Katie Shumate scored 18 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had five assists to lead KSU over Buffalo. (File photo from Kent State Athletics.)
Kent State made nine 3-point baskets in the first half and went on to beat the Bulls 73-64 in its Mid-American Conference opener on Wednesday.
Buffalo went 0-for-6 on 3-pointers and managed only 20 points in the half. A big fourth quarter by the Bulls wasn’t nearly enough to catch the Flashes.
“I thought we played a really good first half, especially defensively,” coach Todd Starkey said. “I’m pleased with how we shot the ball in the half. It’s always nice to open conference play with a road win, especially up here in Buffalo.”
Until last season, Kent State hadn’t won a game in Buffalo since 2011.
Kent State is now 7-4 this season; Buffalo is 6-5.
What Flashes need to do to win the MAC: a pre-Buffalo look at the team.
The Flashes led 41-20 after the half, then weathered runs by Buffalo in the third and fourth quarter. The nine-point final margin was as close as the Bulls could get. Kent State led for all but 17 seconds of the game.
Two players who hadn’t had great non-conference seasons led KSU.
Katie Shumate, a preseason all-MAC choice by league coaches, scored fewer than 10 points in four non-conference games. But Wednesday she had 18 points, including three 3-pointers, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Junior Bridget Dunn, who had averaged 7.2 points per game in non-conference play, posted her first double-double at Kent State with 14 points and 10 rebounds. She made a career-high four 3-point baskets in eight attempts.
Jenna Batsch scored 11 points and had three assists. Corynne Hauser had 10 points and seven assists. Overall the Flashes had 18 assists on their 25 baskets.
Freshman forward Janae Tyler had nine points and six rebounds. Grad student Abby Ogle had three steals as KSU led Buffalo 16-11 in turnovers caused.
NEXT: Saturday’s home opener with Ohio. It’s at 1 p.m. at the M.A.C. Center and is on ESPN+. Ohio (4-7) beat Akron (5-6) 67-58 at home on Wednesday.
An earlier version of this story said the Ohio game was the first of a doubleheader with the men. That is wrong. The men play at Eastern Michigan at 3:30 p.m., also on ESPN+. Apologies for the error.