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