MAC play begins Wednesday against Buffalo

Mid-American Conference action tips off for the Kent State women’s basketball team on Wednesday night when Buffalo visits the MAC Center for a 7 p.m. tip-off.

The Golden Flashes (8-3) enter conference play ranked 13thMid-Major Top 25 and on a three-game winning streak. Kent State needed overtime for the first time this season to earn a 72-69 New Year’s Eve victory over Coppin State. The Flashes made all four of their field goal attempts, including a pair from beyond the three-point arc, in overtime. Graduate student Lindsey Thall sank his fourth 3-pointer of the day from the passing score with 40.7 seconds left. Thall had a team-high 15 points as all five starters scored in double figures. Senior Katie Shumate recorded his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Kent State leads the MAC with a 35.6% field goal percentage defensively and allows the third fewest points (59.2 ppg) in the conference. The Flashes are 8-0 when opponents are held to less than 70 points.

A pair of former All-MAC selections at guard Katie Shumate and forward Lindsey Thall have led the way for the Flashes with 12.1 points per game. Thall is Kent State’s all-time leader with 239 triples, which ranks 20th among active NCAA Division I players and 11th among active players in career blocks (182). Guard Hannah Young (5.6 ppg) is pulling down a team-high 5.8 rebounds per game.

The guards Corynne Hauser (8.2 ppg) and Dionna Gray (5.4 ppg) leads a strong bench unit that scores 26.4 points per contest.

Scout buffalo

The Bulls (5-4) have outscored their opponents by an average of 13.3 points per game during their current four-game winning streak. Buffalo has the longest defense in the conference, allowing just 58.2 points per contest. Only two opponents have reached the 60-point mark against the Bulls. Offensively, Buffalo is averaging 60.7 points per game and has scored more points at the free throw line (107) than from behind the three-point arc (99). The Bulls ranked 342nd in the country in three-point field goal attempts per game (12.8).

Guard Jazmine Young (12.7 sv) is the only member of the 12-player roster who was with Buffalo’s program last season. Glenville State transfers Zakiyah Winfield and Re’Shawna Stone have made significant impacts in their first seasons in blue and white. Winfield is averaging a double-double with 15.1 points and 11.3 rebounds per contest while ranking second in the nation in defensive rebounding (9.4 per game). Stone adds 11.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

Series history

Kent State is 30-23 all-time against Buffalo.
The Golden Flashes won all of the first 19 games of the series, starting with an 86-77 win on January 13, 1999.
However, the Bulls are 20-4 in their last 24 games.
Kent State has reached the 70-point mark just three times this stretch, averaging 58.3 points per game.
The Flashes are 17-8 in games played at the MAC Center.
Kent State is 4-11 under the head coach Todd Starkey.

Shipment details

Dave Wilson and Matt Kiraly kick off the action ESPN+while Tyler Henry is on the call at the Kent State Radio Network.

Next Kent State

The Golden Flashes play their first road game in a month on Saturday, traveling to Ohio for a 1:00 p.m. contest.