connecting on the floor,” Hauser said. “We're understanding each other more and how to play with each other. Nobody’s a liability. Everybody’s just doing what they need to do, and if we do need to cover for each other, someone is always there.”
The Flashes play at Duquesne (6-2) at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Junior forward Ayanna Townsend leads the Dukes with 100 points on the season. Sophomore guard Tess Myers, who is second in scoring, has made 20 3-pointers, which is a team best.
“We have a quick turnaround to go play at Duquesne Wednesday, which will be a tough game,” Starkey said. “So we have to work on some stuff and get better.”
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Kent State women's basketball defeats St. Bonaventure
