Thu Mar 18 2010
By David Carducci
Record-Courier staff writer
YOUNGSTOWN — Kent State recovered from a slow start by overwhelming Youngstown State inside in a 70-55 win on Wednesday at the Beeghly Center.
Yoshica Spears helped KSU (2-0) overcome a miserable first eight minutes by recording her first career double-double of the season, scoring 12 points to go with a team-high 13 rebounds. Prior to Wednesday, the 5-foot-10 senior had never pulled down more than eight rebounds in a single game.
She picked the right night to have a big night on the glass. Eight of Spears 13 rebounds came on a night when the Golden Flashes — the second-ranked team in the nation in 3-point shooting last season — shot just 23.5 percent from the arc (4-for-17) and only a mediocre 40-percent from the field (26-for-64).
“We are a 3-point shooting team, so it’s important to crash the boards,” said Spears.
The Flashes couldn’t make a thing in the game’s first eight minutes. They converted just one of their first 10 shots and turned the ball over six times while falling behind 10-2.
After a layup by Chenel Harris ended the drought with 12 minutes to play in the half, the Flashes turned the game around with nine-plus minutes of brilliant defense. KSU held the YSU without a field goal for 9:14, outscoring the Penguins 17-5 in that stretch.
The Flashes kept pounding the boards and attacking the basket on their way to a 31-22 halftime lead.
By the end of the night, KSU had outscored YSU 38-8 in the paint and our-rebounded the Penguins 50-32.
“It should have been by a lot more than that ... as short-handed as they were,” said KSU coach Bob Lindsay. “We still have a lot of stuff to work on in the post.”
Center Ellie Shields grabbed 11 rebounds, including six on the offensive end, but only managed four points on 2-for-12 shooting. Freshman Leslie Schaefer had a nice night on the inside, scoring eight points on 4-for-7 shooting off the bench.
The Penguins stretched their starting lineup thin, using only three reserves — and one of those played only three minutes. KSU outscored YSU 29-0 off the bench.
Jamilah Humes led KSU with 14 points. She also pulled down six rebounds. Backcourt mate Stephanie Gibson enjoyed a strong floor game with eight assists and no turnovers.
YSU’s Macey Nortey led all scorers with 20 points in 35 minutes. Bojana Dimitrov added 15 points and Kenya Middleton scored 12 in 34 and 37 minutes of action, respectively. Brandi Brown (3 points, 7 rebounds) logged 37 minutes for the Penguins, who fell to 0-3 on the season.
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David Carducci can be reached at dcarducci@recordpub.com
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