Huskies fail to close, falling 81-78 to Kent State

When it comes to sealing the deal, the Washington women's basketball team has some work to do. An 18-point halftime lead was not enough to give the UW a victory over Kent State Thursday night. Despite leading for more than 30 minutes the Huskies were defeated 81-78 in overtime.

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The road gets rougher for the Huskies. After a heartbreaking 81-78 overtime loss to Kent State University Thursday, the UW travels to Columbus, Ohio to face a team Sunday that has been basically untouchable.

Aside from an eight-point, double-overtime win over Boston College, 6-0 Ohio State has won its previous games by an average of more than 35 points apiece.

The Buckeyes are ranked No. 6 in both national polls and have been led by the strong play of Jessica Davenport, who has averaged nearly 23 points a game.

For Washington, playing hard may not be enough. For any chance at a victory, the Dawgs have got to improve upon their poor outside and free throw shooting percentages, all of which have contributed to their 1-3 start on the road.

The school is coach June Daugherty's alma mater. 

"We know Ohio State is going to be a great team," said Cameo Hicks after yesterday's loss. "We have to think about the loss tonight, get on with it tomorrow and it's going to be a great game."

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"I think we just got too comfortable," said senior Cameo Hicks. "They just came back on us and it was a great win for them."

If the Huskies (3-3) had asked for more things to go their way during the first half, they would have been greedy. Kent State's leading scorer, Kristin Peoples, had put in just two points while its second-leading scorer, Sarah Burgess, matched her effort.

The Golden Flashes (2-3) had committed 15 turnovers that had led directly to 16 UW points. They had also scored only seven field goals, including missing all of their shots from 3-point range. For the last seven minutes of the half, the Flashes scored zero baskets from the field and made just three free throws.

"We recognized that this was a team that likes to penetrate, and we were quick with our rotations and with help," said UW coach June Daugherty. "I thought they looked in disarray at times."

The second half was stark in comparison.

Peoples and Burgess combined for 40 points, the Flashes cleaned up their ball handling [HTML_REMOVED] committing just eight turnovers [HTML_REMOVED] and sank 17 field goals, including two 3-pointers, en route to outscoring the Huskies 48-30.

"I thought we lacked discipline and toughness," Daugherty said. "I didn't understand it; you get a team down and smell blood, and you have to get on the stops and find a way to get it done."

After trading baskets to start the overtime, 3-pointers from the Flashes' dynamic duo sealed the Husky fate.

"For us, we need to address some of the shortcomings and fix the Husky defensive system first," Daugherty said.

It was not just defense that was giving the UW fits.

Almost immediately in the second half, the Huskies saw their first signs of trouble. Leading 37-19, the UW committed a turnover on the initial inbounds play and then the team was whistled for three fouls inside the first minute of play.

Kent State senior La'Kia Stewart made the most of the Husky hang-ups, scoring a quick 11 points, with her last basket bringing her team to within nine points. During the next six minutes, the Golden Flashes went on a 20-12 run.

There was less than a minute remaining in regulation when Peoples tied the game at 67-67 with a free throw.

A Jill Bell turn-around rattled off the rim and the teams went to the extra period.

"We worked too hard in the first half to give it away in the second," Daugherty said.

The Huskies got a strong effort from Hicks, who scored a career-high 29 points, but it was not enough to offset the absence of Andrea Plouffe from the lineup.

"Andrea's a great presence inside and outside for us," Hicks said. "We definitely had other players step up, but we just lost it somewhere tonight. The loss is on us. We didn't stay down and play good defense."

The team takes on a red-hot Ohio State Buckeyes team Sunday afternoon.

Reporter Sam Cameron: samcameron@thedaily.washington.edu