KSU leading scorer Nila Blackford had 14 points and eight rebounds against Ball State Friday. Twelve points came in the second half. (Photo by Nick Cammett from KSU Twitter feed.)

Kent State (4-3 and tied for 5th in MAC, 11-7 overall)

at Toledo (4-3 and tied for 5th, 9-9 overall)

Game is at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1, at Savage Arena at the University of Toledo. It’s about a two-and-a-half-hour drive. Address is 2801 W. Bancroft Street, Toledo, if you need it for GPS.

General admission tickets are $15. You can spend up to $49 for reserved seats. They’re the most expensive tickets in the MAC, but Toledo has the highest attendance in the league, averaging about 3,700. The Rockets have led the MAC in attendance for 25 straight years. Kent State home attendance is seventh in conference games at 1,010.

What’s at stake

The teams are tied for fifth in the MAC, batting for the first-round bye in the conference tournament that goes to the schools with the top four records.

Toledo had one of the worst non-conference records in the league, but won four out of its first five MAC games. It has since lost two in a row, including a 77-62 loss at home Wednesday to Eastern Michigan. Three of Toledo’s four wins are against teams at the bottom of the MAC. The fourth was a home win over Buffalo, which beat KSU 57-44 last Saturday.

The Rockets have won 75% of their home games in coach Tricia Cullop’s 12 years in Toledo. But Kent State has won three in a row in Toledo — a regular-season win and a first-round tournament upset two years ago and a win last season. That is undoubtedly on Toledo’s bulletin board.

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REPORT CARD ON KSU WIN OVER BALL STATE: Shooting and points off turnovers were key.

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What to watch

Toledo doesn’t really have a star. Its best player is probably junior guard Nakiah Black, who averages 12 points a game. She is the only rocket to average in double figures. Senior Mariella Santucci is one of the best assist-oriented point-guard in the conference.

Kent State has senior guard Megan Carter back from mononucleosis but was missing starting point guard Asiah Dingle on Wednesday. Starkey wouldn’t talk about Dingle’s status after the game. She was in the stands, not on the bench, and wearing a protective boot. It is hard to figure out what all that meant.

After struggling against Buffalo last Saturday, freshmen Katie Shumate and Nila Blackford played better against Ball State. Lindsey Thall took only four shots, all 3-pointers, and made three of them.

Key thing to look for probably is how well those three are playing and whether the Flashes can get off to a decent start in the game.

The two teams are close in almost every statistical category. What difference will Toledo’s home court advantage make? If Dingle is still out, can KSU win a second straight without her?

Team comparisons

All statistics are conference games only, which are more current and reflect similar competition.

• RPI: Kent State 103 of 351 Division I teams. Toledo 177. (RPI is based on a team’s record and schedule strength.)
• Power rankings: Kent State 104. Toledo 171. (Adds factors like margin of victory, record in recent games, injuries.)
• Kent State road record (all games): 4-2. Toledo home record: 5-4.
• Scoring average: KSU eighth in MAC at 68.0 points per game. Toledo seventh at 68.3.
• Defensive average: KSU third at 67.7. Toledo fourth at 68.1.
• Field-goal percentage: KSU 11th at 39.2 (fifth on 3-pointers at 31.9%). Toledo fifth at 41.7 (eighth on 3s at 31.3).
• Field-goal defense: KSU fourth at 39.1 (last on 3s at 41.8%). Toledo 10th at 43.0 (10th on 3s at 33.6).
• Free throw shooting: Kent State second at 72.3%. Toledo ninth at 66.7.
• Rebounding margin: KSU seventh at -2.1. Toledo sixth at -0.3.
• Turnover margin: KSU third at +1.3. Toledo sixth at -0.7. KSU sixth in steals at 7.3. Toledo seventh at 7.0.
• Assists: Kent State last at 10.3. Toledo third at 14.1.
• Blocked shots: Kent State second at 4.3. Toledo 11th at 1.7.

Top players

Kent State

• 6-2 freshman forward Nila Blackford (15.1 points, 7.0 rebounds per game).
• 5-6 senior grad Megan Carter (13.8 points, 4.3 rebounds).
• 5-11 freshman guard Katie Shumate (12.0 points, 6.7 rebounds).
• 6-2 sophomore forward Lindsey Thall (8.7 points, 1.9 three-point baskets a game, 33.3% three-point shooting, first in MAC in blocked shots at 2.6 per game).
• 5-4 sophomore guard Asiah Dingle (13.5 points, 2.5 assists, 1.8 steals). Her status is unclear for Saturday’s game.

Toledo

• 5-10 junior guard Nakiah Black (12.0 points, 34.3% three-point shooting, 4.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists.)
• 5-6 senior guard Mariella Santucci (8.8 points, 4.6 assists, 5.4 rebounds.)
• 5-9 freshman guard Quinesha Lockett (12.1 points, 1.7 assists.)

Following the game from home

Video stream on ESPN3 starts at game time at 2 p.m. It’s free if you have a subscription to ESPN on cable, satellite or on the ESPN app.

Audio starts at about 1:45 p.m. on WHLO 640 and Golden Flash iHeart Radio.  David Wilson is the announcer.

Live statistics will be on the Toledo website during the game.

Links

Kent State website, with links to roster, statistics, schedule and more.

Toledo website, with links.

MAC statistics.

MAC standings.

KSU’s bench erupts late in the Flashes’ win over Ball State. (Photo by Nick Cammett from KSU Twitter feed.)

As they did on the scoreboard, the Flashes checked just enough of the right boxes in the game report card on their over Ball State.

Kent State 69, Ball State 68

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GAME STORY: Megan Carter’s basket with 10 seconds to go is key to win.

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Score 70 points on offense: 69, close enough to count with the win. ACHIEVED IN SPIRIT.

Hold opponent under 70: 68. Again very close, but it counts for real. ACHIEVED.

Make 40% of shots: 46.3. The Flashes’ fifth best of the season, second best in MAC play and best by four points against a team with a winning record. ACHIEVED.

Hold opponent under 40%: 43.9. KSU held Ball State under 35% for every quarter except the second, but in that time the Cardinals shot 68% and outscored the Flashes 30-14. NOT ACHIEVED.

Outscore opponent by five on free throws: Neither team shot well. Kent State was 13 of 21, Ball State 14 of 24. In a one-point game, any of those shots could have made the difference. NOT ACHIEVED.

Outscore opponent by five points off turnovers: Kent State 16 off of 14 Cardinal turnovers, Ball State nine off 11 from the Flashes. ACHIEVED.

Have 14 assists: 12 on 25 baskets. The percentage of assisted baskets is good. Total assists are a little below the benchmark. Coach Todd Starkey has said to look at the shooting percentage; if it’s good, number of assists isn’t quite as important. NOT ACHIEVED.

Get 10 points from the bench: Just three on a basket and free throw from Hannah Young. Mariah Modkins, who usually comes off the bench, started and hit two 3-point baskets. Ball State reserves scored 21. NOT ACHIEVED.

BOTTOM LINE: Good shooting and points.off turnovers made the different. Strictly by the benchmarks, game was a B. The win was one of Flashes’ best.

Kent State statistics

Around the MAC

Central Michigan won yet another road game against strong competition to continue to run away in the “golf” and regular standings. Eastern Michigan also won on the road.

Central beat Buffalo 98-83 in double overtime in Buffalo. The Chippewas came from behind in the fourth quarter for the fourth straight game and won despite star guard Micaela Kelly’s fouling out in the first minute of the first overtime.  Kelly had the first triple-double of her career with 14 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds. Freshman guard Molly Davis scored 25 points for CMU. Buffalo’s Dyaisha Fair had 29 points but didn’t score in either overtime. It was Central’s fifth road win of the MAC season. Chips are 8-0 in the league.

Eastern Michigan beat Toledo 77-62 at Toledo. Oklahoma State transfer Areanna Combs scored 27 point for the Eagles, who won at Toledo for the first time in four years. Nakiah Black had 13 for the Rockers.

Ohio beat Akron 70-57 in Athens for its fourth straight win. Senior guard Amani Burke had 20 points, junior guard Cece Hooks 17, nine rebounds and seven steals. Akron led 34-32 at halftime but was held to 23 points in the second half.

The Western Michigan game at Miami was postponed at Western’s request in a somewhat over-reaction to two suspected Coronovirus cases in Miami. The university remained open and operated normally. The game will be played Monday at Miami. The Miami-Central Michigan men’s game was also postposed until Feb. 27.

Bowling Green and Northern Illinois had their midweek byes.

The ‘golf’ standings

The “golf” standings give a team -1 for a road win (a “birdie”) and adds a point for a home loss (a “bogey.” A home win or road loss gets zero (“par”).

-5

• Central Michigan (8-0, 15-4)

-1

• Ohio (6-2, 13-6)
• Ball State (5-3, 13-7)
• Eastern Michigan (5-3, 10-9)

Even

• Buffalo (4-4, 13-6)
• Western Michigan (4-3, 11-7)
• Kent State (4-3, 11-7)
• Toledo (4-3, 9-9)

+2

• Akron (2-6, 9-10)
• Miami (1-6, 8-11)
• Bowling Green (1-6, 8-11)
• Northern Illinois (1-6, 5-13)

Regular MAC standings

MAC statistics

Megan Carter drives for two of her 20 points against Ball State Wednesday. (Photo by Nick Cammett from KSU Twitter feed.)

Megan Carter was playing just her second game after missing time with mononucleosis, but she came through when the Flashes needed her on Wednesday.

Carter scored 20 points, ran the offense much of the time in the absence of Asiah Dingle, and made a layup layup off a broken play with 10 seconds to go that led to the Flashes 69-68 win over Ball State.

Carter’s basket gave Kent State a 3-point lead, and its defense kept Ball State off the 3-point line in the last 10 seconds. The Cardinals got only a meaningless layup in the last second.

The win over second-place Ball State moves Kent State to 4-3 and a three-way time for fifth in the MAC. The Flashes are 11-7 overall. Ball State is 5-3 and in a second-place tie in the league and 13-7 overall.

In that last minute, Carter had the ball to the left of the basket when she lost control of the dribble. The ball headed toward the out-of-bounds line, but Carter beat her defender to it. With the shot clocking running out, she drove to the basket and hooked in a layup from a two feet away.

10.8 4Q | Kent State 69, Ball State 66

Another basket by Carter gives her 20 puts and puts the Flashes ahead by 3. pic.twitter.com/hNJAQLHGmU

— Kent State Women’s Basketball (@KentStWBB) January 30, 2020

“I saw the sideline and the out of bounds and tipped it to myself,” Carter said. “I spun around her and went to the basket and laid it in.”

When she saw the ball get away, she said she told herself, “I’m not giving up on the play.”

Carter was clearly getting through much of the second half on determination.

“I was definitely tired, but I didn’t really care,” she said. “I was just trying to hold up as much as I can for the team.”

Coach Todd Starkey said he was as proud of Carter’s game as any she’s played, and the redshirt senior has scored more than 1,000 points for him and hit three previous game-winning baskets.

“With everything she’s been through season, she comes out and battles — tired, fatigued, trying to get her breath,” the coach said. “And she comes way with 20 points and seven drawn fouls against the best defensive team in the conference.”

Carter played almost 36 minutes. With Dingle out, sophomore Mariah Modkins started. She and Carter shared playmaking duties, but Carter played 16 minutes more.

The first thing Starkey said in his post-game meeting with reporters was that he was not going to answer questions about Dingle, who is the Flashes’ second-leading scorer. Dingle was not on the bench, but she was in the gym wearing a protective boot on one foot. That doesn’t necessarily mean a major injury. Players often wear the boot between games if they’re nursing a minor injury.

The game was a big win for the Flashes, who lost at Ball State 66-62 in the conference opener. They also were coming off a disappointing 57-44 loss to Buffalo at home on Saturday when they shot just 24% from the field.

Wednesday they shot 46%, their second best performance of the conference season.

Katie Shumate provided 13 points in the first half, Nila Blackford 12 in the second half  and Lindsey Thall hit three 3-point baskets.

“We wanted Katie to be more aggressive,” Starkey said. “She’d been playing way too passive for her ability. So we tried to run some stuff for her early to get her into a rhythm and get her aggressive.

“We knew they’d have a good game plan for Nila because she had 23 and 9 (points and rebounds) at their place.”

Blackford had only two points and two rebounds at halftime. She finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot.

Shumate had 15 points, nine rebounds, a career-high five assists, a block and a steal.

“Katie’s a beast on the boards in games and in practice,” Carter said “That’s her thing, just a knack for the ball.”

2:17 3Q | Ball State 53, Kent State 49

Katie Shumate to Lindsey Thall for a 3-pointer in transition. pic.twitter.com/93kff9H9Z1

— Kent State Women’s Basketball (@KentStWBB) January 30, 2020

Kent State jumped out to a 19-10 first-quarter lead, then saw Ball State drive to the basket almost at will in the second quarter and shoot 68%. The Cardinals outscored KSU 30-14 and led by as many as eight in the third quarter. But Kent State chipped the lead to one at the end of the third quarter, took a one-point lead with 7:40 to go.

Neither team led by more than three in the fourth quarter.

Beating Ball State (finally)

The loss broke Kent’s four-game losing streak to Ball State. It was the first time Starkey has beaten the Cardinals and the first time Carter had played in a winning game against them.

“We beat Ball State my freshman year, but I was out with my ACL,” Carter said. “So it was very big.”

Starkey now has beaten every team in the MAC except Central Michigan, which won the conference his first three years at Kent State.

“It’s in the back of my mind,” Starkey said. “But it’s more about splitting with a really good Ball State team this year.”

Kent is 13-2 against Ball State in Kent since 1997. They are 0-13 in Muncie in that time.

Box score

Notes

• For the second time this season, Ball State star Oshlynn Brown struggled against the Flashes. Brown, a preseason all-MAC West pick, had five points the first time the Flashes played Ball State. This time she had 15 but only four rebounds. (She averages nine, second in the conference.) Wednesday she missed eight foul shots shots, five in the fourth quarter.
• Kent State outscored Ball State 16-9 off turnovers, more than the margin of the game. Ball State had 14 turnovers, KSU 12.
• Ball State had outrebounded Kent State 33-19 through three quarters, but the Flashes had a 10-7 advantage in the last 10 minutes.
• Hannah Young played a career-high 26 minutes off the bench. She had a basket, a rebound and a steal.

The Flashes next travel to Toledo for a 2 p.m. Saturday game. Toledo lost (4-3, 9-9) at home to Eastern Michigan Wednesday 77-62. Eastern is 4-3, 10-9.

Video highlights

.@KentStWBB vs. Ball State 1.29.2020 #unleash #gftv pic.twitter.com/IAudpgJYiT

— Kent State Athletics (@KentStAthletics) January 30, 2020

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Even more video is on the team Twitter feed.

Other MAC scores

Central Michigan won its fifth road game of the conference season, beating Buffalo 98-93 in double overtime. The Chippewas are 8-0 in the MAC and 15-4. Every other team has lost at least twice. Buffalo is 4-4 in the league, 13-6 overall.

Ohio (6-2, 13-6) 70, Akron (2-6, 9-10) 57 at Ohio.

The Western Michigan at Miami game was postponed at Western Michigan’s request because of two suspected cases of Coronovirus at Miami. The university remained open and operating normally.

MAC standings.

Lindsay Thall leads the MAC in conference play in blocked shots per game (2.7 per game). (Photo by David Dermer from KSU Twitter feed.)

Ball State (5-2 and tied for 2nd in MAC, 13-6 overall)

at Kent State (3-3 and eighth in MAC, 10-7 overall)

7 p.m. Wednesday at the M.A.C. Center. General admission tickets are $5. Students are free with Kent State ID. Average home attendance for Kent State is 840 in MAC games, eighth in the league.

What’s at stake

Flashes lost at Ball State in their MAC opener 66-62. Since then Flashes have beaten one good team (Western Michigan) at home and two teams tied for last in the conference on the road. They’ve lost at home to Buffalo and Eastern Michigan, both first-division teams. Ball State has lost at Central Michigan and Buffalo, two of the best teams in the league.

It’s the kind of game Kent State needs to win if it wants to preserve hope for a first-round bye in the MAC tournament. Flashes are only a game and a half behind BSU in standings.

Ball State (or anyone else) probably doesn’t have much a chance of catching first-place Central Michigan. But Cardinals have as good a shot as anyone at the No. 2  seed. A win on the road would be a big help.

Kent State is 12-2 against Ball State in Kent since 1997. At Ball State, the Flashes are 0-13 in that time.

What to watch

Kent State coach Todd Starkey has called Ball State the best defensive team in the conference. The Cardinals allow conference opponents to made 37% of their baskets. Kent has been making just 38% of its shots, and the Flashes hit just 24% against Buffalo Saturday.

The Cardinals fell behind Buffalo by 14 points in the second quarter last week but came back to beat the Bulls 69-65.

Kent State led Buffalo 38-35 going into the fourth quarter Saturday but were blitzed 27-11 by the Bulls in the last 10 minutes.

Wednesday’s game is pretty simple: Kent State needs to put the ball in the basket. 

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REPORT CARD ON THE BUFFALO LOSS: You can’t overcome poor shooting and lack of scoring.

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Team comparisons

All statistics are conference games only, which are more current and reflect similar competition.

• RPI: Kent State 110 of 351 Division I teams. Ball State 65. (RPI is based on a team’s record and schedule strength.)
• Power rankings: Kent State 124. Ball State 72. (Adds factors like margin of victory, record in recent games, injuries.)
• Kent State home record (all games): 4-3. Ball State road record: 3-4.
• Scoring average: KSU seventh in MAC at 67.8 points per game. Ball State eighth at 67.1.
• Defensive average: KSU sixth at 67.7. Ball State fourth at 67.0.
• Field-goal percentage: KSU tied for last at 38.1 (ninth on 3-pointers at 30.3%). Ball State eighth at 41.6 (eighth on 3s at 30.8).
• Field-goal defense: KSU fourth at 38.4 (last on 3s at 44.3%). Ball State second at 37.4 (fifth on 3s at 29.8).
• Free throw shooting: Kent State first at 74.0%. Ball State 10th at 65.5.
• Rebounding margin: KSU seventh at -0.7. Ball State last at -5.1.
• Turnover margin: KSU fourth at +1.0. Ball State eighth at -1.1. KSU fifth in steals at 7.7. Ball State eighth at 6.7.
• Assists: Kent State last at 10.0. Ball State fourth at 12.0.
• Blocked shots: Kent State second at 4.3. Ball State first at 4.7.

Top players

Kent State

• 6-2 freshman forward Nila Blackford (15.3 points, 6.8 rebounds per game).
• 5-4 sophomore guard Asiah Dingle (13.5 points, 2.5 assists, 1.8 steals).
• 5-6 senior grad Megan Carter (11.7 points, 4.0 rebounds).
• 5-11 freshman guard Katie Shumate (11.5 points, 6.3 rebounds).
• 6-2 sophomore forward Lindsey Thall (8.3 points, 1.7 three-point baskets a game, first in MAC in blocked shots at 2.7 per game).

Ball State

• 6-1 junior forward Oshlynn Brown (14.4 points, 8.9 rebounds).
• 5-8 freshman guard Sydney Freeman (11.9 points, 3.0 assists).
• 5-9 senior guard Jasmyn Samz (10.0 points, 1.4 steals).

Following the game from home

Video stream on ESPN+ starts at game time at 7 p.m. Service costs $4.99 a month and includes about half of all MAC men’s and women’s games. (Others are mostly on ESPN3, which is free.) This link takes you to to the game, where you can sign up.

Audio starts at about 6:45 p.m. on WHLO 640 and Golden Flash iHeart Radio.  David Wilson is the announcer.

Live statistics will be on the Kent State website during the game.

Links

Kent State website, with links to roster, statistics schedule and more.

Ball State website, with links.

MAC statistics.

MAC standings.

Asiah Dingle had eight points against Buffalo to tie Nila Blackford for the team leads. (Photo by David Dermer from KSU Twitter feed.)

About the only good thing about Kent State’s 57-44 loss to Buffalo Saturday was the Flashes’ defense. KSU met two of the benchmarks on our game report card, but the rest, like the game, was a lost cause. And even the defense didn’t hold up in the fourth quarter, when Buffalo outscored Kent State 27-11.

Buffalo 57, Kent State 44

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GAME STORY: 4th-quarter collapse sends Flashes to 57-44 defeat

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Score 70 points on offense: 44, Kent State’s lowest total of the year. FAR FROM ACHIEVED.

Hold opponent under 70: 57. This was actually Kent State’s second-best defensive total this season. ACHIEVED.

Make 40% of shots: 24.1. The Flashes’ lowest mark of the year by 8 percentage points. It’s hard to imagine any team winning a game shooting that poorly. It was far worse than KSU’s road trip the previous week, when they averaged close to 50%. Of course, Buffalo is a much better team than either Miami or Northern Illinois. NOT ACHIEVED.

Hold opponent under 40%: 34. For three quarters, it was 27%, but in the fourth, it was 53%. ACHIEVED.

Outscore opponent by five on free throws: Flashes were 10 of 19 for 54%, their lowest percentage of the season. Buffalo was 12 for 17. NOT ACHIEVED.

Outscore opponent by five points off turnovers: Buffalo 17 off 20 KSU turnovers. Kent State 14 off 15 Buffalo turnovers. The fourth quarter was Buffalo six off of six Kent turnovers, KSU one off one Buffalo turnover. NOT ACHIEVED.

Have 14 assists: 8 on 14 baskets. That’s below the benchmark but a good percentage of assisted baskets. The problem wasn’t the eight assists; it’s the 14 baskets, KSU’s lowest of the season. NOT ACHIEVED.

Get 10 points from the bench: Kent State got 18, partially inflated by Megan Carter’s return to action. She didn’t start but scored eight points. That still leaves 10 points from the “true” bench, 13 if you count the three points from Clare Kelly, who started in place of Carter. Saturday’s problem wasn’t the bench, it was 20% shooting from the starters. ACHIEVED.

Bonus statistic: The Flashes outrebounded the Bulls, who came into the game leading the MAC, 41-40. KSU had more offensive rebounds, 16-14. But the Flashes got only three points from those rebounds.

BOTTOM LINE: No matter how your defense plays, you can’t win games shooting 24% and scoring 44 points. D.

Kent State statistics

Around the MAC

Buffalo’s victory at Kent State was the only road win in the MAC Saturday, so the Bulls were the only ones to gain in the “golf” standings (below).

Central Michigan continues to roll. The Chippewas, 7-0 in the conference, beat second-place Toledo 73-66, coming from behind in the fourth quarter for the third straight game. This time they outscored the Rockets 21-10 in the last 10 minutes. Freshman Molly Davis had a career-high 28 points; Micaela Kelly had 19 points and 11 rebounds. Toledo’s Nakiah Black, returning from an injury, had 19 points.

Western Michigan became the first team in the conference to sweep an opponent with a 79-71 victory over Akron. The Broncos had beaten Toledo in the league opener and have already won more games (11) than they did all last season. Leighah-Amori Wool had 21 points and eight rebounds for Western. Jordyn Dawson had 17 to lead Akron.

Eastern Michigan beat Northern Illinois 62-55 in a game that saw neither team lead by more than seven points. Autumn Hudson had 13 points and 10 rebounds for Eastern; Courtney Woods had 27 points and nine rebounds for NIU.

Ohio’s Cece Hooks made nine of 11 field goals, scored 25 points and had eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals to lead the Bobcats past Bowling Green 79-69. Catterrion Thompson had 20 points and eight rebounds for BG.

Four players scored in double figures to lead Ball State past Miami 80-63. Thelma Dis Augustdottir led the Cardinals with 19 points. Lauren Dickerson had 20 and nine rebounds for Miami.

The ‘golf’ standings

The “golf” standings give a team -1 for a road win (a “birdie”) and adds a point for a home loss (a “bogey.” A home win or road loss gets zero (“par”).

-4

• Central Michigan (7-0, 14-4)

-2

• Ohio (5-2, 12-6)
• Buffalo (4-3, 13-5)

-1

• Ball State (5-2, 13-6)
• Toledo (4-2, 9-8)
• Eastern Michigan (4-3, 9-9)

Even

• Western Michigan (4-3, 11-7)
• Kent State (3-3, 10-7)

+2

• Akron (2-5, 9-9)
• Miami (1-6, 8-11)
• Bowling Green (1-6, 8-11)
• Northern Illinois (1-6, 5-13)

Regular MAC standings

MAC statistics

Nila Blackford is averaging 16.8 points a game in MAC play, eighth in the league, and making 49.2% of her shots, fourth in the conference. (Photo by Bob Christy from KSU website.)

Buffalo (3-3 and tied for sixth in MAC, 12-5 overall

at Kent State (3-2 and fifth in MAC, 9-6 overall)

1 p.m. Saturday at the M.A.C. Center. General admission tickets are $5. Students are free with Kent State ID. Kent State home attendance averages 1,450, fifth in MAC.

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Coach Todd Starkey talks about the game, where team stands, the status of Megan Carter and improved play from KSU’s bench.

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What’s at stake

Flashes are 3-2 in conference, half a game behind Ohio in MAC East and fifth overall. Buffalo is a half a game behind KSU and tied for sixth in conference.

If Flashes are to make a run at the top four in the the league and a first-round bye in the conference tournament, winning a home game against Buffalo is important.

Game is just as important to Buffalo except it’s on the road. The Bulls will host KSU in last game of season. Buffalo is coming off a 69-66 loss at Ball State Wednesday. Losing two in a row on the road would not be good.

(Bulls traveled from Ball State to Kent. They haven’t been on campus in five days.)

What to watch

Buffalo has the best freshman in the league in Dyaisha Fair, who is average 22.4 points a game. That’s second in the league. She’s also among MAC leaders in assists, rebounds, shooting percentage and 3–point baskets per game. Ball State held her to a season-low 11 points and 4 of 18 shooting.

At it usually does, Buffalo leads the conference in rebounding, especially offensive rebounding. Staying competitive on the boards will be important for Kent State.

Kent State didn’t play Wednesday because of a bye, so the team will have had extra time to rest and prepare for the Bulls. Flashes shot very well in winning their two games on the road last week, but Miami and Northern Illinois are tied for last in the league. KSU ranks fourth in the league in turnover margin while Buffalo is 11th in conference games. Ball State forced Buffalo into 18 turnovers Wednesday. Flashes may try to do the same.

Team comparisons

• RPI: Kent State 109 of 351 Division I teams. Buffalo 79. (RPI is based on a team’s record and schedule strength.)
• Power rankings: Kent State 117. Buffalo 77. (Adds factors like injuries, margin of victory, record in recent games.)
• Kent State home record: 4-2. Buffalo road record: 3-4.

I’m switching other statistics to MAC games only. They show more clearly how a team is playing now and eliminate Power 5 opponents like Michigan, which KSU played in November, and Division II and III teams like Hiram, which KSU played in December.

• Scoring average: KSU third in MAC at 72.6 points per game. Buffalo eighth at 67.7.
• Defensive average: KSU seventh at 69.8. Buffalo sixth at 68.3.
• Field-goal percentage: KSU eighth at 4o0.8 (sixth on 3-pointers at 32.7%). Buffalo ninth at 35.5 (10th on 3s at 29.5).
• Field-goal defense: KSU last at 47.2 (last on 3s at 36.6%). Buffalo last at 44.1 (eight on 3s at 31.7).
• Free-throw percentage: Kent State first at 77.8%. Buffalo third at 71.6.
• Rebounding margin: KSU seventh at -1.0. Buffalo first at +6.5.
• Turnover margin: KSU fourth at +2.2. Buffalo 11th at -4.3. KSU sixth in steals at 7.6. Buffalo fourth at 8.0.
• Blocked shots: Kent State first at 4.8. Buffalo sixth at 2.7.

Top players

Kent State

• 6-2 freshman forward Nila Blackford (16.8 points per game, 6.8 rebounds).
• 5-4 sophomore guard Asiah Dingle (14.6 points, 2.8 assists, 2.0 steals).
• 5-11 freshman guard Katie Shumate (13.8 points, 7/0 rebounds, 50% 3-point shooting).
• 6-2 sophomore forward Lindsey Thall (8.6 points, fifth in MAC in 3-point percentage at 33.3% 3-point shooting, , 2.8 blocked shots).
• 5-6 senior guard Megan Carter (13.8 points, 90% foul shooting). (Carter has missed three games because of illness but may play Saturday.)

Buffalo

• 5-5 freshman guard Dyaisha Fair (19.8 points, 5.0 assists, 5.4 rebounds).
• 5-10 senior guard Therese Onwuka (11.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.7 blocks).
• 5-3 senior guard Hanna Hall (9.0 points, 3.2 assists).

Following the game from home

Video stream on ESPN3 starts at game time at 1 p.m. It’s free if you have a subscription to ESPN on cable, satellite or on the ESPN app. David Wilson is the announcer.

Audio starts at about 12:45 p.m. on WHLO 640 and Golden Flash iHeart Radio.

Live statistics will be on the Kent State website during the game.

Links

Kent State website, with links to roster, statistics schedule and more.

Buffalo website, with links.

MAC statistics.

MAC standings.

Central Michigan won its fourth road game of the season Wednesday to remain undefeated in the MAC and firmly in control over the conference.

For the second straight game, the Chippewas came from well behind in the fourth quarter. This time they outscored third-place Eastern Michigan 28-16 to win in Ypsilanti 89-82. Saturday the Chipps outscored Western Michigan 31-15 in the fourth to win 80-70. Micaela Kelly, the MAC’s leading scorer, had 29 points, nine rebounds and five assists. At this point, I don’t think Kelly has any real competition for MAC player of the year.

Ohio was the only other team to win on the road Wednesday, beating Northern Illinois 85-79. So the Bobcats and Chippewas pick up a point in the “golf” standings (below).

Erica Johnson had a career-high 32 points for Ohio. Cece Hooks, Ohio’s all-MAC guard, didn’t play. As I write this, I haven’t been able to find out why. Hooks had been the Easter division’s co-player of the week after averaging 26.5 points last week. Three other Bobcats scored in double figures. Courtney Woods had 22 for NIU.

At home, Ball State got a good win over Buffalo. The Cardinals won 69-66 after trailing by 4 points midway in the second quarter. But behind forward Oshlynn Brown, they outscored Buffalo 27-13 in the third quarter to take a lead they never gave up. Brown scored 24 points and had 11 rebounds. Dyaisha Fair of Buffalo, the MAC’s second-leading scorer at 23 points a game, was held to a season-low 11 on four of 18 shooting, 1 of 11 from 3-point distance.

Bowling Green won its first MAC game of the season, beating Western Michigan at home 72-63. Angela Perry had 20 points and Mari Hill 16 for the Falcons, and guard Katie Hempfling had 11 rebounds, nine assists and eight points.

Akron beat Miami 70-62 in Akron. Haleigh Reinoehl had 26 points and Jordyn Dawson 24, along with 13 rebounds, for the Zips. Savannah Kluesner had 23 and 13 rebounds for Miami.

Kent State and Toledo had their midweek bye.

The ‘golf’ standings

The “golf” standings gives a team -1 for a road win (a “birdie”) and adds a point for a home loss (a “bogey.” A home win or road loss gets zero (“par”).

-4

• Central Michigan (6-0, 13-4)

-2

• Ohio (4-2, 11-6)

-1

• Toledo (4-1, 9-7)
• Ball State (4-2, 12-6)
• Kent State (3-2, 10-6)
• Buffalo (3-3, 12-5)
• Eastern Michigan (3-3, 8-9)

Even

• Western Michigan (3-3, 10-7)

+2

• Miami (1-5, 8-10)
• Akron (2-4, 9-8)
• Bowling Green (1-5, 8-10)
• Northern Illinois (1-5, 5-12)

Regular MAC standings

MAC statistics

Megan Carter is second in the MAC in free throw shooting at 86.4%. That’s 0.2 percentage points behind leader Courtney Woods of NIU. As a team, Flashes lead the league in foul shooting (76.1%). Carter, who has missed three straight games with mononucleosis, could return to the lineup Saturday when KSU hosts Buffalo. (File photo by David Dermer from KSU website.)

The Flashes have a midweek bye this week, which gives us a chance to catch up where they are statistically in the MAC.

In the standings, they are two games behind Central Michigan, which is threatening to run away with the title. The Chippewas are 5-0 with three road wins, including at Western Michigan and Ohio (both 3-2 and 10-6). Toledo is second at 4-1 but has lost at home and won one game on the road. KSU, Ohio, Buffalo, Western, Eastern Michigan, Ball State are tied for third at 3-2.

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Report card on KSU’s weekend win over Miami and MAC weekend roundup.

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KSU leads the MAC in free throw percentage and blocked shots. The Flashes are  close to the top in scoring and turnover margin. They’re close to the bottom in field goal defense, 3-point defense and assists.

Megan Carter is second in free throw percentage and Lindsey Thall is second in blocked shots and fifth in 3-point percentage and 3-pointers per game.

Team categories

SCORING AVERAGE: 1. Bowling Green (75.6). 2. Central Michigan (74.9). 3. Kent State (72.5).

SCORING DEFENSE: 1. Ball State (63.3). 2. Toledo (64.1). 8. Kent State (68.6).

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE: 1. Central Michigan (46.0). 2. Bowling Green (45.9). 8. Kent State (39.9).

THREE-POINT PERCENTAGE: 1. Bowling Green (39.2). 2. Central Michigan (36.8). 5. Kent State (31.9).

FIELD GOAL DEFENSE: 1. Ball State (36.2). 2. Buffalo (37.2). 11. Kent State (42.3).

THREE-POINT DEFENSE: 1. Western Michigan (28.1). 2. Ohio (29.1). 12. Kent State (37.2).

FREE THROW PERCENTAGE: 1. Kent State (76.1). 2. Central Michigan (75.6. 3. Buffalo (70.3).

REBOUNDING MARGIN: 1. Buffalo (+5.4). 2. Bowling Green (+1.6). 9. Kent State (-0.9).

TURNOVER MARGIN: 1. Ohio (+7.5) 2. Miami (+4.3). 4. Kent State (+3.56).

ASSISTS PER GAME: 1. Bowing Green (17.6) 2. Miami (14.6). 11. Kent State (11.8).

BLOCKED SHOTS: 1. Kent State (4.1). 2. Miami (3.9). 3. Ball State (3.5).

STEALS: 1. Ohio (11.2). 2. Miami (10.3). 8. Kent State (7.8).

AVERAGE HOME ATTENDANCE:  1. Toledo (3, 803). 2. Ball State (2,740). 5. Kent State (1,464).

Individual categories

SCORING: 1. Micaela Kelly, Central Michigan (23.9). 2. Dyaisha Fair, Buffalo (23.2). 9. Nila Blackford, Kent State (14.5). 18. Asiah Dingle, KSU (12.9). 19. Megan Carter, KSU (12.7). 24. Katie Shumate, KSU (12.3). Kent State is the only MAC team with four players in the top 25.

FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE: 1. Angela Perry, Bowling Green (58.5). 2. Theresa Onwuka, Buffalo (54.3). 9. Nila Blackford, KSU (43.3).

THREE-POINT PERCENTAGE: 1. Madison Parker, BG (49.2). 1. Gabrielle Bird, CMU (42.3). 5. Lindsey Thall, KSU (39.6). 

THREE-POINTER PER GAME: Madison Parker, BG (3.6). Dyaisha Fair, Buffalo 3.5. 5. Lindsey Thall, KSU (2.4). 25. Katie Shumate, KSU (1.3).

REBOUNDING: 1. Breanna Mobley, WMU (11.1). 2. Oshlynn Brown, Ball State (9.2). 8. Nila Blackford, KSU (7.3). 11. Katie Shumate (6.6).

FREE THROW PERCENTAGE: 1. Courtney Woods, Northern Illinois (86.8). 2. Megan Carter, KSU (86.4). 3. Leighah-Amori Wool, WMU (85.5). 9. Asiah Dingle, KSU (72.5). 11. Nila Blackford, KSU (71.6). 

ASSISTS PER GAME: 1. Mariella Santucci, Toledo (4.7). 2. Molly Davis, CMU (4.6). 7. Asiah Dingle, KSU (3.6). 

BLOCKED SHOTS: 1. Savannah Kluesner, Miami (2.0). 2. Lindsey Thall, KSU (1.8). Breanna Mobley, WMU (1.5). 6. Katie Shumate, KSU (1.0). 14. Nila Blackford, KSU (0.6).

STEALS: 1. Cierra Hooks, Ohio (3.6). 2. Dyaisha Fair, Buffalo (2.9). 11. Asiah Dingle, KSU (2.0). 19. Katie Shumate, KSU (1.5).

MINUTES: 1. Micaela Kelly, CMU (36.3). 2. Dyaisha Fair, Buffalo (36.0). 4. Katie Shumate, KSU (35.8). 

Complete MAC statistics.

Complete Kent State statistics.