Kent State shakes lengthy shooting slump, routs Eastern Michigan

Allen Moff, Record-Courier
·2 min read
Kent State junior forward Nila Blackford shoots over several Eastern Michigan defenders during Saturday's game at the M.A.C. Center.
Kent State junior forward Nila Blackford shoots over several Eastern Michigan defenders during Saturday's game at the M.A.C. Center.

Kent State’s women’s basketball team snapped out of a Mid-American Conference season-long shooting funk and cruised to an 83-58 victory over Eastern Michigan Saturday afternoon at the M.A.C. Center.

The Golden Flashes (10-5, 2-4) entered the contest averaging a MAC-low 58 points per game in 2021-22 conference competition. They scored 41 points in the first half but led by just one, then tacked on 24 more during a dominant third quarter - outscoring the Eagles 24-9. The Flashes drained five 3-pointers and shot 62 percent from the floor, while the Eagles hit just 2-of-13 field goals in period No. 3 and fell behind 65-49.

Kent State wound up shooting a season-high 52 percent from the field and drained 10 3-pointers in 22 attempts. The Flashes entered Saturday’s contest shooting 34.3% from the field and 27.5% from 3 in league play.

Freshman forward Bridget Dunn led the charge for Kent State with a career-high 19 points, shooting 7-of-10 from the field and 3-of-5 from 3.

Junior forward Nila Blackford produced her third double-double in the last five games with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while sophomore guard Casey Santoro finished with 15 points and four assists.

Senior forward Lindsey Thall, playing her first game since last month while recovering from a bout with COVID-19, produced 12 points, three rebounds and two assists in 16 minutes of action.

The Flashes led by just four early in the third quarter when Santoro and Shumate hit back-to-back 3s, pushing the lead to 51-41. Dunn canned a 3-pointer just before the third-quarter buzzer to put her team in command 65-49 heading into the fourth quarter.

Kent State hit 3-of-4 3s in the final 10 minutes to win going away.

Senior guard Areanna Combs led the Eagles (4-7, 1-3) with 13 points, four below her season average.

The contest was an emotional one for Starkey and his players. The Flashes held their annual ‘We Back Pat’ game in honor of legendary Tennessee women’s basketball coach Pat Summitt, who died in 2016 after battling Alzheimer’s disease. Starkey’s mother Alice passed away on Tuesday due to complications from dementia.

Kent State will visit Buffalo (9-4, 3-0) in a rescheduled game on Monday.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Kent State defeated Eastern Michigan 83-58 on Saturday