Jamilah Humes (Saginaw, Mich.) had a team-best 14 points, aided by a 6-of-7 effort from the free throw line, while Spears added 12 points in her first collegiate start.

"She just makes hustle plays, and that's why she's starting for us," said Kent State head coach Bob Lindsay of Spears' play early on in the season. "She gives us a lift with the way she plays."

Kent State's 50 caroms were the most since a 51-rebound effort against Northern Illinois Feb. 7, 2009. Spears had a game-high 13 rebounds, surpassing her previous best of eight boards, which she tied in the season opener against Robert Morris.

The Golden Flashes were diligent on the glass on the offensive end of the court, pulling in 19 offensive rebounds compared to 24 defensive rebounds by Youngstown State. On the other end, KSU was relentless with 31 defensive rebounds to eight YSU offensive boards.

Early turnovers and a 1-of-10 shooting effort from the field in the game's early minutes had Kent State in an eight-point hole.

But then Youngstown State went cold, going over nine minutes without a field goal as Kent State rattled off an 18-5 run to move ahead, 20-15, and take the lead it would not relinquish. Six different players scored for the Golden Flashes during the run, including five points by Chenel Harris (Mississauga, Ontario).

Kent State continued to press, and with a 7-0 run over 55 seconds late in the first half, the Golden Flashes had a 31-22 lead at the break.

In the second half, KSU continued to take advantage of its size, outscoring the Penguins 22-6 in the paint. With Youngstown State playing with just eight players due to injury, Kent State also had a 29-0 advantage in bench points, led by Taisja Jones (Dallas, Texas) and Leslie Schaefer (Verona, Wis.), who each had eight points.

Stephanie Gibson (North Canton, Ohio) had eight of Kent State's 16 assists and didn't commit a turnover in 39 minutes to guide the Flashes. She also added six points and four rebounds.

Youngstown State (0-3) was led by Macy Nortey's 20 points, while Bojana Dimitrov and Kenya Middlebrooks added 15 and 12 points, respectively.

"It wasn't a real pretty game offensively, but it is a good win for us," said head coach Bob Lindsay. "We compensated with a poor shooting game with the rebounding aspect of the game. There were positives in this game today, and we'll take those positives."