The unofficial online home for fans of the Kent State University Golden Flashes. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

The women play their final away game Wednesday at ninth place Miami (4-12, 10-19).

KSU beat Miami 84-66 Feb. 1 in Kent, breaking open the game with a 23-9 third quarter.

I spend most of the blog preview recounting Lurken's season, certainly one of the best in Kent State history. She's on track to break the 36-year-old school record for scoring average by almost two points. Lurken is averaging 23.3 points a game, fifth best in Division I.

She's got a good chance to break the overall point total record (Bonny Beachy's record was set in 34 games), especially if Kent State wins at least one MAC tournament game (or plays in a postseason tournament like the WNIT).

She leads the country in made foul shots and has set a MAC record in that category and in foul shots taken. She's also set KSU career records in three-point shots made and taken.

Lurken is among MAC leaders in nine of 13 categories.

And her team has won almost as many games this season (17) as it did in her first three years combined (18). The Flashes already have won more league games (11) than those three seasons.

A win by Kent State against Miami or a loss by Buffalo clinches the fourth seed (and first-round bye) for the Flashes in the MAC tournament.

Story and preview of the Miami game is on the blog at http://wbbflashes.com.

What a great season by Larissa Lurken individually and by the team as a whole. Very happy for them after not having much to be happy about the previous 3 seasons.

Kent 78, Miami 51. The women earned a bye to the quarter finals on Wednesday. Amazing.

(03-01-2017 09:02 PM)burden Wrote:  Kent 78, Miami 51. The women earned a bye to the quarter finals on Wednesday. Amazing.

And they are MAC East regular season champions!

What a game from Larissa Lurken, stat sheet stuffer.

Hopefully they can draw a good crowd on Saturday afternoon @ the MACC vs Buffalo.

Amazing turn around. COTY.

If someone had tried to tell me in October -- even at the end of January -- that this team would be MAC East champion, I'd have thought they were crazy. (Burden accused me of smoking substances illegal in Ohio when I outlined games that -- if everything went perfectly -- might lead to 14 wins in the MAC.)

Yet here we are. They've won 12 and could win 13.

Exactly the same starting lineup that was on the court at the end of last season. Yet instead of 6-23, they're 18-11.

It's Kent's first title since 2004-05. Lurken was in fourth grade.

Starkey was quite articulate after the game in describing what this team has accomplished. He's quoted at length in the blog at http://wbbflashes.com.

Lurken had one of her best stat lines -- 24 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and a block.

Jordan Korinek had 20 points and 12 rebounds -- her fifth double-double. McKenna Stephens had 14, including two three-pointers when Kent State took control of the game in the second quarter.

Northern Illinois lost to Toledo Wednesday, so Kent is tied with NIU for third place overall. Northern has the tie breaker because of two wins over KSU. But if NIU loses at Western Saturday and Kent beats Buffalo, the Flashes have the third seed in the tournament.

A pretty bad Akron team had 600 in attendance for their women's team senior night. Let's make sure we have a lot more than that on Saturday afternoon. This team deserves it. By the way you were smoking something or you would have predicted the Ball St game correctly.

Larissa Lurken and Jordan Korinek both were named second-team Academic All-Americans Thursday.

They're the fourth and fifth KSU players ever to get the honor, and Kent was the only school to have two players on the 15-member team. That's happened 13 times since 2000.

Lurken is a nursing major with a 3.72 GPA. She was at an Akron hospital Thursday four hours after the team returned from its victory over Miami, starting a 12-hour shift as part of what the university calls "clinicals." She is the MAC's leading scorer (23.3 points per game) and close to setting Kent State's season scoring record.

Korinek is a special education major with a perfect 4.0 GPA. She is Kent State's second-leading scorer (15.7 points per game) and leading rebounding (6.6).

They and their teammates play their last home game at 2 p.m. Saturday against Buffalo at the MACC. They open league tournament play Wednesday at Quicken Loans Arena.

Full story on the blog at http://wbbflashes.com.

Just caught coach Starkey on the radio 1350 Drive Time with Ty Lindner and Joe Dunn. It was a long interview, very light hearted and happy. I am so impressed with this coach. He is a PR treasure. I enjoyed every minute, in fact I had to sit in the parking lot for 10 minutes to hear the whole interview. This guy is sold on the Kent Community and is looking forward to recruiting to Kent State. As long as we have him, Kent State has a very bright future.

The women's team -- Cinderella champions of the MAC East -- was introduced to the 6,000-plus fans at the men's game Friday and drew a standing ovation.

It would be very nice if some of those fans showed up for the Flashes' final home game of the season at 2 p.m. Saturday at the M.A.C. Center. It's Senior Day for five Kent State players, including Larissa Lurken, who's a strong candidate for MAC player of the year.

The Flashes (12-5, 18-11) play Buffalo, the third place team in the East. The Bulls' record is 10-7 in the MAC, 20-8 overall.

The game means little as far as standings and seedings in the tournament are concerned. Kent State could be seeded third or fourth in the conference. Its opponent in Wednesday's quarterfinals will be Ohio or Toledo. How those teams do Saturday is just as significant as Kent's game in the seedings.

If KSU wins and Northern Illinois loses, Kent State has the third seed. The teams are currently tied at 12-5, but Northern beat the Flashes twice during the season and hold the tie breaker. The Flashes then will play the winner of Monday's play-in game between the No. 6 seed (either Ohio or Toledo) and Akron, the No. 11 seed.

If Kent State gets the fourth seed, it will play the winner of Monday's game between the No. 5 seed (Ohio or Toledo) and the No. 12 seed, Eastern Michigan.

How do we figure out who's No. 5 and No. 6? If Ohio beats Akron at Akron Saturday, the Bobcats get No. 5. If Ohio loses and Toledo wins, it's Toledo. If they both lose and Kent State beats Buffalo, it's Ohio. If they both lose and Buffalo beats Kent State, the three teams are tied at 11-7. Then the tie breaker goes to the team with the best record in competition among the three. That would be Ohio at 3-1 (sweeping Toledo and splitting with Buffalo). Toledo swept Buffalo and lost twice to Ohio.

I think that's right. The tie breakers can get very confusing.

It's also pretty unlikely Ohio will lose to Akron.

I'd call the Kent State-Buffalo game a toss-up. The Flashes have a better record and have won six in a row. But Buffalo beat Kent 77-62 in Buffalo. The Flashes don't match up well with the Bulls, who rebound and play defense very well. A question is whether Buffalo will play its starters maximum minutes; the Bulls have to play again in two days, and Monday's game is much more important than Saturday's.

Among the seniors recognized will be starting forward McKenna Stephens, who will graduate this year but still will have a year of eligibility remaining. She had to sit out a year when she transferred to Kent from Michigan State. She could return to campus as a graduate student next year and play a final season. In answer to an email question, Starkey told me Stephens plans were "not definite," so she would be recognized Saturday. Stephens is Kent State's third leading scorer and rebounder.

Other seniors are reserve forward Chelsi Watson, who has averaged 13 minutes off the bench this season, Lacey Miller and Keziah Lewis. Miller and Lewis have played the fewest minutes on the team and combined for two points this season.

Full preview and notes on the seniors are on the blog at http://wbbflashes.com.

(03-03-2017 04:43 PM)GFlash68 Wrote:  Just caught coach Starkey on the radio 1350 Drive Time with Ty Lindner and Joe Dunn. It was a long interview, very light hearted and happy. I am so impressed with this coach. He is a PR treasure. I enjoyed every minute, in fact I had to sit in the parking lot for 10 minutes to hear the whole interview. This guy is sold on the Kent Community and is looking forward to recruiting to Kent State. As long as we have him, Kent State has a very bright future.

I don't live in the area but this sounds like hopeful news after the past few seasons - Thanks for the update!

The women beat Buffalo 80-71 to take the third seed in the MAC Tournament.

They'll play either No. 6 seed Toledo (20-8) or Akron (9-20) at about 8 p.m. Wednesday. Kent State was 3-0 against those teams during the regular season, though their win against Toledo game when one of UT's top players was out with a concussion.

Akron and Toledo play at Toledo Monday.

KSU finishes the regular season at 19-11 and as MAC East champions with a 13-5 record. Larissa Lurken had 32 points and 13 rebounds and is 24 points away from Kent State's single-season scoring record, set by Bonnie Beachy in 1980-81.

The game finishes one of the biggest turnarounds in Kent State history. The women's team -- with the same starting lineup -- went 6-23 and finished last in the MAC last season. 19 wins is more than the Flashes won in the last three seasons combined.

Story going up at http://wbbflashes.com.

Bonnie Beachy was before my time watching women's games. Anybody what position did she play?

From 6-23 and last place to 19-11 and first.

On the blog at http://wbbflashes.com, I try to explain how the women's basketball team became a winner again. Among many things, it was:

-- Better recruiting that we thought from Danny O'Banion.
-- A great X's and O's coach in Todd Starkey.
-- Most every starter stepping up her game.
-- A tournament in Florida where KSU could have gotten blown out. Instead, it discovered it could play with good teams.
-- A win at Ohio that we never expected.

At the start of the season, my fondest hopes were a .500 season in and out of the MAC.

Look what happened.

(03-05-2017 11:14 PM)cschierh Wrote:  From 6-23 and last place to 19-11 and first.

On the blog at http://wbbflashes.com, I try to explain how the women's basketball team became a winner again. Among many things, it was:

-- Better recruiting that we thought from Danny O'Banion.
-- A great X's and O's coach in Todd Starkey.
-- Most every starter stepping up her game.
-- A tournament in Florida where KSU could have gotten blown out. Instead, it discovered it could play with good teams.
-- A win at Ohio that we never expected.

At the start of the season, my fondest hopes were a .500 season in and out of the MAC.

Look what happened.

Nice summary and credit to former coach Danny O

(03-04-2017 06:40 PM)burden Wrote:  Bonnie Beachy was before my time watching women's games. Anybody what position did she play?

Beachy was listed as a 5-8 forward.

As a media person who covers the Kent State women's team, I get to vote for player, coach and freshman of the year.

Even trying to be unbiased, I have to vote for KSU guard Larissa Lurken and coach Todd Starkey. We've written about the Kent State turnaround (last to first, 6-23 to 19-11) a million times. Without Lurken and Starkey, is doesn't happen.

My vote for freshman of the year went to 5-3 guard Lauren Dickerson of Miami, the highest-scoring freshman in the conference. She's also among league leaders in five other categories.

Also on the blog at http://wbbflashes.com, I outline my choices for all-conference, all-freshman and various other awards.

The league coaches decide those; they'll be announced sometime in the next 24 hours.

The women will play Toledo in the MAC quarterfinals at about 8 p.m. Wednesday.

The Rockets beat Akron 65-37 in their first-round game in Toledo Monday. Akron had a one-point lead after the first quarter. Then Toledo outscored them 18-2 in the second quarter and 32-19 in the second half. No one on Toledo played more than 26 minutes.

Kent beat Toledo 70-60 in Kent in their only game this season. Flashes are 19-11, Toledo 22-8. Kent State has won seven games in a row; Toledo has won five straight.

All of the lower seeds in the MAC won at home Monday. Other scores:

No. 8 Western Michigan (18-12, 8-10 MAC) over No. 9 Miami (11-21, 5-13), 73-66.

No. 7 Buffalo (21-9, 10-8) over No. 10 Bowling Green (8-23, 4-14), 61-45.

No. 5 Ohio (21-9, 12-6) over No. 12 Eastern Michigan (6-25, 1-17), 63-49.

Wednesday match-ups, ticket information, more on the Toledo game is on the blog at http://wbbflashes.com.

At a great pre-tournament media gathering Monday, coach Todd Starkey said, "I really didn't think this team was going to be very good."

Why he said that, and how things changed are on the blog at http://wbbflashes.com.

Kent State's Larissa Lurken won MAC player of the year and Todd Starkey coach of the year.

Lurken also was first-team all-MAC. Jordan Korinek was second team.

Here's the full MAC press release:

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Mid-American Conference announced Tuesday the regular season awards on the eve of the 2017 MAC Women’s Basketball Tournament moving to Quicken Loans Arena, with unveiling of the 2017 Mid-American Player, Coach and Freshman of the Year, as voted by the head coaches, sports information directors and media members of the Mid-American Conference.

The conference office also released the 2016-17 All-MAC Teams, All-Freshman Team, All-Defensive Team, Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Player of the Year awards as voted by the league’s 12 head coaches.

Kent State’s Larissa Lurken received the top player honors, being names the 2017 MAC Women’s Basketball Player of the Year. This season, Lurken leads the NCAA in free throw attempts (309) and free throws made (262). The senior also sits 3rd nationally in points per game (23.6) and 6th in final points (708). The Cottage Grove, Minnesota native was the conference’s top scorer, recording 25.0 points per game. Additionally, Lurken was third in free throw percent (.876), fourth in blocked shots (29), sixth in steals (35 total), ninth in assists (3.8 apg), ninth in 3-point field goals made (38) and 12th in 3-point field goal percent (.358). The All-MAC First Team member becomes the sixth Golden Flash in program history to earn the Player of the Year honor.

Kent State University Head Coach Todd Starkey, was named 2017 MAC Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year. In his first year with the program, Starkey led the Golden Flashes to their first MAC East Division title since the 2004-05 season. Kent State finished the MAC season ranked third in free throw percent (.763), third in 3-point field goal percent (.350), third in assists (15.1 apg), fourth in scoring (75.2 ppg) and fourth in blocked shots (70). The Golden Flashes are first in the country for free throws made, with 566 on the season. They also sit second nationally in free throw attempts (757 total). Most impressively, Kent State, who was 6-23 overall and 3-15 in the MAC last seasons ago, went 19-11 and 13-5 in the MAC. Starkey becomes the first Golden Flash head coach to be named Coach of the Year since Bob Lindsay won the honor in 1998. It is the third overall coach of the year in program history.

Receiving the title 2017 MAC Freshman of the Year is Miami’s Lauren Dickerson. The 5’3” guard ranks top ten in the MAC in assists (3.9 apg), steals (35 total), 3-point percent (.378) and 3-point field goals made (37). Over the course of the season, Dickerson started in all 32 games for the RedHawks, averaging 30 minutes. Dickerson finished her first campaign in Oxford holding the Miami freshman scoring record, which she broke in the final game of the regular season with a career-high 33 points against Western Michigan in the first round of the MAC Tournament. “Lauren is a special player and a great teammate,” said head coach Cleve Wright. “ She has obviously made an immediate impact on our team. Her passion to compete elevates her game and her teammates. She is worthy of this award and we are very excited for her!” The Indianapolis native led Miami in scoring (16.3 ppg) and steals (62). Dickerson becomes the second RedHawk named Freshman of the Year, joining Courtney Osborn.

Central Michigan’s Tinara Moore received the nod as the 2016-17 MAC Defensive Player of the Year. The 6’3” forward led the MAC this year in blocks (64), which is a CMU single-season record, and blocks per game (2.1). Moore posted another program history with nine blocks in a single-game (vs. Northern Illinois). The junior ranks second on the team in rebounds (7.2 rpg) and has recorded 17 steals. “I think Tinara has really bought in to the discipline defensively. I think she is mobile enough and her numbers and performance speak for herself", said head coach Sue Guevara. For the Chippewas, Moore is the second individual to claim the Defensive Player of the Year award joining Crystal Bradford in 2014.

Ball State’s Destiny Washington was named the 2016-17 MAC Sixth Player of the Year, becoming the third Cardinal to receive the honor. Head Coach Brady Sallee said, “I believe she elevates our team when she enters the game and used her role coming off the bench as a positive way to impact our team.” The sophomore leads the team in blocks (34), sits in third for total points (310) and is fourth in steals (33). The 5’11” guard averages 6 rebounds per game and 10.5 point per game in MAC play.

The 2016-17 All-MAC First Team consists of five first-time first team selections. Ball State’s Renee Bennett, Central Michigan’s Presley Hudson and Tinara Moore, Kent State’s Larissa Lurken and Northern Illinois’ Ally Lehman received the top team recognition.

The All-MAC Second Team is highlighted by the 2015-16 Defensive Player of the Year from a season ago, Quiera Lampkins of Ohio. Lampkins sits second in the conference in scoring, averaging 19.5 points per game, and recently moved into No. 2 in all-time points scored in Ohio’s program history. Also on the second team were Ball State’s Moriah Monaco, Buffalo’s JoAnna Smith, Kent State’s Jordan Korinek and Toledo’s Janice Monakana.

On the third team it was Central Michigan’s Jewel Cotton and Reyna Frost, Toledo’s Mikaela Boyd and Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott, along with Western Michigan teammates Breanna Mobley and Meredith Shipman.

Receiving All-MAC Honorable Mention were Hannah Plybon of Akron and Carmen Grande of Ball State.

Chosen for their outstanding effort at the defensive end of the court, the 2016-17 MAC All-Defensive Team consists of Calyn Hosea (Ball State), Stephanie Reid (Buffalo), Tinara Moore (Central Michigan), Jasmine Weatherspoon (Ohio) and Deja Wimby (Western Michigan).

Rounding out the All-MAC Teams was the 2016-17 All-Freshman Team. Receiving the freshman season honors were Buffalo’s Summer Hemphill, Miami’s Lauren Dickerson, Northern Illinois’ Janae Poisson, Ohio’s Amani Burke and Toledo’s Mariella Santucci.

The MACtion moves to Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio beginning Wednesday, March 8th at noon when #8 Western Michigan faces #1 Central Michigan, followed by #5 Ohio facing #4 Northern Illinois. Visit Tournament Central for a complete bracket.

MAC Player of the Year (First Place Votes)
Larissa Lurken, Kent State (18)
Ally Lehman, NIU (12)
Tinara Moore, Central Michigan (10)
Quiera Lampkins, Ohio (3)
Renee Bennett, Ball State (2)

MAC Coach of the Year
Todd Starkey, Kent State (26)
Sue Guevara, Central Michigan (10)
Lisa Carlsen, NIU (9)

MAC Freshman of the Year
Lauren Dickerson, Miami (37)
Janae Poisson, Northern Illinois (3)
Summer Hemphill, Buffalo (2)
Amani Burke, Ohio (1)
Shaunay Edmonds, Akron (1)
Mariella Santucci, Toledo (1)

MAC Women’s Basketball Sixth Player of the Year
Destiny Washington, Ball State

MAC Women’s Basketball Defensive Player of the Year
Tinara Moore, Central Michigan

Women’s Basketball All-MAC First Team
Renee Bennett, Ball State
Presley Hudson, Central Michigan
Tinara Moore, Central Michigan
Larissa Lurken, Kent State
Ally Lehman, Northern Illinois

Women’s Basketball All-MAC Second Team
Moriah Monaco, Ball State
JoAnna Smith, Buffalo
Jordan Korinek, Kent State
Quiera Lampkins, Ohio
Janice Monakana, Toledo

Women’s Basketball All-MAC Third Team
Jewel Cotton, Central Michigan
Reyna Frost, Central Michigan
Mikaela Boyd, Toledo
Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott, Toledo
Breanna Mobley, Western Michigan
Meredith Shipman, Western Michigan

Women’s Basketball All-MAC Honorable Mention
Hannah Plybon, Akron
Carmen Grande, Ball State

MAC All-Defensive Team
Calyn Hosea, Ball State
Stephanie Reid, Buffalo
Tinara Moore, Central Michigan
Jasmine Weatherspoon, Ohio
Deja Wimby, Western Michigan

MAC All-Freshman Team
Summer Hemphill, Buffalo
Lauren Dickerson, Miami
Janae Poisson, Northern Illinois
Amani Burke, Ohio
Mariella Santucci, Toledo