Kent State University
Ball State
Golden Flashes Look to Bounce Back Wednesday at Ball State
1/22/2019 4:08:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Kent State will play of the first of two road games this week when it takes on Ball State on Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. inside of Worthen Arena. The Golden Flashes have lost two in a row after a 3-0 start to Mid-American Conference play and will look to avoid their first three-game skid of the season.
The fourth quarter had belonged to Kent State (10-6, 3-2 MAC) in each of the first four conference games, but visiting Central Michigan turned the tables Saturday afternoon and pulled away for an 82-75 victory. The Flashes scored the final five points in the third quarter to get within two, but the Chippewas scored on 10 of their first 12 possessions in the fourth to extend the lead to 12. The Flashes ended the game with an 8-1 run to reach the 20-point mark in the fourth quarter for the fifth game in a row. Megan Carter led all scorers with 23 points to register her third straight 20-point performance. Asiah Dingle added 19 points and Ali Poole was also in double-figures with 10. Lindsey Thall (7 points) had a game-high eight rebounds, which included five on the offensive end to help Kent State hold a 15-4 advantage in second-chance points.
Guard Megan Carter (15.8 ppg) has scored at least 12 points in all but three games this season and has a team-high 39 assists. Freshman Asiah Dingle (13.7 ppg) has provided a scoring threat at the point guard position. Forward Lindsey Thall (9.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg) leads Kent State with 26 three-pointers to go with a MAC-best 25 blocks. Center Merissa Barber-Smith is the team's top rebounder at 6.9 per game and has 19 blocked shots. Guard Alexa Golden (7.4 ppg) leads the team in assists (2.6 apg), steals (2.1 spg) and three-point field goal percentage (.410).
Scouting Ball State
Ball State (6-11, 1-4 MAC) is coming off a 60-57 setback at Miami on Saturday, its third consecutive loss. The Cardinals average 66.4 points per game and allow 69.8 points per game.
Forward Oshlynn Brown ranks second in the MAC at 9.1 rebounds per game and adds a team-best 13.7 points per game. Brown leads the Cardinals with seven double-doubles on the season. Guard Jasmin Samz adds 10.3 points per game and a team-high 3.2 assists per game. Guard Maliah Howard-Bass (9.2 ppg) leads Ball State with 30 three-point field goals, while forward Thelma Dis Agustdottir (8.8 ppg) has sank half of her 32 attempts from downtown. Dis Agustdottir had just two points on Saturday but averaged 19.0 points over the previous three games.
Series History
• Kent State is 37-20 all-time vs. Ball State.
• The Cardinals have won two in a row and are 8-2 over the past 10 meetings.
• The Golden Flashes are 11-16 all-time in trips to Muncie, which includes a streak of 11 consecutive losses.
• Kent State's last road victory in the series came on Feb. 19, 1997 (78-66).
• The Golden Flashes are 0-2 vs. Ball State under third-year head coach Todd Starkey.
TV / Radio
Dave Wilson will have the call on 640 WHLO and the Golden Flashes iHeart Radio channel. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Joel Godett and Lisa Blalock on the call. .
Next Up for Kent State
The Golden Flashes will conclude the month at Miami on Saturday, Jan. 26.
