Junior guard Sarah Burgess scored 10 points yesterday at the M.A.C. Center against Ohio. The Flashes beat the Bobcats 73-66. ARIANE R. CAVIN | DAILY KENT STATER

Credit: Carl Schierhorn

The Kent State women’s basketball team woke up in overtime to beat Ohio, 73-66, after not scoring a field goal in the last six minutes of regulation.

“We were fortunate to win this game with the way that we played,” Kent State coach Bob Lindsay said. “I thought we played the game with little or no energy, which was the exact opposite of the way we played against Northern Illinois Saturday.”

Redshirt junior guard Sarah Burgess hit a free-throw, and the Flashes’ (16-7, 9-3 Mid-American Conference) only point in the last four minutes of regulation, with 50.9 seconds to tie the score 54-54 and send the game into overtime.

Burgess then hit two consecutive 3-point goals from the baseline to open up overtime and put Kent State up by six.

Lindsay said those shots fired up the offense that went on to make 6-of-8 field goals in overtime to get the win.

“We survived and made enough plays to win the game, but we sure didn’t play very well,” Lindsay said.

Senior forward Lindsay Shearer finished the game as high scorer with 25 points, due to making 12-of-14 from the free-throw line. Besides that, Shearer shot 26 percent, making 6-of-17, from the field.

Fouls hurt both teams. The Flashes had 22 personal fouls, and junior center Mallorie Griffith fouled out. But the Bobcats (7-16, 4-8 MAC) had 26 fouls, and four players fouled out.

The Bobcats had to finish the last 50 seconds of the game with only four players on the court.

“I would sum things up by saying we were very lethargic,” Lindsay said after the team finished their fifth overtime game of the season, extending a school record. “But I don’t apologize for wins. We’ll take them any way we can get them.”

The win clinched a first-round bye for the Flashes in the MAC Tournament. Kent State and Ohio remain No. 2 and 3 respectively in the MAC East Division.

The Flashes have won four straight against the Bobcats and have lost to them only once since 1996. They now have a three-game winning streak and are 4-1 in games that have gone into overtime.

Shearer had her 14th 20-point game of the season last night.

Burgess, who scored 10, and Shearer both finished one rebound short of recording double-doubles. Burgess’ nine rebounds set a new career high.

The Flashes’ next game is Saturday afternoon at Akron.

Contact basketball reporter Sean Joseph at [email protected].