While eight Mid-American Conference teams battled for the league tournament championship last week, Kent State’s women practiced at the M.A.C. Center, hoping they would get another chance to play.
The Flashes will get that chance Wednesday at Youngstown State in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament. KSU will play the Penguins at 5:30 pm. The game is on ESPN3 and the Golden Flash Radio Network.
The game is at YSU’s Beeghly Center, about a 45-minute drive from Kent. Tickets are $15 for reserved seats and $10 for general admission. You can buy them on YSUsports.com on over the phone at (330) 941-1978. On game day, the Beeghly ticket office will open at 4:30 p.m. If you’re using a GPS, the Beeghly street address is 224 W. Spring St., Youngstown 44555. Here’s parking and other information.
After Kent State beat Ohio in the last game of the regular season on March 5, the Flashes finished in a four-way tie for sixth place in the MAC. But KSU missed the conference tournament due to the league’s complicated tiebreaker rules.
The Flashes received a bid to the WNIT Sunday. Their 18-11 record, boosted by an 8-1 non-conference record, was the fourth-best in the MAC.
“We were crunching the numbers, and it looked like we had a good possibility of getting in,” coach Todd Starkey said in a phone interview on Monday. “So we practiced four times in the last week, took yesterday off, and we were back in the gym today.”
The coach said his team would be ready.
“They seemed to be really excited,” Starkey said. “It’s another opportunity to keep playing.
“Depending on which team shows up, I think we have a great opportunity of making a run in the postseason. We’ve obviously been inconsistent, but when we’re on and playing well, we’re good.”
Kent State started the season 8-1, including wins over UCLA and Penn State. It then lost six of its first eight conference games, won six in a row, and went 2-4 after Feb. 19.
In Youngstown State, the Flashes face a team that is finishing one of the best seasons in school history. The Penguins went 24-6 and tied for first in the Horizon League. They were upset by Oakland 63-52 in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.
“They’re a good team,” Starkey said. “They’ve got really good shooters. They’ve got Lily Ritz, a transfer post player who is a very good player, averaging about 17 points and 10 rebounds. They’ve got Chelsea Olson, an all-conference player in her fifth year. They’ve added transfers from Marshall and from Robert Morris. So it’s an experienced team with a balanced attack. We’ll have to play really well to beat them.”
The matchup
Kent State is 18-11 and tied for sixth in the MAC with a 10-10 record. The Flashes were 6-6 in road games, went 5-5 over their last 10 games and had a NET ranking of 102. (The NET is a ranking system used by the NCAA. Key factors are a team’s record, its strength of schedule and offensive and defensive rankings based on points per possession. Road wins and victories over higher-ranked teams are emphasized.)
Youngstown State‘s record is 24-6. It tied for first in the Horizon League with IUPUI at 18-4. The Penguins had a 7-3 record over their last 10 games, a home record of 14-3 and an NET ranking of 142.
Common opponents: Northern Kentucky, Penn State, Eastern Michigan and Akron. Kent State beat every team but Akron, which it lost to twice. YSU beat every team except Penn State.
Series history: Kent State leads 31-14, including a 10-8 record in Youngstown. The teams last played in 2019, when KSU beat the Penguins 82-73 in overtime. The Flashes have won four games in a row, all under Starkey. Before he arrived, YSU had won two straight.
KEY TEAM STATISTICS
- Points per game: Kent State 68.7, Youngstown State 65.6.
- Opponents’ points per game: Kent State 61.3, YSU 56.9.
- Field-goal percentage: Kent State 41.0, YSU 40.3.
- Opponents field-goal percentage: Kent State 38.9, YSU 37.6.
- 3-point percentage: Kent State 34.5, YSU 31.9.
- 3-point baskets per game: Kent State 8.1, YSU 8.4.
- Opponents 3-point percentage: Kent State 30.9, YSU 29.1.
- Rebounding margin: Kent State +5.8, YSU +4.1.
- Turnover margin: Kent State -0.9, YSU +4.1.
PROBABLE KENT STATE STARTERS
- 5-11 junior guard Katie Shumate: 12.1 points per game, .428 shooting percentage, .358 3-point percentage.
- 6-2 senior forward Lindsey Thall: 11.3 points, .423 shooting percentage, .392 3-point percentage, 5.3 rebounds per game.
- 6-2 forward Nila Blackford: 10.8 points, .467 shooting percentage, 9.0 rebounds.
- 5-10 senior guard Hannah Young: 7.0 points, .475 shooting percentage, .490 3-point percentage, 5.8 rebounds.
- 5-1 senior guard Mariah Modkins: 3.0 points, 1.4 assists.
KEY KSU RESERVES
- 5-4 sophomore guard Casey Santoro: 10.5 points per game, .374 shooting percentage, .388 3-point percentage, 3.0 assists.
- 6-3 freshman Bridget Dunn: 9.4 points per game, .464 shooting percentage, .385 3-point percentage, 3.8 rebounds.
- 5-8 junior guard Clare Kelly: 4.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.0 steals.
PROBABLE YOUNGSTOWN STARTERS
- 6-1 senior forward Lilly Ritz: 17.0 points, .578 shooting percentage, 9.7 rebounds.
- 5-10 redshirt senior guard Chelsea Olson: 11.2 points, .403 shooting percentage, .392 3-point percentage, 4.6 assists, 6.1 rebounds.
- 5-10 junior forward Paige Shy: 8.2 points, .335 shooting percentage, .323 3-point percentage, 4.5 rebounds.
- 5-8 senior guard Megan Callahan: 6.8 points, .315 shooting percentage, .319 3-point percentage.
- 5-5 junior guard Mady Aulbach: 4.0 points, .314 shooting percentage, 2.6 assists.
KEY YOUNGSTOWN RESERVES
- 5-9 sophomore guard Malia Magestro: 10.0 points per game, .356 shooting percentage, .371 3-point percentage.
- 5-10 redshirt sophomore guard Lexi Wagner: 3.9 points per game, .365 shooting percentage, .377 3-point percentage.