The game

Kent State (9-7 MAC, 16-11 overall) at Akron (7-9, 16-11) at 7 p.m. Wednesday

WHAT’S AT STAKE: Teams are jockeying for seeds in MAC Tournament, which starts Monday. Kent is tied for sixth with Northern Illinois, a game behind fifth-place Toledo. Depending on results of the last two games, Kent State could get a fifth, sixth or seventh seed. Akron is pretty much locked into eighth, though a perfect combination of events might move it up. It’s not likely. Both teams should get a home game Monday in the first-round of the tournament.

About Akron

IN THE MAC: Eighth at 7-9, two games ahead of Eastern Michigan land two games behind Kent State and NIU.

(I use full league standings because seedings are determined solely on the conference record.)

RPI: 141 of 351 teams. Schedule strength: 145. Home record: 8-4. Lost to Kent State 73-58 in Kent Feb. 2. Has won two of three, including 70-59 home win over fourth-place Buffalo. Beat Kent State 75-60 in Akron last season.

LAST GAME: Lost to second-place Ohio 81-71 at Akron. Kent beat Ohio 67-58 in Kent 10 days ago.

KEY TEAM STATS (conference statistics only)

• Scores 69.4 points a game, fourth in MAC. Opponents score 72.3 (10th).
• Field goal percentage: 41.3 (fifth). Field goal defense: 42.3 (eighth).
• Three-point percentage: 35.7 (second). Three-point baskets per game: 8.3 (third). Three-point defense: 36.8 (last).
• Rebounding margin: Minus-4.9 (11th). Turnover margin: Plus-0.31 (sixth).

KEY PLAYERS

• 5-10 redshirt senior guard Megan Sefcik (15.0 points per game, 13th in MAC).  Field goal percent: 41.2, (10th). Three-point percentage: 35.7. Three-pointers per game: 3.1 (seventh).
• 5-4 junior guard Shaunay Edmonds (12.6 points). Three-point percentage: 32.1. Assists: 2.9, Steals 1.6.
• 6-2 junior forward Haleight Reinoehlt (10.4 points).  Rebounds: 8.5.
• 6-1 junior forward Caitlin Vari (10.1 points.) Field goal percentage: 59.0. Rebounds: 7.4. Blocked shots: 1.3.

Kent State

IN THE MAC: Tied for sixth with Northern Illinois at 6-5, one game behind Toledo, two games ahead of Akron.

RPI: 90. Schedule strength: 85. Road record: 6-8. Beat Akron 73-58 Feb. 2.

LAST GAME: Lost at Bowling Green 62-49 Saturday.

KEY TEAM STATS (conference games only)

• 67.3 points a game (eighth in MAC). Opponents average 65.4  (third).
• Field goal percentage: 37.1 (last). Field goal defense: 40.3 (fourth).
• Three-point percentage: 34.0 (fourth). Three-point baskets per game: 7.5 (sixth). Three-point defense: 32.9 (seventh).
• Rebounding margin: Plus-0.9 (fifth). Turnover margin: Plus-2.0 (fourth)
• Blocked shots: 3.88 (first). Steals: 8.38 (third).

KEY PLAYER STATS

• 5-7 redshirt junior guard Megan Carter: 16.5 points, 10th in MAC. Field-goal percentage: 41.1 (10th). Three-point percentage: 39.6. Free-throw percentage: 72.4  (12th).
• 5-4 freshman point guard Asiah Dingle: 13.0 points (19th). Free-throw percentage: 75.6 (eighth). Steals: 2.1 (seventh).
• 6-0 junior guard Ali Poole: 9.4 points, 4.5 rebounds.
• 6-2 freshman forward Lindsay Thall: 10.6 points. Three-point percentage: 48.6 (first). Three-pointers per game: 2.2 (11th). Blocked shots: 1.7 (second). Rebounds: 5.3.
• 5-9 senior guard Alexa Golden: 9.1 points. Three-point percentage: 33.8. Steals: 3.3 (first). Assists: 2.7 (20th). Blocks: 0.7 (13th). Rebounds: 6.3 (18th).

THE BOTTOM LINE: Flashes have better league record and substantially better RPI. They’re also coming off their worst game of season at BG. Can they rebound?

To follow the game

The game starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the James A. Rhodes Arena at the University of Akron. It’s about a 20-minute drive. Directions from the UA website. All tickets are $6. Average Akron attendance is 598, 10th in the MAC.

Audio starts at about 6:45 p.m. on Golden Flash iHeart Radio. David Wilson is the announcer.

Video is through ESPN+, which costs $4.99 a month. The network will broadcast all of the MAC tournament games except the finals for women and semifinals and finals for me. You can watch it through your cable or satellite company or the ESPN app. Here’s a link to the ESPN broadcast, which will guide you through a purchase.

Live statistics are available through the Akron website.

Links

Kent State women’s website, including links to statistics, roster and more.

Akron website, including links.

MAC conference game statistics, including link to full-season stats.

MAC standings

Mariah Modkins started her second straight game and third of the season. She scored four points. (File photo by Austin Mariasy.)

 

Three days ago, Kent State hit its high point of the season with a 67-58 win over first-place Miami.

Saturday, it hit its low with a 62-49 loss at last-place Bowling Green.

The Flashes shot terribly from every spot on the court — 27 percent on all field goals, 20 percent on 3-point shots and a season-low 41 percent on free throws. Counting free-throw attempts, KSU missed a total of 59 shots.

“You’re not going to beat many people scoring 49 points,” assistant coach Mike McKee told broadcaster David Wilson on Golden Flash iHeart Radio. “It kind of makes me sick looking at these shooting percentages up and down the stat sheet. You’ve got 2-for-12, 3-for-11, 4-for-13, 3-for-17.

“We weren’t doing well from the jump (at the beginning of the game). We didn’t do some game plan stuff we went over for a few days. We weren’t completely focused.”

The loss practically eliminated any chance that Kent State will get a first-round bye in the MAC Tournament, which starts in nine days. Buffalo pounded first-place Miami 86-61 in Buffalo Saturday to move two games ahead of KSU in the standings with two games to play.

It might be possible, under the MAC’s complicated tie-breaking system, for Kent to slip by if the Flashes won their last two games and Bulls lost their last two. Buffalo plays BG at home Wednesday while Kent State plays at Akron. The two teams meet in Kent next Saturday. (I’m not confident enough in my understanding of the MAC rules to say definitively.)

Kent State drops into a tie for sixth place in the MAC. Toledo beat Northern Illinois 64-53 in Toledo to take possession of fifth. The Rockets, Huskies and Flashes had been tied.

KSU is 9-7 in MAC and 16-11 overall. Bowling Green is 2-14 and 8-19.

Aside from a few runs, Kent State played equally badly all four quarters. The Flashes shot under 32 percent in every one.

Before this game, Bowling Green had not shown a great defense. The Falcons were last in the conference in field-goal defense; opponents were making 48 percent of their shots. But Kent State’s shooting percentage also is last in the MAC at 38 percent.

The Flashes’ fourth quarter was a horrible struggle. KSU missed all seven of its 3-point shots and made only 3-of-14 shots overall.

The Flashes were making 74 percent of their free throws going into the game. They went 1-of-9 in the last quarter. Asiah Dingle is the sixth best foul shooter in the MAC; Megan Carter is eighth. They combined to miss KSU’s last six free throws.

Coach Todd Starkey was subdued when reached on the bus on the way back to Kent.

“It’s been the same over the season,” Starkey said. “It’s consistency. As I said on Wednesday, the team just has not been able to sustain effort through the game except for Wednesday against Miami.”

The coach paused for a moment.

“No, it’s not effort,” he said. “I thought at times they played really hard today. But we didn’t finish plays, knock down shots, missed free throws, missed layups.”

The only Kent players who made even a third of their shots were Lindsey Thall (2 of 6), Hannah Young (2 of 3), Merissa-Barber Smith (1 of 2) and Mariah Modkins (1 of 3). Megan Carter, who had been ninth in the MAC in shooting percentage at 41 percent, was 3 of 17.

So now what?

“You go to practice and get better,” Starkey said. “There are still games to be played. We’ll look at film tomorrow, prepare for Akron and go to work on Monday.”

Box score

Notes

• Bowling Green’s offense wasn’t brilliant, either. The Falcons made 35 percent of their shots, about 5 points below their average and 5 points below Kent State’s defensive average. They made 9 of 24 shots (35 percent) from 3-point distance, about 2 points above their average and KSU’s defensive average. BG missed nine free throws of its own.
• Dingle led Kent State with 10 points. Alexa Golden had 8,  Thall and Carter 7.
• BG scored 14 points off of 12 KSU turnovers. Kent State scored eight off of 14 Bowling Green turnovers.
• Barber-Smith had 12 rebounds, her third straight game in double figures. Golden had 9 and Thall 8. Kent State outrebounded BG 46-45 and had 16 offensive rebounds. But the Flashes scored only eight second-chance points.
• For the second game in a row, Carter and Dingle — KSU’s leading scorers — came off the bench after about five minutes. Starters were Thall, Barber-Smith, Golden, Ali Poole and Mariah Modkins.
• Bowling Green junior wing Andrea Cecil scored 23 points, had 11 rebounds, four assists and three steals. She’s averaging more than 20 points and nine rebounds over her last seven games. Senior Sydney Lambert scored 15 and had five assists. She was playing her last home game in a career in which she started every game she played for four years.

Kent State plays at Akron at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The Flashes beat the Zips, who are eighth in the league, 73-58 in Kent on Feb. 2.

Other MAC scores

• Buffalo (11-5 MAC, 19-8 overall) 86, Miami (12-4, 21-6) 61 in Buffalo.
• Toledo (10-6, 18-9) 64, Northern Illinois (9-7, 17-11) 53 at Toledo.
• Central Michigan (13-3, 22-6) 87, Eastern Michigan ((5-11, 12-16) 60 at Eastern.
• Western Michigan (4-12, 10-17) 72, Ball State (2-14, 7-21) 54 at Western.
• Ohio (12-4, 23-4) 81, Akron (7-9, 16-11) 71 at Akron.

With Miami’s loss at Buffalo, Central Michigan owns first place by itself for the first time this season at 13-3. Miami and Ohio are tied for second at 12-4, Buffalo fourth at 11-5, Toledo fifth at 10-6 and Kent State and NIU tied for sixth at 9-7.

Full MAC standings

 

Freshman Lindsey Thall has scored 38 points and made 10 of 14 3-point shots in KSU’s last two games. In conference games only, she leads the MAC in 3-point percentage at 49.3. (Photo by Austin Mariasy.)

 

After splitting two home games against two of the MAC’s best teams, Kent State takes to the road for two games against second-division teams.

The Flashes play at Bowling Green Saturday afternoon against a team that they beat at home 77-73 two weeks ago. On Wednesday, they make the 11-mile trip to Akron, a team they beat 73-58 Feb. 2.

The Flashes have a good chance to win both, but they can’t afford a slip if they are going to stay in contention for a first-round bye in the MAC Tournament.

Here’s the danger:

1. Both teams have beaten good opponents at home this season. BG’s only conference victory came against fourth-place Buffalo 78-72 on Feb. 2. Akron has beaten Buffalo and Toledo in Akron.
2. Kent State lost at both Bowling Green and Akron last season. The loss at BG sent the Flashes into a tailspin it never really came out of.  Kent State is a better than than it was last year, but so is Akron.

Kent State’s is 9-6 and tied for fifth place in the MAC with Toledo and Northern Illinois. Overall the Flashes are 16-10 and guaranteed their second winning season in eight years.

Bowling Green is in last place at 1-14 (8-18 overall). Akron is in eighth at 7-8 and is 15-10 overall.

Kent State is coming off of its best game of the season, a 67-58 upset of first-place Miami at the M.A.C. Center Wednesday.

“I hope that is some foreshadowing of what’s to come,” coach Todd Starkey said after Wednesday’s game. “But this team has struggled with consistency. So if we can put another game to back this one up at a really tough place to play at Bowling Green, that would be a really nice sign.”

The BG and Akron games are, however, a bit of a prologue for the last game of the season, when Buffalo plays at Kent. That came could well decide the fourth seed in the tournament. Buffalo has a big game of its own Saturday when it hosts Miami.

The Bowling Green game

Kent State (9-6 MAC, 16-10 overall) at Bowling Green (1-14 and 8-14) at 1 p.m. Saturday.

WHAT’S AT STAKE: If Kent State is going to challenge for fourth place and a first-round bye in the MAC Tournament, it pretty much has to win this game. BG has a shot at 10th place if it wins its last three games.

About Bowling Green

IN THE MAC: Last at 1-15. Only win was against Buffalo at BG.

(I use full league standings because seedings are determined solely on the conference record. Where a team finishes in its division means nothing.)

RPI: 222 of 351 teams. Schedule strength: 88. Home record: 5-7. Falcons have lost four in a row and lost at Kent State 77-73 on Feb. 16.

LAST GAME: Lost to Akron 83-73 in Bowling Green Wednesday.

KEY TEAM STATS (conference statistics only)

• Scores 67.4 points a game, seventh in MAC. Opponents score 79.2 (last).
• Field goal percentage: 41.4 (sixth). Field goal defense: 44.4 (11th).
• 3-point percentage: 33.1 (sixth). 3-point baskets per game: 7.4 (fifth). Three-point defense: 35.6 (11th).
• Rebounding margin: Minus-1.4 (eighth). Turnover margin: Minus-4.9 (last).

KEY PLAYERS

• 6-1 junior wing Andrea Cecil: 16.2 points per game, 10th).  Field goal percent: 46.2, (seventh). Rebounds: 6.1 (17th).
• 5-9 freshman guard Morgan McMillen: 11.3 points. 3-point percentage: 35.1 (ninth). Three-pointers per game: 2.6 (seventh).
• 5-8 senior guard Sidney Lambert: 11.6 points. Assists: 3.4 (11th). Rebounds: 4.5.
• 5-9 freshman guard Kadie Kempfling: 7.3 rebounds, (ninth).

Kent State

IN THE MAC: Tied for fifth with Northern Illinois and Toledo at 9-6, one game behind Buffalo.

RPI: 76, second highest of at least last eight years. (Team was 73rd after beating Toledo early in conference season. Schedule strength: 74. Road record: 6-7. Has won four of last five games and six of last eight.

LAST GAME: Beat first-place Miami 67-58 Wednesday in Kent.

KEY TEAM STATS (conference games only)

• 67.1 points a game (eighth). Opponents average 64.7 (third).
• Field goal percentage: 37.9 (last). Field goal defense: 40.6 (fourth).
• 3-point percentage: 35.3 (second). 3-point baskets per game: 7.6  (fourth). 3-point defense: 32.6 (sixth).
• Rebounding margin: Plus-0.9 (fifth). Turnover margin: Plus-2.0  (fourth)
• Blocked shots: 3.8 (first). Steals: 8.6 (third).

KEY PLAYER STATS

• 5-7 redshirt junior guard Megan Carter: 17.1 points, sixth in MAC. Field-goal percentage: 43.1 (ninth). 3-point percentage: 40.8 (fourth). Free-throw percentage: 75.0  (seventh).
• 5-4 freshman point guard Asiah Dingle: 13.2 points (18th). Free-throw percentage: 77.0 (sixth). Steals: 2.1 (sixth).
• 6-2 freshman forward Lindsey Thall: 10.8 points. 3-point percentage: 49.3 (first). Three-point field goals per game: 2.2) (ninth). Blocked shots: 1.7 (second). Rebounds: 5.1.
• 5-9 senior guard Alexa Golden: 9.1 points. 3-point percentage: 39.6 (10th). Steals: 3.4 (first). Assists: 3.5 (first). Blocks: 0.7 (12th). Rebounds: 6.1 (18th).
• 6-0 junior guard Ali Poole: 9.7 points,. Rebounds: 4.4.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Kent State is clear favorite. BG lost by only five in Kent.

To follow the game

The game starts at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Stroh Center at Bowling Green. It’s about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Kent. Here are directions from the BG website. Tickets are $15 for chair back tickets and $13 general admission. Best I can tell, that’s the second-highest prices in the MAC to Toledo. Average Bowling Green attendance is 1,802, fifth in the MAC.

Audio starts at about 12:45 p.m. on Golden Flash iHeart Radio. David Wilson does play-by-play.

Video is through ESPN3. The service covers about 50 percent of KSU basketball. You can watch it through your cable or satellite company or the ESPN app.

Live statistics are available through the Bowling Green website.

Links

Kent State women’s website, including links to statistics, roster and more.

Bowling Green website, including links.

MAC conference game statistics, including link to full-season stats.

MAC standings