Growing up in the Mid-American Conference might be tough, but it’s completely necessary if a team wants to contend.

On Saturday afternoon, Kent State (3-13, 1-4 MAC) watched freshman forward Jordan Korinek show signs of maturity in a road loss to Northern Illinois, 49-66.

“Getting better is always going to be one of our priorities,” coach Danielle O’Banion said. “We do have a young team, and we are relying on young players to be contributors. Players like Jordan are coming along very well.”

Korinek led the Flashes in the scoring department, notching 15 points. Perhaps more importantly, though: Korinek, alongside redshirt senior center CiCi Shannon, led the post players on their way to a 41-rebound night.

“My initial thoughts were that our post players were incredibly productive,” O’Banion said. “I was really encouraged by CiCi’s production.”

Korinek finished second on the team with six rebounds, while Shannon paved the way with 16 of her own. Shannon also finished second on the team in scoring with 13 points and earned her third straight double-double.

O’Banion said the Flashes held their own against a team that stereotypically bullies opposing inside players; ultimately, the Huskies just came away as the more polished team.

“That’s the story of a young team, is that there are going to be some inconsistencies,” O’Banion said. “We are certainly seeing that manifest itself from a scoring standpoint, but I like this group.”

The Flashes do have a week off to gear up to host Western Michigan on Saturday, Jan. 24. O’Banion said it will be a confidence booster to play at the M.A.C. Center again, citing crowd energy as a big factor in how the team plays.

“It’s going to be nice to get back especially after such a long road trip,” O’Banion said. “The last time we were at the M.A.C. Center…the (opposing) coach talked very openly about how the crowd was destructive for her and her team.”

Contact Jimmy Miller at [email protected].