Here’s the KSU report card on key benchmarks for the first game of the conference season:
Ball State 66, Kent State 62
Score 70 points on offense: 62. KSU’s lowest total of season against mid-major, though Ball State’s defense is among best in conference. MISSED.
Hold opponent under 70: 66. Defense was one of KSU’s best performances of the season, right on Ball State’s average. SUCCESS.
Make 40% of shots: 39.3%, about Kent’s average and 4 points better than Ball State’s defensive average. JUST MISSED.
Hold opponent under 40%: 38.3. Kent State’s second-best number of the season against a Division I team. MADE.
Outscore opponent by five on free throws: Ball State 12, Kent State 10. Six BSU foul shots came in last two minutes, when Flashes fouled to stop the clock. But KSU number is among its lowest of season. MISSED.
Outscore opponent by five off of turnovers: Kent State 9, Ball State 4. Hit it exactly, though both numbers are among lowest for a Kent game this season. Ball State had by far its most-turnover-free game of season. MADE
Have 14 assists: Flashes had six, a season low, on 24 baskets. NOT EVEN CLOSE.
Get 10 points from the bench: Kent State got only a 3-point basket from backup point guard Mariah Modkins. MISSED BADLY.
BOTTOM LINE: Flashes played pretty well against a good opponent on the road. But look at the last two bench marks. KSU needed just a couple more baskets. Low assists often mean the offense isn’t working well, and Flashes needed just a little more offense to win. Three points from the bench isn’t going to win championships.
GAME STORY: Ball State used 3-pointers, 4th-quarter scoring spurts to beat Flashes.
MAC women’s ‘golf’ standings
I’m stealing this from a regular on the Flash Fanatics bulletin board, who has done this for men’s basketball for several years. It’s simple and useful.
It gives a team one point for a road win and subtracts a point for a home loss. A home win gets zero. In a year when winning on the road looks critical in the MAC, it might be useful.
Central Michigan won 77-72 at Akron. Buffalo won 86-72 at Miami. Otherwise the home teams won.
- Central and Buffalo +1.
3-10. Ball State, Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Ohio, Western Michigan. 0.
11. Akron and Miami. -1.