After a nine-day layoff because of COVID-19 rescheduling, the Kent State women return to the court Wednesday at Northern Illinois.
The game has an unusual 11 a.m. (noon Kent time) start and will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Golden Flashes Radio Network. You can see statistics during the game on the NIU website.
Kent State is 2-5 in the Mid-American Conference, with all losses coming by less than 10 points and three of them coming by fewer than five points. The Flashes are 10-6 overall.
NIU is 3-4 in the MAC and 4-9 overall. The Huskies, trying to make up for early season postponements, have played three games since KSU lost at Buffalo 65-62 on Jan. 11. NIU’s three games came in five days as it lost at Miami last Wednesday, beat Eastern Michigan on the road Saturday and beat Akron at home Monday.
Kent State, Central Michigan and Toledo are the only three teams in the league who played a full schedule for the first four weeks of the season. Other teams had at least one — and as many as four — games postponed by COVID.
The Flashes ended up with different opponents than were on their original schedule four times. The Mid-American Conference rearranged games — sometimes on less than 48 hours notice — to keep teams that were healthy playing.
Northern Illinois guard Chelby Koker, a 5-6 junior, is averaging 18.1 points a game (sixth in the MAC), leads the league (and is eighth in the country) in free-throw percentage at .921 and is third in the MAC in assists per game (4.5). She scored her 1,000th point in Saturday’s win over Akron.
NIU junior forward A’Jah Davis leads the MAC in rebounding at 11.9 a game and in field-goal percentage at .516. She averages 15.6 points a game. Redshirt senior guard Janae Poisson makes 3.2 three-point baskets per game, the most in the conference.
Both Northern and Kent State average about 70 points a game for the season. NIU averages about the same in MAC play, but Kent State averages only 62.1 in conference games only. The Huskies give up an average of 71.4 points in league games; Kent allows 61.4.
The teams rank first and second in the league in rebounding margin; KSU is first in all games, NIU first in MAC games only. Kent State has outrebounded every team it has played this season except for Ohio, which it tied.
KSU junior forward Nila Blackford averages 9.3 rebounds per game, which ranks third in the MAC.
In MAC play, Kent State’s leading scorer is freshman forward Bridget Dunn, who averages 13.6 points per game. In all games, the team’s leading scorer is senior Lindsey Thall at 12.8 points per game. Dunn started four games in place of Thall when the senior was recovering from COVID earlier this month.
Dunn, Thall, sophomore guard Casey Santoro and junior guard Katie Shumate all average in double figures in MAC play.
MAC standings
| MAC W-L | GB | Pct. | Home | Away | Streak | Overall W-L | Pct. | RPI | |
| Toledo | 8-0 | — | 1.000 | 4-0 | 4-0 | W8 | 14-3 | .824 | 57 |
| WMU | 4-1 | 2.5 | .800 | 1-0 | 3-1 | W2 | 10-4 | .714 | 134 |
| Buffalo | 5-2 | 2.5 | .714 | 3-0 | 2-2 | L2 | 11-6 | .647 | 66 |
| Ohio | 4-2 | 3 | .667 | 3-1 | 1-1 | W2 | 10-5 | .667 | 99 |
| Akron | 4-3 | 3.5 | .571 | 2-0 | 2-3 | L1 | 7-6 | .571 | 171 |
| BG | 3-3 | 4 | .500 | 2-1 | 1-2 | W1 | 8-7 | .533 | 127 |
| Ball St. | 4-4 | 4 | .500 | 2-2 | 2-2 | W2 | 11-7 | .611 | 143 |
| NIU | 3-4 | 4.5 | .428 | 1-2 | 2-2 | W2 | 6-9 | .300 | 212 |
| Miami | 2-4 | 5 | .333 | 2-3 | 0-1 | L2 | 6-9 | .400 | 180 |
| KSU | 2-5 | 5.5 | .286 | 1-2 | 1-3 | L1 | 10-6 | .625 | 91 |
| EMU | 1-6 | 6.5 | .143 | 1-4 | 0-2 | L5 | 4-10 | .286 | 251 |
| CMU | 1-7 | 7 | .125 | 1-2 | 0-5 | L6 | 3-14 | .176 | 284 |
The WNET is the NCAA’s statistical ranking system. It emphasizes beating higher ranking teams, rewards teams for winning on the road and takes into account offensive and defensive efficiency. That’s measured as points scored and allowed per possession. It’s one of a several factors used in selecting and seeding teams for the NCAA Tournament.
Notes on the MAC
TOLEDO has beaten MAC opponents by an average of 12.3 points and beat Buffalo, then the league’s only other undefeated team, 75-66 on Saturday.
WESTERN MICHIGAN has lost only at Toledo 76-67 and allows just 56.4 points a game, best in the MAC. But it hasn’t played another team in the top six in the league.
BUFFALO has lost at Ohio 68-66 last night, so it’s 5-2 after a 5-0 start. The Bulls averaged more than 80 points in its MAC wins but scored only 66 in its two losses.
OHIO‘s win over Buffalo was a big one. The Bobcats were the preseason favorite to win the MAC but had lost at home to Northern Illinois and at Miami, both second-division teams. Ohio plays at first-place Toledo on Wedneday.
AKRON lost its opener to Toledo by six points, then won four in a row over second-division teams. The Zips have lost their last two games, both away, to Buffalo and Northern Illinois.
BOWLING GREEN lost by double digits to Buffalo at home and by double digits to Akron and Ohio at home. The Falcons are playing without their best player, guard Lexi Fleming, who suffered an ACL tear the week before the season opened. Fleming was the MAC freshman of the year last season.
BALL STATE has lost its leading scorer, junior guard Anna Clephane, to a knee injury suffered against Kent State. But the Cardinals have won two in a row over Central Michigan and Miami.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS knocked off Ohio at Ohio in the Bobcats’ first game after a three-game pause for COVID and have won its last two games.
MIAMI lost to Buffalo by just five points in its league opener and beat Ohio 63-60. Three of its four MAC losses have been by less than 10 points.
KENT STATE had the MAC’s best non-conference record (8-1) and beat UCLA and Penn State. But the Flashes are scoring an average of 15 fewer points a game in conference play.
EASTERN MICHIGAN has beatenn only last-place Central Michigan and come within five points of only one other team.
CENTRAL MICHIGAN has won or shared the MAC regular-season championship for five years in a row and has had only one losing season in the last 12 years. But the Chippewas have already lost 14 games and are in last place with only a victory over Northern Illinois. None have their losses have been closer than 10 points. CMU lost three key starters from last year, including 2020 player of the year Micaela Kelly, to graduation.