Hot shooting propels Flashes to victory
January 30, 2009
Women’s basketball beats Eastern Michigan
The Kent State women’s basketball team beat down Eastern Michigan 84-52 at the M.A.C. Center this afternoon. Shooting a season-high 58.8 percent from the field, the Flashes led wire-to-wire in the win.
Senior center Anna Kowalska led a pack of double-figure scorers with 19. Overall, six Flashes scored more than 10 points today – the first time since 2000 that occurred.
“We had six kids in doubles,” Kent State coach Bob Lindsay said. “I thought that was a really good sign for our team.”
Offensively, it was a tale of two halves for the Flashes (15-4, 4-3 Mid-American Conference), who move above .500 in the MAC for the first time this season. Kent State’s long-range shooting propelled a 19-6 start by the Flashes, with four 3s finding the basket in the early going.
The Flashes shot a season-best 11-of-17 from the 3-point arc behind four 3s by junior guard Yoshica Spears.
In the second half, Kent State’s inside scoring finished off the Eagles, who fall to 0-7 in MAC play. The Flashes scored 22 of their 45 second-half points in the paint with Kowalska getting 13 of those.
“We consciously tried to get the ball inside a little bit more,” Lindsay said. “What they were doing defensively allowed us to throw it inside more than what we were doing in the first half.”
Poor rebounding continued to haunt the Flashes early in the game, with Eastern Michigan collecting 13 offensive boards in the first half. Kent State had a stronger presence on the boards in the second half, limiting the Eagles to eight rebounds while grabbing 16.
“We need to keep working on boxing out and rebounding the ball,” said Kowalska, who had a team-high 10 rebounds. “That’s the main key. And then keep playing 40 minutes really hard on defense.”
Kent State continues its run through the MAC West at Central Michigan, which topped Ohio 72-65 today. The Flashes and Chippewas will play at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Contact sports reporter Josh Johnston at [email protected].
