Katie Shumate (14) led Flashes with career-high 27 points. Lindsey Thall (44) had a career-high 12 rebounds in 96-86 win over Bowling Green. (File photo by Liam Morrison from Kent Stater/KentWired.)

Kent State’s women spotted Bowling Green a 19-point lead in the first quarter, then battled back to beat the Falcons 96-86 in double overtime Saturday.

The Flashes scored at the buzzer of the first overtime to tie the game, then scored the first 11 points in the second overtime.

The win ties Kent State for third place in the MAC with Ohio, which lost its third straight game, 63-62 to Buffalo. Kent plays the Bobcats Wednesday at the M.A.C. Center. Both teams are 10-6 with two games to go in the regular season. KSU is 17-10 overall.

Five KSU players scored at least 12 points, led by freshman guard Katie Shumate with a career-high 27. Megan Carter had 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

Lindsey Thall scored 15 and had a career-high 12 rebounds, along with three 3-point baskets and two blocks. Asiah Dingle also had 15 and six steals. Hannah Young had 12 with two 3-pointers and four rebounds.

“We got punched in the mouth in the first quarter and then kept chipping away,” coach Todd Starkey said in postgame interviews. “We weren’t making anything early and weren’t getting any offensive rebounds.

“I didn’t yell at them at the end of the first quarter. I didn’t yell at them at halftime. I just said, ‘Listen. This is something you’re going to have to make a decision on. There’s no easy way out. You’re going to have to fight the rest of the way to even have a chance.'”

The key play of game came at the end of the first overtime. Kent State trailed 83-81 with four seconds to go. An inbound pass in front of its bench went to Katie Shumate about seven feet from the basket. She turned to drive, then saw Nila Blackford alone under the basket. Shumate made the pass, Blackford made the shot, her only basket of the game.

Here’s a 👀 at Nila Blackford’s basket that sent us to 2OT.#GoFlashes⚡ pic.twitter.com/9YbaUPamtR

— Kent State Women’s Basketball (@KentStWBB) February 29, 2020

“I’d like to say that exact action was what we drew up,” Starkey said. “But we wanted to get the ball into Katie and let her to make a play. She just made a great pass, and — you know — good players make good plays down the stretch.”

Shumate said she broke off her first option.

“I wasn’t open,” she told KSU radio broadcaster David Wilson. “So I posted up. Nila came open down low, and it’s perfect timing.”

On Shumate’s way to 27 points, which were three above her previous high, she made eight-of-15 shots, three-of-five 3-point attempts and eight-of-eight free throws. She had three assists and six rebounds in 45 minutes on the court.

Carter came close to her second straight double-double with 21 points and nine rebounds. She also had a career-high seven assists.

Dingle’s six steals matched her career high. She set the tone for the second overtime when she stole the ball on Bowling Green’s first possession and drove the length of the court for a layup. “Those steals were huge,” Starkey said.

Thall’s 12 rebounds were three more than her previous high and eight above her season average. She also had three steals.

The six periods — counting the two overtimes — were almost like six different games.

First quarter: A truly ghastly start

Bowling Green made its first three shots and two free throws to take a 9-0 lead. It got as bad as 23-4 as BG made nine of 15 shots and three-of-four 3-pointers, all by   Caterrion Thompson. Kent State struggled to three-of 21 shooting and missed all five of its 3-point attempts. It was 25-8 at the end of the quarter.

“You hate to start a game like that,” Shumate said. “We just had to move on and play the next play and not think about what just happene. Just chip away, stick together as a team, not get down.”

Second quarter: Flipping the script

The Falcons pushed their lead back up to 33-14 with six minutes to go in the first half, but then Kent State found its game. The Flashes went on a 10-0 run and finished by outscoring BG 11-7. The Flashes made nine-of-14 shots and five-of-10 three-pointers. In the second quarter, Shumate had 12 points, Young eight and Carter seven. Halftime: 39-35.

“I think we just hit some shots,” Shumate said. “And our energy got back up, and we started playing harder and more connected.”

Third quarter: Taking the lead

Bowling Green scored the first four points to push its lead to nine. But two minutes later, Thall hit a 3, then made another a minute later. A minute after that, Carter hit a jumper to give KSU its first lead, 50-49. Thall then hit another 3 and Kent State led 55-51 at the end of the quarter. The Flashes made eight-of-15 shots and four-of-eight 3-pointers. Thall scored 12 points.

Fourth quarter: Down to the wire

The Falcons took the lead back at 60-59 with 5:28 to go. then Kent scored and the teams played within four points of each other for the rest of the quarter. Kadie Hempfling had a jumper with 14 seconds to go to tie the game. Carter missed a jumper with a second to go. 72-72.

Overtime 1: Looking bleak

The teams were within two points of each other the entire quarter. Morgan McMillen hit one foul shot with four seconds to play but missed the second. KSU called timeout, advanced the ball to the front court, and Shumate and Blackford did their thing to extend the game another five minutes. 83-83.

Overtime 2: All Kent State

After Carter started things with her steal and score, Kent State ran off nine points more in a row. Bowling Green turned the ball over four times and missed seven of its eight shots in the quarter.

Welcome to March

“I’m excited for this young team and what they’ve put themselves in position to do,” Starkey said. “So now we have to erase ‘Bowling Green’ on our whiteboard and write it ‘Ohio’ and get focused on a very talented Ohio team.

“It’s the last day of February. Now it’s March madness, and we’ve ushered it in.”

Box score

Notes

• The 96 points were the most Kent State has scored this season. Previous was 92 against Division III Hiram.
• It’s the second overtime game the Flashes have won this season. They beat Youngstown State 82-73 in the second game of the season.
• Bowling Green has lost four games in overtime this MAC season. The Falcons are 2-14 in the league and 9-18 overall.
• The Flashes have won five of their last six games.
• The win ties Kent State with Ohio for first in the East Division as well as for third in the overall standings. Winning the division gets a pennant but doesn’t help in seedings for the MAC Tournament. The first four teams get a first-round bye to the quarterfinals in Cleveland March 11. Other plays March 9 on campus sites. KSU and Ohio are one game ahead of Eastern and Western Michigan, who are tied for fifth.
• The Flashes made 41.6% of their shots for the game but 52% after the first quarter. Bowling Green shot 43.5%.
• Key statistic in the game was points off turnovers: Kent State 25, Bowling Green 11. In the second half and the overtimes, it was Kent State 18-7.
• Leading scorer for BG was Thompson, who had a career-high 32 on Senior Day. She tied a school record with eight 3-point baskets and played 48 of the 50 minutes.
• Attendance was 2,043.

Kent State’s Wednesday showdown with Ohio starts at 7 p.m. at the M.A.C.C. The Flashes lost in 63-57 in Athens on Feb. 8.

“Let’s have a great home crowd,” Starkey said. “You’ve heard, ‘Each one bring one’? Let’s go, ‘Each one bring 10.'”

Other MAC scores

• Ball State (12-4, 20-8) 67, Central Michigan (15-1, 22-5) 62 at Ball State, ruining CMU’s undefeated MAC record.
• Buffalo (7-9, 16-11) 63, Ohio (10-6, 17-10) 62 at Ohio.
• Eastern Michigan (9-7, 14-13) 64, Toledo (6-10, 11-16) 46 at Eastern.
• Western Michigan (9-6, 16-11) 63, Northern Illinois (5-11, 9-18) 62 at Western.
• Akron (7-9, 14-13) 75, Miami (4-12, 11-17) 62 at Miami.

MAC standings.

 

Flash leads team to the Victory Bell after KSU’s 68-50 in over Akron Wednesday. (Photo by Greta Bell from team Twitter feed.)

Kent State (9-6 and 4th in MAC. 16-10 overall)

at Bowling Green (2-13 and last in MAC. 9-18 overall)

Game starts at 2 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 29, at the Strom Center Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green.

It’s about a 2 1/2-hour drive. Address is 1535 E Wooster St, Bowling Green, if you need it for GPS. Here are directions from the Bowling Green website.

Tickets are $11 to $13. Parking is $5 to $10. Average attendance for CMU’s women’s conference games has been 1,270, sixth in the MAC. Kent State home attendance is third in conference games at 1,855. That still would be the best in in at least 30 years.

What’s at stake

Three games to go in the regular season.

The Flashes are in fourth place in MAC and leading in the race for the last bye, which sends a team straight to the league tournament quarterfinals in Cleveland next month.

And suddenly, they are in the race for third, maybe even second in the conference.

Kent State is a game behind Ohio, which has lost two in a row, and the Bobcats will play the Flashes in Kent Wednesday.

And they’re two games behind Ball State, which plays undefeated Central Michigan Saturday. If Ball State loses (and Kent wins), the Flashes are just a game behind the Cardinals, too.

But….

First comes a trip to last-place Bowling Green on Saturday.  Last place, you might say. 2-13. Victims of a 61-47 beating by Kent State on Feb. 5.

But….

Bowling Green just convincingly whipped Ohio 82-48 at BG. The Falcons have lost seven MAC games by seven points or fewer, including three in overtime. They’ve beaten Kent State in Bowling Green the last two years.

So Kent State doesn’t dare look ahead. Even a game against the last place team is critical this late in the season.

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REPORT CARD ON KSU’s 68-50 WIN OVER AKRON: Flashes’ best defense of the year leads it to a big win.

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Whom do you guard when everyone scores?

Five Kent State players average in double figures. Six have led the team in scoring inn a game this season, all with more than 20 points. Top reserve Hannah Young provided good scoring when she filled in for injured starter Nila Blackford.

“It’s been good to have our balance in scoring,” coach Todd Starkey said after the Akron game. “You have to guard us in so many different ways. (Against Akron), we did a great job of finding shooters in the first half.”

One example:

In the fourth quarter, point guard Asiah Dingle looked as if she doing one of her trademark drives to the basket when she dropped a pass behind a defender to forward Lindsey Thall, who was open under the basket. It was one of five assists for Dingle, who led KSU with 18 points.

“We just connect,” Dingle said. “I always know where she is, and she knows I’m going to get it to her.

“I’ve definitely looking (for assists) because we have people who can score it around the basket and can knock down shots when they’re open.”

Here are the numbers (MAC games only):

• 5-4 sophomore Asiah Dingle: 14.6 points a game. High of 22 against Toledo. Six assists against Toledo. Five steals against Northern Illinois.
• 6-2 freshman forward Nila Blackford: 12.8 points a game. High of 23 against Miami and Ball State. 15 rebounds against Akron. Four assists against NIU.
• 5-11 freshman guard Katie Shumate: 12.2 points per game. 24 points against Toledo. 13 rebounds against Ohio. Five assists against Ball State.
• 5-7 senior Megan Carter: 11.3 points per game. 21 points 10 rebounds and five assists against Miami. Four steals against Akron.
• 6-2 sophomore forward Lindsey Thall: 10.3 points per game. 20 points against Miami. Leads team in 3-point shooting. Leads MAC in blocked shots.

What to watch against BG

The Flashes held Bowling Green to 20 points below its average and its lowest point total of the year when the teams met in Kent. BG shot 32%, 10 percentage points below its average.

Kent State is coming off of an even better defensive game Wednesday against Akron.

But BG made 52% of its shots Wednesday against Ohio, a team that beat Kent by six in Athens.

The Falcons had one of the MAC’s best 3-point shooters in sophomore guard Madisen Parker and one of the league’s best scorers in 6-2 junior Angela Perry. Sophomore guard Katie Hempfling is among the conference leaders in assists.

Bowling Green ranks near the bottom of the conference in defense.

Watch how well Kent State’s defense fares against BG’s offense. If it’s close to its performance in Kent, the Flashes ought to be fine.

Team comparisons

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

• RPI: Kent State 102 of 351 Division I teams. Bowling Green 252. (RPI is based on a team’s record and schedule strength.)
• Power rankings: Kent State 107. Bowling Green 216. (Adds factors like margin of victory, record in recent games, injuries.)
• Kent State road record (MAC games): 3-4. Bowling Green home record: 2-6.
• Scoring average: KSU 10th in MAC at 67.1 points per game. Bowling Green 11th at 67.0.
• Defensive average: KSU first at 64.8. Bowling Green 11th at 74.0.
• Field-goal percentage: KSU ninth at 40.3 (ninth on 3-pointers at 29.9%). BG second at 43.5 (second on 3s at 35.3%).
• Field-goal defense: KSU second at 38.5 (last on 3s at 36.1%). BG ninth at 42.5 (sixth on 3s at 30.7).
• Free throw shooting: Kent State seventh at 67.8%. BG 10th at 66.0.
• Rebounding margin: KSU seventh at -0.9. BG last at -4.2.
• Turnover margin: KSU fourth at +1.5. BG 10th at -3.3. KSU eighth in steals at 6.6, BG last at 5.1.
• Assists: Kent State 11th at 10.5. BG first at 14.9.
• Blocked shots: Kent State first at 4.4. BG last at 1.3.

Top players

Kent State

• 5-4 sophomore guard Asiah Dingle (14.6 points, 52.6% on field goals, second in MAC; 1.8 steals per game, ninth in MAC; 2.8 assists).
• 6-2 freshman forward Nila Blackford (12.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, sixth in MAC).
• 5-11 freshman guard Katie Shumate (12.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 45.2% on field goals).
• 5-7 senior guard Megan Carter (11.3 points, 4.3 rebounds).
• 6-2 sophomore forward Lindsey Thall (10.4 points, 1.6 three-point baskets a game, first in MAC in blocked shots at 2.6 per game).

Bowling Green

• 6-2 junior forward Angela Perry (12.8 points, third in MAC in field-goal percentage at 52.3).
• 5-9 junior guard Madisen Parker (11.6 points, second in MAC in 3-point baskets per game at 3.1, second in 3-point percentage at 46.5.)
• 5-10 junior guard Caterrion Thompson (11.3 points, 4.9 rebounds).
• 5-9 sophomore guard Katie Hempfling (8.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, third in MAC in assists at 4.9).

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.

Audio starts at about 12:45 p.m. on WHLO 640 and Golden Flash iHeart Radio. David Wilson is the announcer.

Live statistics will be on the Bowling Green website during the game.

Links

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

Bowling Green website, with links.

MAC statistics.

MAC standings.

 

Asiah Dingle drives for two of her 18 points against Akron. Dingle has averaged 15.6 points and 63% shooting over the last seven games. (Photo by Greta Bell from KSU Twitter feed.)

Kent State’s defense keeps getting better, freshman Nila Blackford returned with the team’s biggest rebounding game of the season, and the Flashes are alone in fourth place in the MAC again.

Kent State beat Akron 68-50, holding the Zips to 1-of-14 shooting in the fourth quarter and 30% shooting overall.

The win, combined with Eastern Michigan’s loss at Northern Illinois and Western Michigan’s loss at Central Michigan, leaves the Flashes in fourth at 9-6 with three games to go in the regular season. The team that finishes fourth gets a first round bye and goes directly to the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament in Cleveland next month.

Ohio lost its second straight, 82-68 at last-place Bowling Green. So Kent State is just a game behind the Bobcats in what suddenly is a race for third place. Ohio plays at Kent next Wednesday.

“Defensively it was a really good effort all the way around,” coach Todd Starkey said. “That’s a team that put up 79 points on Ohio three days ago. Here they get 50.

“Our team defense has gotten so much better than the beginning of the conference play, when we were really given up a lot of points. We really have worked on it every day.

“We’re starting to cover up for each other’s mistakes better. Early in the year if somebody made a mistake, they were kind of on their own and they’d score on it. Now we’re doing a better job of seeing where there’s a mistake or somebody needs help, and we’re getting to those spots a lot quicker.”

Blackford had 15 rebounds, seven points, three assists and a blocked shot in her first playing time in two weeks. She had missed three games with a concussion suffered in the last minute of the last game Kent State beat Akron.

7.8 1Q | Kent State 20, Akron 17

Nila Blackford grabs the rebound and gets the basket! #GoFlashes⚡️ pic.twitter.com/4bRS85i929

— Kent State Women’s Basketball (@KentStWBB) February 27, 2020

“Fifteen rebounds,” Starkey said. “A phenomenal performance. (She was) really pursuing the ball and just being tough and gritty.”

Blackford made just two-of-12 shots; she had been making 41% of her shots before she was injured.

“She struggled with her timing on a few things, and you could tell her shot was off a little bit. But when you’ve been in concussion protocol for a couple of weeks, that’s the first thing that’s going to go.”

Blackford said it felt good to be back.

“I just was really aggressive toward the glass and wanted to do whatever I could to ensure that we got a win,” she said. “That was just snagging rebounds.”

7:14 4Q | Kent State 58, Akron 48

Asiah Dingle underneath! 🔥#GoFlashes⚡️ pic.twitter.com/L8TbOQJc00

— Kent State Women’s Basketball (@KentStWBB) February 27, 2020

Asiah Dingle continued her string of efficient shooting and scored 18 points. In the last seven games, she’s averaged 15.6 points and made 63% of her shots. A year ago, she was making 38%.

“Asiah has been finishing at the basket much better,” Starkey said. “It’s a focus thing really. She’s getting a lot of the same shots she was getting before but her focus….We always talk about finishing with your eyes. You’ve got pick a spot on a glass and finish it high.”

Dingle said that to her, finishing means being “locked into the game and not worry if I miss a shot or get scored on.”

Dingle also had five assists and seven rebounds, though Starkey grumped about that he would rather “live without some of those reckless turnovers on important possessions.” Dingle had five turnovers, which was her most in  five games.

Kent State led 36-26 at halftime, but Akron cut it to four in the middle of the third quarter. Kent called timeout, and Starkey made it clear he and his assistants were not pleased.

“We were like, ‘Listen, you’re taking your foot off the gas.‘ And then we got back to being deliberate defensively and really looking for our stuff on offense.”

In the fourth quarter, Akron couldn’t do anything offensively. The Zips missed all five of their 3-point shots and attacked the basket so aggressively, Starkey said, they were almost taking “reckless shots.”

Life with a concussion

In her postgame interview, Blackford explained what a concussion feels like:

“After I hit my head in the Akron game, I was really sensitive to noise and light. I was really dizzy, really fatigued and tired, had a headache.”

She said it took about a week and a half to feel better, though she was able to go to class much of the time.

Box score

Notes

• The Flashes overwhelmed Akron 46-27 in rebounding, their biggest margin of the season against a Division I team. (They outrebounded Division III Hiram by 27.) Blackford’s 15 led the way, but Megan Carter and Dingle had seven, Lindsey Thall five and Hannah Young four. Kent State had 16 offensive rebounds, led by Blackford’s seven, and outscored Akron on second-chang\ce points 19-7.
• Akron came into the came with slightly better rebounding statistics than KSU. Akron’s Haliegh Reinoehl was second in the MAC in rebounding at 9.6 a game. She had one rebound Wednesday.
• Carter had four of Kent State’s five steals. Thall blocked three shots to maintain her No. 1 standing in the MAC.
• Senior Sydney Brinlee had five points, one off her career high, on a 3-point basket and two free throws.
• Akron’s Jordyn Dawson was the only Zip in double figures with 17 points and led her team with seven rebounds. She didn’t play in the first Kent State game (“coach’s decision,” which usually means disciplinary action). “She’s a really good player — very strong,” Blackford said. She guarded Dawson. Akron’s second leading scorer, much of the night.
• The win is Kent State’s fifth in a row against the Zips and also breaks Akron’s three-game winning streak. Starkey is 7-1 against the Zips in his four years in Kent. The Flashes get a half-point in the Chrystal Clinic Wagon Wheel Challenge for the win and now lead the competition 3.5-2.5. Akron has won it the last four years.
• Akron’s 50 points were the second fewest Kent State has allowed in MAC play, fourth lowest this season.
• Attendance was 1,729 and keeps Kent State on track for its best season in at least 30 years.

The Flashes travel to Bowling Green for a 2 p.m. Saturday game. KSU beat the Falcons 61-47 in Kent earlier this month but have lost two straight on the BG court.

Other MAC scores

• Central Michigan (15-0 MAC 22-4 overall), 76, Western Michigan (8-7, 15-11) 60 at Central. The win clinches the regular season championship for Central.
• Buffalo (6-9, 15-11) 88, Miami (4-11, 11-16) 72 at Buffalo.
• Northern Illinois (5-10, 9-17) 65, Eastern Michigan (8-7, 13-13) 59 at NIU.
• Ball State (11-4, 19-8) 66, Toledo (6-9, 11-15) 60 at Ball State.
• Bowling Green (2-13, 9-18) 82, Ohio (10-5, 17-9) 68 at BG.

MAC standings

Hannah Young’s hair goes wild as she drives to the basket against Miami. Young has averaged six rebounds a game — third on the team — in her last six games. (File photo by Jeff Glidden from KSU Twitter feed.)

Akron (6-8 and tied for 7th in MAC. 13-12 overall)

at Kent State (8-6 and tied for 4th. 15-10 overall)

Game starts at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 26, at the M.A.C. Center.

General admission tickets are $5. Students get in free with a Kent State ID. KSU’s average home attendance is 1,870, third in the MAC and Kent State’s highest in decades.

What’s at stake

With four games to go in the regular season, every game becomes more important. The Kent State-Akron rivalry will make Wednesday’s game even more intense.

The Flashes remain tied for fourth in the MAC, the last spot that avoids a first-round game in the league tournament and gets a bye straight to the quarterfinals at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland. (That’s what used to be called Quicken Loans Arena. It’s the same sponsoring company.)

The Flashes have a little bit of a schedule advantage over Eastern and Western Michigan, the teams they’re tied with. Both of those schools have to play first-place Central Michigan on the road. They also play each other, so somebody has to lose that one.

Kent State still has to play second-place Ohio in the M.A.C. Center next Wednesday. They play at Bowling Green, a team they beat 61-47 Feb. 5 but one they’ve lost to on the road two straight years. They finish at Buffalo, which outscored KSU by 16 in the fourth quarter to beat the Flashes 57-44 in Kent Jan. 25. Buffalo just broke a six-game losing streak at Bowling Green Saturday.

And there’s Akron.

Kent State beat the Zips 60-55 in Akron two weeks ago. It took a 7-2 run in the last two minutes to pull out the game.

Since then Akron has won three games in a row, beating second-place Ohio 79-76 Saturday and winning at Buffalo 69-63 and at Eastern Michigan 64-53 the week before.

It’s pretty clear the Zips are playing the best basketball of their season.

Biggest difference from the first KSU-Akron game will be the presence of Jordyn Dawson, the Zips’ second leading scorer. She didn’t play in the first game (“coach’s decision,” which usually means a suspension). In the three games since, Dawson has averaged 14 points and 10 rebounds. She had 20 and 14 rebounds against Ohio. Dawson is a 5-11 transfer from Wabash Junior College in Mt. Carmel, Illinois, the No. 1-ranked junior college last season.

Dawson is second to Akron senior forward Haliegh Reinoehl in scoring (13.3 points in MAC games) and rebounding (7.5) and leads the Zips in assists (3.1) and steals (1.6).

With a 6-8 record, Akron has a long-shot chance at the fourth seed. The Zips probably would have to win the rest of their games and hope for Kent, Eastern and Western to lose at least two.

It looks as if Nila Blackford, Kent State’s leading scorer and rebounder, could be back in the lineup Wednesday. In Akron, she hit her head hard on the floor in a scramble after a rebound and has missed all three games since. Blackford dressed for Saturday’s game against Miami and went through pregame drills. But she didn’t play.

“It looks favorable,” coach Todd Starkey told Allen Moff of the Record-Courier this week.  “It will be a game-time decision, but there’s a little better chance that she’ll play then there was last Saturday. She’s continued to progress nicely.”

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REPORT CARD ON KSU’s 80-75 WIN OVER MIAMI: Flashes missed 10 free throws in the fourth quarter, but pulled game out thanks to senior Megan Carter’s first double-double of her career.

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What to watch

I’d start with Dawson. If she’s scoring and rebounding at a good rate, Kent State will have to step up its game.

“We’re playing against one of the hottest teams in the league right now,” Starkey said in the Record-Courier interview. “Akron’s really coming into form. They’re defending well and playing with a level of experience and toughness that makes them really tough to beat.”

Statistically, the teams are very close. Kent State has a significant lead in turnover margin and blocked shots. Akron has more assists. Otherwise they are within one or two places of each other in every category.

The biggest different is that Kent State has won more close games — including the first Akron game. The Flashes are 3-3 in conference games decided by fewer five points or fewer. Akron is 1-5.

Team comparisons

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

• RPI: Kent State 103 of 351 Division I teams. Akron 152. (RPI is based on a team’s record and schedule strength.)
• Power rankings: Kent State 114. Akron 153. (Adds factors like margin of victory, record in recent games, injuries.)
• Kent State home record (MAC games): 5-2. Akron road record: 3-4.
• Scoring average: KSU ninth in MAC at 67.1 points per game. Akron 10th at 66.4.
• Defensive average: KSU second at 65.9. Akron fourth at 67.5.
• Field-goal percentage: KSU 10th at 40.3 (10th on 3-pointers at 30.0%). Akron ninth at 40.8 (11th on 3s at 38.6%).
• Field-goal defense: KSU third at 38.7 (last on 3s at 36.8%). Akron second at 38.4 (ninth on 3s at 30.2).
• Free throw shooting: Kent State sixth at 68.1%. Akron fifth at 69.0.
• Rebounding margin: KSU ninth at -2.3. Akron seventh at -1.3.
• Turnover margin: KSU fourth at +1.7. Akron eighth at -1.45. KSU eighth in steals at 6.7, Akron ninth at 6.5.
• Assists: Kent State 11th at 10.5. Akron seventh at 12.1.
• Blocked shots: Kent State first at 4.4. Akron eighth at 1.8.

Top players

Kent State

• 5-4 sophomore guard Asiah Dingle (14.3 points, 51.2% on field goals, fourth in MAC; 2.0 steals per game, eighth in MAC; 2.6 assists).
• 6-2 freshman forward Nila Blackford (13.4 points, 7.7 rebounds).
• 5-11 freshman guard Katie Shumate (12.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 45.4% on field goals).
• 5-7 senior guard Megan Carter (11.5 points, 4.0 rebounds).
• 6-2 sophomore forward Lindsey Thall (10.4 points, 1.7 three-point baskets a game, first in MAC in blocked shots at 2.6 per game).

Akron

• 6-2 senior forward Haliegh Reinoehl (15.9 points per game, ninth in MAC; 9.6 rebounds, second in MAC).
• 5-11 junior forward Jordyn Dawson (13.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.7 steals.)
• 5-4 senior guard Shaunay Edmonds (9.9 points, 1.5 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. It will include all men’s and women’s MAC Tournament games except those broadcast on network TV. 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.

Akron website, with links.

MAC statistics.

MAC standings.

The benchmark statistics we use in the scorecard were as close as the game, which the Flashes won by five points. But they won, and with four games to go, that’s more important than any other number.

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GAME STORY: Megan Carter’s double-double on Senior Day leads Flashes past Miami

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Kent State 80, Miami 75

Score 70 points on offense: 80, only the second time hitting 80 in the conference season. ACHIEVED.

Hold opponent under 70: 75. Probably Kent State’s least-effective defense in the last month. Miami scored 25 points in the fourth quarter. NOT ACHIEVED.

Make 40% of shots: 39.3. Not quite. Four-for-18 three-point shooting made held the percentage down. NOT ACHIEVED.

Hold opponent under 40%: 36.8. Only first-place Central Michigan has shot better than 40% in Kent’s last six games. ACHIEVED.

Outscore opponent by five on free throws: It was 28-19, which looks great until we remember the Flashes missed 18 free throws, including 10 in the last quarter. Otherwise the game wouldn’t have been close. But, ACHIEVED.

Outscore opponent by five points off turnovers: 13-12 for Kent State. The Flashes had 10 turnovers, Miami 13. NOT ACHIEVED.

Have 14 assists: Nine, on 24 baskets. Megan Carter’s season-high five were the highlight.  (Miami, second in the league in assists, also had nine.) NOT ACHIEVED.

Get 10 points from the bench: 39, but it was Senior Day and only two of Kent State’s top five scorers started. ACHIEVED.

BOTTOM LINE: A win’s a win. B.

Kent State statistics

Around the MAC

Central Michigan beat Northern Illinois 70-66 on the road to clinch at least a share of the MAC regular season championship.

Second-place Ohio and Ball State both lost on the road and remain tied. Kent State, Western Michigan are still tied for fourth, the final position that gets a first-round bye in the MAC Tournament next month. Four games remain in the regular season.

Central won its eighth conference game by fewer than eight points to stay undefeated in the conference. The game was close most of the way. Central led by 10 with 6:12 to play, but NIU closed it to two with less than a minute to go. CMU hit five of six free throws in the last 53 seconds. Kyra Bussell had 25 for Central; Courtney Woods had 21 for Northern.

Akron won its biggest game of the season, coming from behind to beat Ohio 79-76 in Akron. A key play was a foul on Akron’s Jordyn Dawson with the scored tied and just over a minute to play. She was first charged with an offensive foul, but it was reversed on review. Dawson had 20 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. Cierra Hooks had a school-record 41 points for Ohio.

Eastern Michigan beat Ball State 61-58, icing the game with two last-minute steals. Areanna Combs had 15 points and nine rebounds for Eastern; sophomore Juanita Agosto had nine points and a career-high 12 rebounds. Freshman guard Sydney Freeman led Ball State with 14 points.

Buffalo broke its six-game losing streak, its longest since 2012-13, with a 62-56 win at last-place Bowling Green. With 29 seconds to go, Buffalo leading by two and Ball State with the ball, sophomore guard Aireal Dickson stole the ball and fed Dyaisha Fair for a layup that clinched the game. Fair had 21 points for Buffalo. Madisen Parker had 14 for BG.

Western Michigan won its fourth straight game by beating  Toledo 70-58 in Toledo. It was Western’s first victory in Toledo in six years. Sophomore guard Jordan Walker had 21 points and five steals for Western. Freshman guard Sydney Shafer had a career-high 17 points off the bench. Freshman guard Quinesha Lockett had 17 points to lead Toledo.

BEST GAMES THIS SATURDAY: Western Michigan at Central Michigan. Toledo at Ball State. Akron at Kent State.

The ‘golf’ standings

They 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”).

-7

• Central Michigan (14-0, 21-4)

-3

• Ball State (10-6, 18-8)
• Ohio (10-4, 17-8)

-1

• Kent State (8-6, 15-10)
• Western Michigan (8-6, 15-10)
• Eastern Michigan (8-6, 13-12)

+1

• Akron (6-8, 13-12)

+2

• Buffalo (5-9, 14-11)
• Toledo (6-8, 11-14)

+3

• Miami (4-10, 11-15)
• Northern Illinois (3-10, 7-17)

+6

• Bowling Green (1-13, 8-18)

Regular MAC standings

MAC statistics

Seniors Megan Carter (foreground), Sidney Brinlee (to her left) and Ali Poole (to Brinlee’s left) ring the victory bell to celebrate Kent State’s 80-75 win over Miami. (Photo by Jeff Glidden from team Twitter feed.)

Megan Carter saved one of her best games for her Senior Day.

Carter had the first double-double of her five-year career with 21 points and 10 rebounds as she led Kent State to a 80-75 win over Miami at the M.A.C. Center Saturday.

The victory keeps the Flashes in a fourth-place tie in the MAC with four games to go in the regular season. Kent State, Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan all have 8-6 records. Fourth place earns a first-round bye in the MAC Tournament next month.

“A heckuva game, a really gutsy performance,” coach Todd Starkey said of Carter, who has played sick the entire conference season. She missed three games with mononucleosis.

“She’s battling,” Starkey said. “I don’t think you can recover from mono full strength in midseason. She’s probably not going to fully recover until she has two or three weeks of rest.”

Carter says it doesn’t matter.

“I want to empty the tank,” she said, “for the team, for myself. I want to have no regrets.”

Carter also had five assists and two steals.

The Flashes had to overcome 10 missed free throws in the fourth quarter and saw Miami take its lead of the game — 75-74 — with 1:15 to go.

But Lindsay Thall drove strongly to the basket on the next possession and drew a fifth foul from Miami freshman Peyton Scott. She made both free throws.

Miami didn’t score again.

Its senior star, 5-3 guard Lauren Dickerson, certainly tried. Dickerson had already made two 3s in the fourth quarter and scored 12 points to lead the Miami comeback.

As Starkey shouted, “No 3s,” Dickerson was hounded by Carter. Dickerson got off a shot from behind the arc, but it was an air ball. 15 seconds later, when Kent had a 78-75 lede, she got another off under pressure from Hannah Young and missed again. Dickerson missed a third at the buzzer when KSU had its 80-75 lead.

“That’s always a tough guard,” Carter said. “She can drive, shoot the 3, pull-ups.”

On Dickerson’s last 3-point attempts:

“I just wanted to get into her vision,” Carter said. “She’s 5-3, a small guard — just get in her way.” (Carter is all of 5-7.)

The Flashes, Starkey said, had no answer for Dickerson.

“We tried a couple of different thing,” he said. “But when she’s feeling it, she’s as tough a guard as there is in the conference.”

It did take Dickerson 33 shots to get her 29 points. She made 11, including five of 14 three-pointers. She also had four assists and a steal.

For Kent State, it was Carter, Thall (20 points), Katie Shumate (18 points) and Asiah Dingle (12) doing the most damage on the scoreboard.

4:40 4Q | Kent State 69, Miami 60

Lindsey Thall has 5️⃣ straight after RedHawks got within 4.#GoFlashes⚡ pic.twitter.com/3jataTHGJA

— Kent State Women’s Basketball (@KentStWBB) February 22, 2020

 

Thall is best known as one of the conference’s top 3-point shooters, but 17 of her 20 points came on inside shots or fouls drawn inside.

“She’s starting to play in a lot of different areas than before,” Starkey said. “We’ve had to do that, especially with Nila out. It’s been nice to see her play some mid-range, she had a really nice finish at the basket for an ‘and one’ and had a couple of really nice dump-offs underneath, too.”

Thall has seemed more and more comfortable with the role.

“Having somebody on the inside helps our guards with spacing offensively,” she said. “We’ve gotten some good looks on the perimeter and inside.”

Miami chipped at at KSU’s 10-point lead as the Flashes missed its last two fouls shots of the third quarter and first six of the fourth quarter. Kent State would miss two of its next four before Thall sank the pair that gave her team the lead for the last time.

Even when they can barely walk, seniors start on Senior Day

Thank you @_alipoolee! #GoFlashes⚡ pic.twitter.com/lmVjd0rhkb

— Kent State Women’s Basketball (@KentStWBB) February 22, 2020

Ali Poole shares a hug with coach Todd Starkey after playing the first eight seconds  of the game.

Carter, Sidney Brinlee and Ali Poole all started for the Flashes.

Poole is just a few weeks off of ACL surgery. She was hampered by a knee injury suffered in summer practice for the first half of the season, then tore her ACL diving for a ball in January. She had started 48 — now 49 — games for Kent State, and the Flashes have missed her scoring, court presence and leadership.

In an obvious pre-arrangement with Miami, Brinlee jumped the opening tipoff against the 5-3 Dickerson. She tapped it to Carter, who walked the ball over to Poole, who was standing wearing her knee brace just in front of the KSU bench. Carter handed her the ball, and Poole handed it to Starkey, who stood out of bounds. Many fans stood and applauded.

Both Carter and Poole graduated in December, though they’re still taking classes. They became classmates when Carter was redshirted after she blew out her own ACL early in her freshman year.

“I feel for her,” Carter said. “I tell her to keep her head up. She’s going off to P.A. (physician’s assistant) school, and I’m proud of what she’s done and what she’s doing.”

On Brinlee:

“She’s been a big presence, a very big voice. And great jokes. She’s always the life of the party.”

Thall on Carter:

“She leads so great by example. Every game she plays really hard. We’re going to hate to let her go.”

Box score

Video highlights

They include Senior Day ceremony, opening tip sequence, key Kent State scoring and Dickerson’s missed 3 in final seconds.

.@KentStWBB Senior Day vs. Miami 2.22.2020 #unleash #gftv pic.twitter.com/EsqnWwa8UZ

— Kent State Athletics (@KentStAthletics) February 22, 2020

Notes

• Officials called a total of 53 fouls — 32 on Miami, 21 on Kent State. The Flashes shot 46 free throws — highest of the season by 10. They made only 28 of them. Miami was 19 of 23. Two Miami starters fouled out, and three other players had four fouls. “I don’t think either coach was happy,” Starkey said.
• Hannah Young had a career-high nine rebounds in a career-high 33 minutes. “She rebounds the ball like crazy in practice, and it’s showing up in games,” Carter said. Both teams had 41 rebounds.
• Kent State made 24 of its 61 shots for 39% but only four of 18 three-pointers (22%). Miami shot 37% from the field and 32% from 3-point distance.
• Attendance was 1,872, the third highest of the season. Last week’s doubleheader with Toledo drew 5,300, but only abut 2,500 stayed for the women’s game. Top attendance this season was 4,272 against Ohio State, which we think is the most in KSU history. Records from before 1990 are sketchy.

The Flashes stay at home to play Akron at 7 p.m. Wednesday. The Zips upset second-place Ohio 79-76 at home Saturday and have won three in a row since losing to Kent State two weeks ago.

Other MAC scores

• Eastern Michigan (8-6, 13-12) 61, Ball State (10-4, 18-8) 58 at Eastern.
• Western Michigan (8-6, 15-10) 70, Toledo (6-8, 11-14) 58 at Toledo.
• Akron (6-8, 13-12) 79, Ohio (10-4, 17-8) 76 at Akron.
• Central Michigan (14-0, 21-4) 70, Northern Illinois (4-10, 8-17) 66 at NIU.
• Buffalo (5-9, 14-11) 62, Bowling Green (1-13, 8-18) 56 at BG.

MAC standings

KSU seniors (from left) Ali Poole, Megan Carter and Sydney Brinlee. (Graphic from KSU Twitter feed.)

Miami (4-9 and tied for 9th in MAC. 11-14 overall)

at Kent State (7-6 and tied for 4th. 14-10 overall)

Game starts at 1 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 22, at the M.A.C. Center.

It’s Senior Day for the Flashes, honoring Megan Carter, Ali Poole and Sydney Brinlee.

Carter has scored 1,079 points in her career, 20th in school history. Poole started 48 games for the Flashes, but partially tore her ACL last summer, then tore it completely against Western Michigan in January. She played only 68 minutes this season. Brinlee was a junior college transfer from Highland Community College in Kansas. She played in 26 of KSU’s 32 games last season of 20 of its 24 this year. She is one of the first two post player off the bench.

General admission tickets are $5.  Kent State’s average home attendance would be about 1,800, fourth in the MAC and Kent State’s highest in decades.

What’s at stake

Kent State is locked in a three-way tie for fourth place in the MAC with Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan. Toledo is just a game behind them, Akron two games. There are five games to go in the regular season.

Kent State can’t afford to lose at home and stay in contention, especially to a team it beat 78-75 at Miami.

Miami is tied for ninth in the MAC, a game out of eighth. A move up would be significant; eighth place is the last spot that gets a home game in the first round of the tournament.

When the teams met in January, Kent State led most of the game but trailed by a point with eight seconds to go. The Flashes stole two inbound passes and scored both times.

 

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REPORT CARD ON KSU’s 71-58 LOSS TO CENTRAL MICHIGAN: Central dominated almost every statistic.

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What to watch

Miami has two all-MAC seniors and a candidate for the league’s all-freshman team. But the Redhawks haven’t been able to jell under new coach DeUnna Hendrix.

They went 9-7 in conference play but beat only one team with a winning record. Miami started conference play 1-5, then won three in a row. Since then they’ve lost three in a row — to first-place Central Michigan and second-place Ohio, and in overtime at Northern Illinois.

Savannah Kleusner, a second-team all-MAC selection a year ago, leads Miami in scoring (17.9 points per game, eighth in the league)  and rebounding (8.5, fourth in the conference). Preseason all-MAC East selection Lauren Dickerson is ninth in the league in scoring at 17.7 pointer per game and leads the MAC in assists at 6.1 per game. (Statistics are for conference games only.)

Freshman Peyton Scott averages 12.9 points and 4.9 rebounds assists per game. That’s fifth highest in the league among freshmen, behind Buffalo’s Dyaisha Fair, Central Michigan’s Molly Davis and Kent State’s Nila Blackford and Katie Shumate.

Miami has struggled defensively for the last four games, giving up an average of 88 points.

Kent State has played good defense for the month of February, allowing opponents to score more than 70 points only in Wednesday’s 71-58 loss to Central Michigan. The 75 points Miami scored against the Flashes in January were the most points they’ve given up in a MAC game.

Once again, a question hanging over the Flashes is the status of freshman forward Nila Blackford, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder. Blackford has been in concussion protocol since a hard fall to the floor in the Akron game nine days ago. She’s being evaluated daily.

With Blackford out, point guard Asiah Dingle has been KSU’s leading scorer. She had 16 against CMU and 22 against Toledo last Saturday. She’s done it as the first person off the bench, averaging 16 points a game and 61% shooting in the five games since she came back from a two-game suspension. Her 53% shooting percentage is third in the MAC and highest among guards.

To tell how the game is going, look at defense. 

If KSU’s defense is close to the 61 points it’s allowed over the last five games, the Flashes should be all right.

If Miami’s defense gives up something close to the 84 points it’s given up in the last five games, things should be even better for Kent State.

Team comparisons

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

• RPI: Kent State 102 of 351 Division I teams. Miami 187. (RPI is based on a team’s record and schedule strength.)
• Power rankings: Kent State 112. Miami 213. (Adds factors like margin of victory, record in recent games, injuries.)
• Kent State home record (MAC games): 4-2. Miami road record: 1-5.
• Scoring average: KSU 11th in MAC at 66.1 points per game. Miami third at 72.6.
• Defensive average: KSU first at 65.2. Miami 12th and last at 77.8.
• Field-goal percentage: KSU 10th at 40.3 (ninth on 3-pointers at 30.3%). Miami sixth at 41.8 (11th on 3s at 38.6%).
• Field-goal defense: KSU third at 38.9 (last on 3s at 36.8%). Miami lost at 47.8 (11th on 3s at 35.8).
• Free throw shooting: Kent State fourth at 69.6%. Miami fifth at 68.6.
• Rebounding margin: KSU ninth at -2.5. Miami 11th at -3.0.
• Turnover margin: KSU fourth at +1.6. Miami third at +2.5. KSU sixth in steals at 6.7, Miami third at 8.3.
• Assists: Kent State 11th at 10.6. Miami first at 14.5.
• Blocked shots: Kent State first at 4.6. Miami third at 3.4.

Top players

Kent State

• 5-4 sophomore guard Asiah Dingle (14.4 points, 52.7% on field goals, third in MAC. 12.0 steals per game, sixth in MAC; 2.9 assists).
• 6-2 freshman forward Nila Blackford (13.4 points, 7.7 rebounds).
• 5-11 freshman guard Katie Shumate (12.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, 44.4%  shooting).
• 5-7 senior guard Megan Carter (10.5 points, 3.4 rebounds).
• 6-2 sophomore forward Lindsey Thall (9.6 points, 1.9 three-point baskets a game, first in MAC in blocked shots at 2.7 per game).

Miami

• 5-3 senior guard Lauren Dickerson (17.7 points, eighth in MAC; 6.1 assists, first; 1.4 steals).
• 6-2 senior Savannah Kluesner (17.9 points, eighth; 8.5 rebounds, fourth; 1.7 blocks, third).
• 5-8 freshman guard Peyton Scott (12.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.9 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 does play-by-play.

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

Miami website, with links.

MAC statistics.

MAC standings.

Megan Carter had 14 points against Central Michigan, her first time in double figures in four games. (File photo by Nick Cammett from KSU Twitter feed.)

Kent State did about as poorly on its report card categories against Central Michigan as it did well against Toledo. The Flashes hit only one of eight benchmarks — they had 19 points fromm their bench. Against Toledo, they hit seven. Of course, a lot of that is the difference between 13-0 Central and 6-7 Toledo.

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GAME STORY: After first quarter, KSU offense dries up against first-place CMU.

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Central Michigan 71, Kent State 58

Score 70 points on offense: 58. Flashes had great start with25 points in first quarter, but didn’t score more than 12 in a quarter the rest of the game. NOT ACHIEVED.

Hold opponent under 70: 71. Nine points below CMUK’s average, but still above 70. NOT ACHIEVED.

Make 40% of shots: 34.6. Just 29 percent over last three quarters. NOT ACHIEVED.

Hold opponent under 40%: 50.0. Worst of the MAC season. (Central leads the MAC in shooting percentage.) NOT ACHIEVED.

Outscore opponent by five on free throws: Central made 9 of 11, Kent State 8 of 11. NOT ACHIEVED.

Outscore opponent by five points off turnovers: Kent State forced more turnovers (16-9). But teams were even at 12-12 in points off of them. NOT ACHIEVED.

Have 14 assists: Seven, tied for second lowest of season. (Central, second in the league in assists, had just eight.) NOT ACHIEVED.

Get 10 points from the bench: 19, led by 16 from Asiah Dingle. Her move to the first reserve into the game has made this category less meaningful. ACHIEVED.

BOTTOM LINE: Even considering the competition, a D+.

Kent State statistics

Around the MAC

Akron was the only team to win on the road and gain “golf” points. Western Michigan’s win and Kent State’s loss dropped the two teams into a tie with Eastern Michigan for fourth place in the regular standings. KSU and Eastern are tied for fourth in the “golf” standings.

Akron beat Buffalo 69-63, sending the Bulls to their sixth straight defeat. The last time Buffalo lost six in a row was 2012-13. A 7-1 run toward the end of the third quarter gave Buffalo a brief lead, but Akron finished the quarter with seven straight points, then outscored the Bulls 20-17 in the fourth quarter. Haliegh Reinoehl had 24 points and 13 rebounds for Akron; Jordan Dawson had 13 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. Theresa Onwuka had 21 points and 12 rebounds for Buffalo.

Western Michigan led by as many as 17 points in beating Bowling Green 69-55. Breanna Mobley had 23 points and 13 rebounds for her 16th double-double of the season. Redshirt junior guard Caterrion Thompson had a career-high 23 off the bench for BG.

Ball State went to 7-0 at home with a 97-89 win over Northern Illinois. Oshlynn Brown had 28 points and 13 rebounds for the Cardinals, who had five players score in double figures. Courtney Brown led four players in double figures for NIU with 18 points.

Ohio went on a 28-1 run over 12 minutes in the third and fourth quarter and beat Toledo 86-58. OU’s Erica Johnson, the MAC’s leading scorer in conference games, had 31 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and four steals. Cece Hooks had 20 and fur steals. Tanaya Beachkam had 20 and 14 rebounds for Toledo.

BEST GAMES THIS SATURDAY: Ball State at Eastern Michigan. Western Michigan at Toledo.

The ‘golf’ standings

They 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”).

-6

• Central Michigan (13-0, 20-4)

-3

• Ball State (10-3, 18-7)
• Ohio (10-3, 17-7)

-1

• Kent State (7-6, 14-10)
• Eastern Michigan (7-6, 12-12)

Even

• Western Michigan (7-6, 14-10)
• Toledo (6-7, 11-13)

+1

• Akron (5-8, 12-12)

+2

• Northern Illinois (3-9, 7-16)

+3

• Buffalo (4-9, 13-11)
• Miami (4-9, 11-14)

+5

• Bowling Green (1-12, 8-17)

Regular MAC standings

MAC statistics