It’s KSU vs. Bowling Green Wednesday in battle for first place in the MAC

Kent State’s Mariah Modkins leads the team in assists and averages 8.3 points a game. (Photo by Hayley Steffy)

The battle for first place comes to the M.A.C. Center Wednesday.

Kent State, in first place with a 6-1 Mid-American Conference record, takes on second-place Bowling Groom, which is 10-3. The Flashes’ record gives them a .857 winning percentage, the criteria the MAC uses to determine the standings. Bowling Green’s winning percentage is .769. A Falcon win Wednesday would move it into first place.

The game starts at 6 p.m. and is streamed on ESPN+, which costs $5.99 a month. You can sign up from the link. Kent’s online radio broadcast starts at 5:45 p.m., and you can get live statistics during the game at the KSU website.

The Flashes have played far fewer games than BG — and every other team in the league — because of KSU’s three-week-long fight with COVID-19 in January. Kent made up one of its postponed games in Monday’s 93-87 overtime win over Toledo.

The Bowling Green game with be Kent State’s fourth game in eight days and third in the last five days. The Flashes haven’t quite regained the form that had them on a five-game winning streak before COVID it. But they have won two of three games since they returned to action.

Bowling Green is having the kind of season coaches and fans dream of. The Falcons finished last in the league last season and were picked to finish fifth in the six-team MAC East this season.

But they’re 14-4 overall, the best record in the league. Third-year coach Robyn Fralick recruited one of the best freshman classes in the MAC, including 5-5 guard Lexi Fleming. She’s easily the leading candidate for MAC freshman of the year, averaging 17.5 points a game, 10th in the league, and 2.8 steals per game, fifth in the conference. (Statistics are MAC games only, which I consider more indicative this time of season.)

Fleming had a season low six points against Ohio Saturday, but the Falcons still won easily, 69-53. Ohio beat Kent State 85-70 last week in the Flashes’ first game back from COVID.

Two other BG starters are freshmen: 5-6 freshman guard Nyla Hampton, who averages 3.7 assists per game, and 5-10 guard Kenzie Lewis, who averages 4.6 points and 6 rebounds.

The other starters are 5-9 junior guard Kadie Hempfling, who has started 78 of 79 games in her three years at BG, and Elissa Brett, a 5-10 sophomore guard who scored 21 points against Ohio.

Bowling Green allows the fewest points per game in the MAC (61.8) and leads the league in steals (11.7 a game) and turnover margin (+6.5).

Ohio’s five-guard starting lineup will make for an interesting matchup against Kent State starters Nila Blackford, a 6-2 sophomore post averaging a double-double; 6-2 junior Lindsey Thall, who leads the MAC in blocked shots, and 5-11 sophomore guard Katie Shumate, who scored 17 points after halftime Monday.

The Flashes also start 5-8 sophomore guard Clare Kelly, who scored 27 against Toledo, and 5-1 junior guard Mariah Modkins, who averages 8.3 points and 2.9 assists.

MAC Standings

Through games of Monday, Feb. 8.

	MAC W-L	Pct.	MAC Home	MAC Away	All  games
Kent St	6-1	.857	4-0	2-1	7-3
BGSU	10-3	.769	6-1	4-2	14-4
Buffalo	7-3	.700	4-1	3-2	10-5
NIU	8-3	.727	4-2	4-1	10-6
CMU	9-4	.692	4-3	6-1	11-6
Ohio	8-5	.615	4-2	4-3	10-6
EMU	6-4	.600	2-3	4-1	9-6
Ball St	7-5	.583	2-4	5-1	9-5
Toledo	4-8	.333	3-3	1-5	8-8
Akron	2-10	.166	1-4	1-6	5-9
WMU	1-11	.083	1-4	0-7	2-12
Miami	1-12	.076	1-5	0-6	2-14