The Kent State women’s basketball team will open the Women’s National Invitation Tournament at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Youngstown State.
The game will be the first of a doubleheader at YSU. The Penguin men will play Murray State in The Basketball Classic, another postseason tournament, at 8 p.m.
Reserved tickets are $15, and general admission tickets are $10. The game is at YSU’s Beeghly Center. Here’s link to information on how to get there, parking and facility regulations.
Youngstown State tied for first in the Horizon League with a 24-6 overall record. Kent State (18-11) tied for sixth in the Mid-American Conference with a 10-10 record, but the Flashes missed the league tournament on tiebreakers.
Kent State women practiced last week, hoping to get a chance to play again in the WNIT. Game preview with quotes for KSU coach Todd Starkey.
It will be Kent State’s fifth appearance in the WNIT and its sixth game. In 2019, the Flashes beat Green Bay 64-59 for its first-ever WNIT win, then lost to Butler in the second round.
Youngstown State will be playing its fifth WNIT game. The Penguins are 1-3 in tournament appearances.
Kent State and YSU have played each other 45 times but haven’t met since 2019. The Flashes lead in the series 31-14, are 10-8 at YSU, and won there 82-73 in overtime in November 2019. Kent State has won its last four games against the Penguins, all coming since Todd Starkey became the KSU coach in 2016.
Youngstown State’s 2021-22 season was one of the best in school history. Its 24 wins are tied for the second-most in school history and its conference co-championship was YSU’s first since 1999. The Penguins were ranked 24th in the most recent Mid-Major Top 25 and have a WNET rating of 146. The WNET is the NCAA’s statistical ranking system, which takes into account a team’s record, its schedule strength and its offense and defense (based on points per possession). Kent State’s WNET rating is 102, fueled heavily by its 8-1 non-conference record.
Youngstown State is led by 6-1 senior forward Lilly Ritz, who was a first-team all-Horizon pick after averaging 17.0 points and 9.7 rebounds a game. She was a transfer from Wheeling, where she led Division II in rebounding for two years and ranked second in the country in scoring her junior year. Redshirt senior guard Chelsea Olson was a second-team all-Horizon selection, averaging 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.
The winner of the Kent-YSU game will play the winner of Friday’s WNIT game between Houston Baptist and MAC regular-season champion Toledo. That game is at Toledo, which is likely to host the second-round game if it wins.
KENT STATE TEAM WEBSITE, including links to roster, schedule, statistics and more.
YOUNGSTOWN STATE WEBSITE, including links.