The BG women’s basketball team defeated Kent State 58-39 Jan. 9 overcoming a low-scoring performance in the first half.
Both teams struggled offensively for the entire first half, but the Falcons were able to get off to a 5-0 start in the first six minutes of the game. It took the Golden Flashes until the 14:25 mark of the first half to make their first field goal that sparked a 7-2 Kent State run.
A few BG steals on the defensive end then led to scoring opportunities for the Falcons that allowed them to gain the lead for good, despite just a 20-13 lead going into halftime. The Falcons came out shooting better in the second half to put them on an early 15-0 run that helped seal the game.
BG shot just 36 percent from the field in the contest and made just four shots from behind the arc out of 20 attempts. The Falcons did, however, shoot 90 percent from the free-throw line, sinking 18-of-20, including a perfect 12 for 12 in the second half.
Senior Jillian Halfhill led the way for the Falcons with 15 points. Fellow senior Jill Stein recorded a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. She also added four steals on the night. No Kent State players made it to double figures in scoring.
Head Coach Jennifer Roos said that her team’s shooting woes can be directly attributed to not having practice for three days due to the weather. She said she knew her team would be rusty without practice for several days. To make up for their shooting problems, she added that she knew her team would need to get to the foul line and get out and run to get points from transition.
“We’re going to call this the Polar Vortex 2014 game,” Roos said. “I mean we came out…about as cold as the wind chill was [the past] couple of days, only shooting 26 percent in the first half.”
The Falcons will once again have few days of practice time in the gym as they welcome Akron to the Stroh Center on Sunday, Jan. 12. The game is set to begin at 2 p.m.
