Kent State’s 82-61 victory at Northern Illinois on Wednesday was big — 22 points.

Its 64-38 victory over Western Michigan Saturday was bigger — 26 points.

Together, the games were the first time since 2002 that the Flashes had beaten two Mid-American Conference teams in a row by more than 20 points.

Western’s 38 points were the fewest allowed by Kent State since a 46-31 defensive battle against Robert Morris in 2017. They were the fewest allowed by Kent State against a MAC team since a 78-33 romp over Buffalo in 2005.

Kent State is now 5-3 in the MAC (13-6 overall) and tied for fourth place with Akron, which is 14-5. The Zips beat Buffalo 69-47 Saturday.

Kent State and Akron play in Akron on Wednesday.

KSU took a 22-12 lead in the first quarter and never allowed more than 13 points in a quarter. The Flashes allowed only five points in the third period.

Kent held Western Michigan to one 3-point basket in 17 attempts. Overall, the Broncos shot only 27.3% in the game. That’s the lowest KSU has allowed this year against a Division I team. Northern Illinois made 29% of its shots against Kent State on Wednesday.

The two defensive performances moved Kent State into the top rank in MAC staistics.

• Against MAC opponents, KSU is allowing 62.4 points a game, lowest in the MAC. In all games, it’s 60.5, also best in the league.
• League opponents are making only 26.3% of their 3-point attempts, the lowest in the league. In all games, it’s 30.5%, which ranks sixth.
• Overall shooting percentage against the Flashes by MAC teams is 40.5%, second to Akron. All opponents average 37.7%.

Lindsey Thall and Clare Kelly led Kent State with 12 points each. Hannah Young had 10. Freshman Tatiana Thomas had eight points and five rebounds in 13 minutes of play.

Katie Shumate led KSU in rebounding with 10 as the Flashes outrebounded 48-29. Thall and Kelly each had five assists and Corynne Hauser four, leading the Flashes to a total of 19.

Both the rebounding margin and total assists are season-highs against a Division I team.

Every KSU player in uniform got in the game and 11 scored. Eleven players played more than nine minutes; No one played more than 26.

Western is 4-4 and sixth in the MAC and 9-10 overall. The Broncos were without guard Lauren Ross, who was leading the league in scoring before she suffered a season-ending knee injury last Saturday.

Box score

MAC standings

There are no quotes in the story because I missed the game because of a family emergency, since resolved. When KSU puts the postgame press conference online, I’ll add a separate story.

After falling behind 21-10 against Bowling Green last Saturday, Kent State coach Todd Starkey wanted a much better start against Northern Illinois.

His Flashes delivered in a big way. In the first quarter, KSU made 6-of-7 three-point attempts and 10-of-15 field-goal attempts and raced to a 27-13 lead. Kent State didn’t stop until it had beaten the Huskies 82-61.

The score was the team’s biggest margin of victory in a road game this season and the second biggest of the year against a Division I team. The win moves Kent State into a tie with Akron and Western Michigan for fourth place in the Mid-American Conference. KSU is 4-3 in the league and 12-6 overall.

Ball State and Bowling Green are tied for first at 6-1; Toledo is third at 5-2.

“We wanted to make sure that we were the aggressor from start to finish,” Starkey said. “In our losses to Miami and Bowling Green, we played way too passive on the offensive end to start the game.”

It was a matter of “playing with more intention — put pressure on the other team to defend you without fouling,” the coach said.

Kent State made a season-high 54.9% of its shots and equaled its season-high on 3-pointers at 45.8%

The Flashes’ defense was just as intense as its offense.

Northern Illinois made fewer than 30% of its field-goal and 3-point attempts.

“We’ve executed our defensive game plan well for three games in a row,” Starkey said.

The key to the defense, the coach said, was making things difficult for NIU’s two all-MAC players — center A’Jah Davis and guard Chelby Koker. Davis leads the league in rebounding and is eighth in scoring; Koker is seventh in scoring.

“We wanted to crowd them both — to really make their touches difficult,” Starkey said. “Our guards were key to that.”

Starkey singled out KSU point guard Casey Santoro for her coverage of Koker, who scored 21 points but made only 5-of-14 shots. Davis made just 5-of-13 shots.

Kent State graduate student Lindsey Thall played one of the best games of her career. She had 28 points, the most for a Kent State player this season and the third most of her five-year career. She made 9-of-13 shots and 5-of-9 three-pointers, along with having two assists.

“She did a good job of screening tonight, and that got her more open,” Starkey said. “On the other side of those screens, (guards Casey Santoro, Corynne Hauser and Clare Kelly) were able to start getting downhill. (NIU) had to help off of Lindsay, or it would’ve been a layup.

“The guards did a good job of finding (Thall) behind them. Lindsey was prepared before the ball got to her hands and shot with confidence.”

Kelly’s 13 points and three 3-pointers marked her third-straight game in double figures and multiple 3-point baskets.

“She’s letting the game come to her a little bit more,” Starkey said. “Earlier in the year she was forcing things sometimes, trying to be aggressive. But just the quality of the shots wasn’t as good. Now she’s letting the game come to her a little bit better, and it’s paying off.”

Santoro had 13 points to go with four assists, two steals and 6-of-6 foul shooting. She led Kent State with eight rebounds, even though she’s the shortest player on the team at 5-foot-4.

Hauser had 12 points, her fifth straight game in double figures. She is now averaging 10.2 points per game, second on the team.

Two post players go down to knee injuries

NIU’s Davis and Kent State’s Bridget Dunn both had to leave the game with knee injuries.

Dunn, a 6-3 sophomore, lay on the floor for several minutes after she fell while battling Davis for a rebound. She was taken to the locker room and later returned to the bench with an ice pack one her knee and her leg rapped in celephane.

Dunn leads KSU in rebounding. She and Thall are the only true post players on the KSU roster, though they don’t usually play at the the same.

NIU’s Davis, who is eighth in Division I in rebounding, went down late in the third quarter. She also returned to the bench with ice on her knee.

Both teams won’t know their player’s status going ahead until medical tests over the next few days.

Points in the paint

Kent State outscored its opponent in the paint for the first time in eight Division I games. The Flashes had 28, NIU 24.

Box score

Next: Western Michigan on Saturday

The Flashes will host WMU at 2 p.m. Saturday at the M.A.C. Center. Like Kent, Western is 4-3 in the MAC (9-9 overall). The Broncos lost 62-51 at home to Eastern Michigan on Wednesday.

Wednesday MAC scores

MAC standings

To coach Todd Starkey, there’s a simple reason for Kent State’s 66-57 loss to Bowling Green Saturday:

“I don’t think it’s a complicated storyline,” he said. “In my coaching career in 25 years, I’ve never seen more of a lid on a rim. We missed shot after shot after shot. We missed 3s, we missed layups at the basket. And then when we got to the free throw line, we missed there as well.”

Kent State didn’t make a basket for the first six minutes of the game. The Flashes committed seven turnovers and missed their first seven shots. It was 11-1 after six minuytes and 24-10 after the first quarter.

KSU made just 31% of its shots and 25% of its 3-point attempts for the first three quarters.

“It wasn’t because they were going on big scoring runs,” Starkey. “They were scoring periodically, they hit a couple of big shots. But we had opportunities to answer. We didn’t make shots.”

Kent Stete missed 8-of-18 free throws for the game; the Flashes had missed just 9-of-56 free throws in its previous four games combined. On Wednesday, Kent State had made 52% of its shots and 49% of its 3-pointers against Eastern Michigan.

Bowling Green is 5-1 in the Mid-American Conference (16-2 overall) and is tied for first place with Ball State (15-4 overall). BG has won all nine of its home games.

Kent State is 3-3 in the MAC (11-6 overall) and tied with Buffalo for sixth place. Toledo, Akron and Western Michigan are tied for third at 4-2.

Starkey acknowledged that BG played good defense.

“They sped us up on a number of shots, but when we got good looks, we didn’t knock them down,” the coach said. “There was a time in the third quarter where we had to have missed six or seven almost uncontested layups. It was kind of comical. At that point, you just kind of throw your hands up and say, ‘What are you gonna do?'”

Kent State’s own defense played well. BG’s 66 points were the second-fewest it has scored this season (the fewest was 61 against No. 6 Indiana). 66 was also 17 points below its league-leading average. Kent State’s 57 points were the third-fewest scored by a Bowling Green opponent.

Freshman Tatiana Thomas’s best game

The Flashes got a defensive boost from Tatiana Thomas, a 5-10 freshman from Bolingbrook, Illinois. Playing in just her fifth game of the season, Thomas took three offensive charges, scored four points and grabbed five rebounds (second high for KSU). Thomas’s 11 minutes of playing time were her most against a Division I team.

“We got a really nice spark from Tatiana,” Starkey said. “She’s a talented player and still trying to find her way. So it was really nice to see her come off the bench and do some nice things, especially defensively, for us.”

Thomas got some of her playing time because starting guards Katie Shumate and Hannah Young both got into foul trouble in the first half. Young and Shumate are KSU’s second- and third-ranking rebounders. Thomas outrebounded them both.

Beating the turnover queens

Bowling Green leads Division I with a plus-9.9 turnover margin. Saturday the Falcons committed 20 while KSU into 19. It was the first time this season BG had committed more turnovers than its opponents.

Kent State had seven turnovers in the first six minutes and 10 in the first quarter, but committed only nine from the second quarter on. KSU had two turnovers in the second quarter and one in the third.

“We really wanted to limit live ball turnovers that led to baskets, which is one of their staples,” Starkey said. “We did a much better job of taking care of the ball after the first quarter.”

All-time, Bowling Green is 31-13 against Kent State at home and 60-37 overall.

“It’s a tough place to win.” Starkey said. “If you win at Bowling Green, you’re stealing one. And we couldn’t steal one today because we didn’t shoot the ball well.”

Running the numbers

• Lindsey Thall led Kent State with 15 points, though she struggled with fouls and played only 25 minutes. Corynne Hauser had 13 points and Clare Kelly 10.
• Bowling Green had two players with double-doubles: forward Jocelyn Tate with 14 points and 11 rebounds and guard Elissa Brett with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
• BG outrebounded Kent 41-34. Sophomore forward Bridget Dunn led KSU with seven. She also blocked three shots, tying a career-high.
• The Falcons made 43.4% of their shots, about three points below their average and their lowest percentage at home this season. Their 3-point percentage was 33.3, also 3 points below average.

Box score

Next: At Northern Illinois on Wednesday

Kent State makes its longest conference road trip (430 miles) to play the Huskies (2-4 MAC, 10-7 overall). The game is at 7 p.m. Kent time, 6 p.m. in DeKalb. NIU lost to Eastern Michigan (2-4, 10-7) 66-61 in overtime at Eastern on Saturday. Wednesday’s game will be on ESPN+ or ESPN3, but that hasn’t been posted yet.

Other MAC scores

• Toledo (4-2 MAC, 13-4 overall) 76, Akron (4-2, 13-4) 63 at Toledo.
• Ball State (5-1, 15-4) 71, Central Michigan (1-5, 3-14) 62 at Ball State.
• Western Michigan (4-2, 9-8) 68, Buffalo (3-3, 8-7) 56 at Buffalo.
• Ohio (1-5, 3-14) 84, Miami (2-4, 7-12) 73 in overtime at Miami.

MAC standings

MAC statistics

Corynne Hauser is coming into her own as a scorer for the Kent State women’s basketball team.

She led four Flashes in double figures with 17 points Wednesday as KSU beat Eastern Michigan 79-66. Hauser, a freshman guard from Rochester, Pennsylvania, had scored 18 points against Toledo Saturday and 23 against Miami last Wednesday. She’s moved into third place on the team with a scoring average of 9.9 points per game. Lindsey Thall leads the Flashes at 10.9.

The victory gives Kent State a 3-2 record in the Mid-American Conference and an 11-5 record overall. The Flashes are tied with Toledo, Buffalo and Western Michigan for fourth place in the conference. Bowling Green, Akron and Ball State are tied for first at 4-1.

Hauser scored seven of Kent State’s first nine points as the Flashes built a 24-13 first-quarter lead.

“I was just coming out trying to be aggressive,” Hauser said. “We wanted to play quick — the way we have been in the past few games. So I was pretty much just taking what the defense gave me. They were sagging off a little bit, and I was able to get open.”

“Corynne got us off into a great rhythm offensively,” Starkey said. “They had to make some adjustments and really pay more attention to her, which really led to our balance in scoring.” 

Hauser had six assists and leads the team with 3.1 per game.

“When when you have a play maker like Corynne, it opens other people up,” Starkey said. ” One of the things that makes her so dangerous is you can’t help too much off her because she’s able to find other players. Corynne could have probably gone for 25 points tonight. But then we don’t have the balanced scoring that we had.”

Senior Clare Kelly had 14 points off the bench for the Flashes. Senior Katie Shumate had 11 and graduate student Hannah Young had 10. Junior Casey Santoro and sophomore Bridget Dunn each had nine, and grad student Lindsey Thall scored seven.

Kent State’s 79 points were the most the Flashes have scored against a Division I team this season. Its 51.9% shooting percentage and its 45.8% 3-point shooting were also their best against a D1 opponent. Kent State made 71% of its shots in the first quarter. For the first three quarters, KSU made 59% of its 3-pointers.

Eastern Michigan came into the game leading the MAC in rebounding, but the Flashes outrebounded the Eagles 29-28 and held them to three second-chance points. Santoro, the smallest player on the floor at 5-4, led KSU in rebounding with five. Hauser, Shumate, Young and Dunn all had four. Only Dunn is a post player.

“We have a term with our guards on rebounding: ‘They have to join the party.’ They can’t leave it up to the post players to do all the work. We talked about how we had to gang rebound — get all five involved. To outrebound that team was a tall task, and we were able to do that.”

Box score

Wednesday MAC scores

MAC standings

NEXT FOR KENT STATE: At Bowling Green (4-1 MAC, 15-2 overall) at 1 p.m. Saturday on ESPN3.

In order to get to bed at a decent hour, I’m going to stop here and write a follow-up story tomorrow.

Going into Saturday, Kent State was ranked 13th in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25. Toledo was ranked ninth.

Two minutes into the third period, the teams were tied at 38-38.

But that was the end of a close game.

Toledo outscored Kent State 22-6 for the rest of the quarter, and while the Flashes closed the gap somewhat in the fourth period, the Rockets came away with a 77-68 victory.

With the win, Toledo is in a five-way tie for first place in the Mid-American Conference at 3-1. Kent State is 2-2 and is in a three-way tie for sixth. Overall, the Flashes are 10-5 and have lost two games in a row. Toledo overall is 12-3.

Three factors made the difference Saturday:

• Toledo senior guard Quinesha Lockett, a first-team all-MAC player last season, played like a conference MVP. She made 13-of-17 shots, 4-of-7 three-pointers and 6-of-6 foul shots for 36 points — the most any MAC player has scored this season. Thirteen of those points came during the third-quarter run that put the game out of reach.
• Kent State’s tallest players — 6-2 senior Lindsey Thall and 6-3 Bridget Dunn — were in foul trouble most of the game and were never a factor.
• Toledo put the ball in the basket far better than Kent State did. The Rockets made 50.9% of their shots — 13 points better than Kent’s average opponent has done this season — and 50% of their 3-pointers —18 points better than KSU has allowed.

“I’ve seen a lot of film of Locket and played against her in person over the last few years,” coach Todd Starkey said. “I haven’t seen her play to that level. She was just kind of in the zone and, and we had nothing to be able to say about it.”

KSU freshman Corynne Hauser was one of the players who tried to stop Lockett.

“She a tough player,” Hauser said. “I don’t think she had really too many easy looks. She knocked down tough, contested shots.”

Toledo coach Tricia Cullop said the Rockets “really needed” Lockett in this game.

“We all know what she’s capable of doing,” Cullop said. “She could probably do that more often, but she’s got a balanced team around her. But tonight it was great to see her be so aggressive, not only driving to the basket but from the three-point line and in transition. She did a marvelous job.”

Thall picked up her second foul with 15 seconds to go in the first quarter, then Dunn was called for her second foul two minutes into the second period.

Reserves Jenna Batsch and Annie Pavlansky, who usually don’t play more than 10 minutes a game, each hit a 3-point shot and a 2-point basket to earn the Flashes a 32-32 tie at halftime.

But the fouls took a toll.

“It changed our game plan 100%,” Starkey said. “When you don’t have your two best post players available, it changes the way we play offense. It changes some of the things we do defensively.”

Thall and Dunn scored a combined two points and got a combined two rebounds in the first half. Thall picked up her third four two minutes into the second half; Dunn got her third three minutes later.

In the second half, Toledo started its tallest and bulkiest player — 6-2 sophomore Jessica Cook. The Rockets went to her for three baskets, two of which led to 3-point play.

“They came out in the third quarter and said, ‘We’re gonna pound it inside and see if we can get them in foul trouble,'” Starkey said. “That was the right game plan when they had our two best post players in trouble.”

Thall finished with 12 points, six in the fourth quarter, and no rebounds in 12 minutes. Dunn didn’t score and had three rebounds in 17 minutes.

Hauser led Kent State with 18 points after setting a career-high of 23 in Wednesday’s loss at Miami. She made 6-of-10 shots.

“I”m being more aggressive,” Hauser said. “I’m finding pretty good looks in our offense coming off screens. But it’s not just about scoring. If my look’s there, I’ll take it. But if I could get somebody else’s look, too, it goes a long way.”

Hauser has 44 assists on the season, 19 more than anyone else on the roster.

“She’s just playing the way she’s capable of playing,” Starkey said. “We want her to be aggressive like that. I think she passed up a few other shots that she should have taken today, to be honest with you.”

Starkey thought his team played much better than in their 84-76 overtime loss to Miami on Wednesday.

“I think we played with a lot more focus and intensity,” the coach said. “The thing that’s frustrating is that if we play as hard as we did today, we win the game on Wednesday. Then you come into this game, and you’re like, ‘It’s the best team in the league. They’re going to be tough to beat.’ So we could be 3-1 in the league. But now we’re 2-2.”

Running the numbers

• Kent State made 39.3% of its shots. It’s made more than 40% only three times against Division I teams.
• The Flashes made 13-of-16 free throws and have made 45-of-52 over their last three games.
• KSU scored 14 points off of 13 Toledo turnovers. The Rockets scored five off of 12 Kent turnovers.
• Toledo outrebounded the Flashes 35-32.

Box score

Next: Home Wednesday against Eastern Michigan

The Flashes host Eastern Michigan at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the M.A.C. Center. Eastern is 1-3 and lost to Buffalo 78-59 at Buffalo on Saturday.

Other MAC scores

• Bowling Green (3-1 MAC, 14-2 overall) 71, Akron (3-1, 12-3) 66 at Akron. BG outscored the Zips 31-13 in the fourth quarter.
• Ball State (3-1. 13-4) 92, Miami (1-3, 6-11) 61 at Ball State.
• Western Michigan (7-8, 2-2) 71, Central Michigan (1-3, 3-12) 60 at Central.
• Northern Illinois (2-2. 10-5) 78, Ohio (0-4, 2-13) 66 at Northern.

MAC standings

With two minutes to go in the third quarter, Kent State held a 48-38 lead over Miami.

But the last 17 minutes of the game — including overtime — belonged to the Redhawks as Kent State lost its first Mid-American Conference game of the year, 84-76. The Flashes are 2-1 in the MAC and 10-4 overall. Miami is 1-2 and 6-10.

KSU is tied with Toledo, Ball State, Bowling Green, and Buffalo for second place in the league. Akron is the MAC’s only undefeated team at 3-0.

“We played really poorly” during the last 17 minutes, coach Todd Starkey said. “I thought we got out-toughed and outhustled, which was really disappointing.

“We had control of the game two or three different times, and we let them back in the game. You let a team like that — at their place — hang around and hang around, and then all of a sudden you blink, and you’re playing from behind hoping to get into overtime.”

Miami took a 68-66 lead — its first since halfway through the first quarter — with 21 seconds to go. KSU’s Hannah Young tied it with two free throws seven seconds later. Miami advanced the ball to its front court but didn’t get a shot off.

Two of Miami’s top three scorers fouled out late in the game, but the Flashes couldn’t take advantage.

Kent State never led in overtime. The score was 77-74 with 1:33 to go, but the Redhawks made seven free throws in the final minute-and-a-half while Kent State missed five 3-point attempts.

“We had way too many errors on offense in overtime and gave up three or four offensive rebounds,” Starkey said.

Kent State got most of its points from three guards, two of whom aren’t usually big scorers.

Freshman Corynne Hauser had 23 points and five assists, both career highs.

Graduate student Hannah Young had career highs in points (20) and steals (5) and led the Flashes in rebounding with seven. She had been averaging 6.4 points going into the game. Young played her 125th game in a KSU uniform, breaking the record set by current assistant coach Alexa Golden. It’s a record that could last a long time. Because of special COVID rules, Young should finish after five full seasons instead of the four for players during normal times.

Freshman Dionna Gray scored 14 points, another career-high. She played 38 minutes, the most of KSU’s three point guards. Gray had been averaging five points a game.

“The three of them kept us in the game,” Starkey said.

But Kent State’s usually scorers provided little punch. Leading scorer Lindsey Thall was 1-of-9 from the field and 0-of-4 on 3-point attempts and had four rebounds. Second-leading scorer Katie Shumate had one basket and one rebound. Third-leading scorer Casey Santoro didn’t score.

“We needed more productivity from them,” Starkey said.

Running the numbers

• The Flashes made 7-of-10 three-point baskets in the first half on their way to a 36-28 lead. But they were 1-of-10 in the second half and 0-for-5 in overtime on 3s.
• Miami made 46.5 of its shots, including 4-of-5 in overtime. The Redhawks were 8-of-13 on 3-points for 44.4%. Both percentages were much better than Kent’s average opponent. Kent State shot 38.5% from the floor and 40.9% from 3-point distance.
• Kent State made 25-of-28 free throws and after shooting just two foul shots in the first half. Miami made 22-of-30 free throws.
• For the fourth straight game, Kent State was badly outscored in the paint. Miami had 32 points to KSU’s 16. Ohio had outscored KSU in the paint 30-20 on Wednesday, Buffalo 44-28 last Saturday and Coppin State 30-18 on New Year’s Eve.
• Miami outrebounded the Flashes 38-34 and outscored KSU 15-11 on second-chance points.
• Miami forward Sierra Morrow blocked six Kent State shots.

Box score

Next: Home on Saturday against 11-3 Toledo,

Kent State plays the Rockets at 2 p.m. Saturday at the M.A.C. Center. Toledo won the conference with a 19-1 record last season and was the pre-season favorite this year. The Rockets are 2-1 in the MAC, losing 67-66 at Northern Illinois, and are 11-3 overall. Toledo beat Ball State (2-1 MAC, 12-4 overall) 83-76 on Wednesday.

Other MAC scores

• Akron (3-0 MAC, 12-2 overall) 60, Eastern Michigan (1-2, 9-5) 43 at Eastern.
• Bowling Green (2-1, 13-2) 101, Central Michigan (1-2, 3-11) 68 at BG.
• Western Michigan (1-2, 6-8) 79, Northern Illinois (1-2, 9-5) 70 at Western.
• Buffalo (2-1, 7-5) 69, Ohio (0-3, 2-12) 64 at Ohio.

MAC standings

It’s been 17 years since Kent State beat Ohio University as badly as it did on Saturday.

Back then, Kent State was in the midst of the best years in program history. The Flashes finished first or second in the MAC or Eastern Division for 12 straight years. The score then was 93-74 in the first round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament.

On Saturday, the score was 60-44. The victory was:

• The fifth in a row for Kent State.
• The second win in a row to start the MAC season.
• The fewest points KSU had allowed a Division I team this year.

Kent State’s record is 10-3 and 2-0 in the MAC. The Flashes are tied for first place with Ball State and Akron.

Ohio is 2-11 and 0-2 in the league. The Bobcats are off to their worst start since 1975-76, Ohio’s first year of varsity basketball. That year they also started 2-11 and finished 3-12.

Ohio had been in the top echelon of the MAC for the last 10 years before all-MAC guards Cece Hooks and Erica Johnson, along with three-year starter Gabby Burris, graduated last spring. The Bobcats have only one player who started more than six games last season.

Kent State’s defense powered its Saturday victory. Ohio’s 44 points were the fewest it has scored this season.

The Flashes held OU to 29% shooting — lowest by a Division I opponent — and just 1-of-21 on 3-point shots.

“We needed to answer what we thought was a poor defensive effort against Buffalo,” coach Todd Starkey said. “Today, I thought we did a really good job of staying connected to contain dribble penetration but also did a good job of closing on shooters and contesting.

“The girls did a really good job of taking in the scouting report and knowing personnel, so we know who to really contest up on and who we needed to play off of a little bit.

“Probably 30% of the 3s they took were good looks for them. The rest, we did a good job of contesting.”

OU sophomore guard Yaya Felder came into Saturday ranked second in the MAC with a 19.8 point-per-game average. She picked up three first-half fourls and scored six points.

For Kent, only 6-3 sophomore Bridget Dunn scored in double figures with 14, her best total of the season. Dunn also had nine rebounds in just 17 minutes.

“Bridget’s playing very efficient basketball,” Starkey said. “She’s taking advantage of the touches that she’s getting and rebounding the ball really well.”

Though she’s averaging fewer minutes than last season, Dunn’s rebounding is up about a one-and-a-half per game. After leading rebounder Nila Blackford transferred in the off-season, KSU coaches emphasized that Dunn needed to step up.

“She’s really made the adjustment well,” Starkey said.

Senior guard Clare Kelly hit three 3-point shots for the second game in a row and finished with nine points. Her 29 minutes were more than any of KSU’s starters.

“We just have talent in our cup,” Starkey said. “In Bridget and Clare, you’ve got two players coming off the bench who are talented enough to start on a lot of teams.”

Senior Katie Shumate also had nine points and led the Flashes in rebounding with 11.

“She’s really put a great deal of effort into the glass and had a few huge rebounds for us down the stretch,” Starkey said. “I’m really pleased with how hard she’s playing right now and her level of consistency.”

Running the numbers

• Starkey talks about the important of transition offense and defense almost every game. On Saturday, KSU had 20 fast-break points to Ohio’s five.
• The Flashes outrebounded Ohio 43-32.
• Kent made 48% of its shots through the first three quarters but hit only 3-of-16 in the fourth. Its overall shooting percentage was 39.7.
• KSU had 14 assists, led by three from Kelly, Lindsey Thall and Abby Ogle. It was the seventh-straight game the Flashes have had at least 13 assists.

Box score

Next: Wednesday at Miami

KSU travels to Miami for a 7 p.m. game Wednesday. Miami (5-10 and 0-2 in the MAC) lost to Akron (10-2, 2-0) on Saturday.

Other MAC scores

• Northern Illinois (9-4, 1-1 MAC) 67, Toledo (10-3, 1-1) 66 at Northern. NIU came from 17 points behind in the fourth quarter.
• Bowling Green (12-2, 1-1) 79, Eastern Michigan (9-4, 1-1) 63 at BG.
• Ball State ((12-3, 2-0) 76, Western Michigan (5-8, 0-2) 70 at Western.
• Buffalo (6-5, 1-1) 70, Central Michigan (3-10, 1-1) 63 at Buffalo.