Kent State University
Bowling Green
Women’s Basketball Begins Final Road Swing Saturday at Bowling Green
3/1/2019 1:22:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Kent State seeks to secure its third sweep of a Mid-American Conference opponent when it travels to Bowling Green on Saturday for a 1 p.m. contest.
The Golden Flashes (16-10, 9-6 MAC) put together one of their most complete games of the season to snap first-place Miami's 11-game winning streak with a 67-58 victory Wednesday inside of the M.A.C. Center. Kent State held the RedHawks to their second-lowest scoring game of the season. Alexa Golden led the stellar defensive performance with a career-high eight steals, which is the most by a MAC player this season. Merissa Barber-Smith led the effort on the glass with 11 boards for the second game in a row. In her first career non-starting appearance, Asiah Dingle scored a game-high 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting. Megan Carter and Lindsey Thall added 16 points each. Thall, who ranks second in the conference in blocked shots, is 10-of-14 on three-point attempts over the past two games.
Guard Megan Carter (16.5 ppg) has scored at least 12 points in all but three games this season. Freshman Asiah Dingle (12.7 ppg) has provided a scoring threat at the point guard position. Forward Lindsey Thall (10.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg) leads Kent State with 51 three-pointers and her 39 blocked shots rank second in the MAC. Center Merissa Barber-Smith is the team's top rebounder at 6.7 per game and has 26 blocked shots. Guard Alexa Golden (7.9 ppg) leads the team in steals (2.9 spg) and is second in rebounding (5.4 rpg) and three-point field goal percentage (.369).
Scouting Bowling Green
Bowling Green (8-18, 1-14 MAC) has lost four in a row after upsetting Buffalo, 78-72, on Feb. 13 for its lone conference win. The Stroh Center has provided an advantage for the Falcons, which own a 6-7 home record.
The Falcons rank fifth in the MAC with an average of 69.8 points per game and are prolific three-point shooting team. Bowling Green ranks 20th in the country in three-pointers per game (8.8) and 51st in three-point field goal percentage (.352). The Falcons rank second in the MAC with just over 38-percent of their points coming from beyond the arc.
Guard/forward Andrea Cecil is in the midst of a breakout season and is the team's top scorer at 15.9 points per game. Cecil adds 5.7 rebounds per game and is shooting 4297-percent from the three-point line. She has scored 20+ points in four of the past six games. Guard Morgan McMillen (14.1 ppg) ranks 27th nationally with 81 three-pointers. Guard Sydney Lambert (11.3 ppg) and center Angela Perry (10.0 ppg) give the Falcons four double-digit scorers. Guard Kadie Hempfling (6.3 ppg) leads the way in rebounding (8.1 rpg), assists (4.1 apg) and steals (1.4 spg). Hempfling has averaged 16.5 points over the past two games.
Series History
• Kent State is 34-51 all-time vs. Bowling Green.
• Each team defended home court last season, as the season series was split for the first time since 2011.
• The Golden Flashes are 2-6 at the Stroh Center and 12-26 all-time in Bowling Green..
• Kent State went 17-1 from 1995 until the 2005 MAC Tournament title game, which the Falcons won, 81-75.
• The Flashes are 4-1 vs. Bowling Green under third-year head coach Todd Starkey.
TV / Radio
Dave Wilson will be on the call on 640 WHLO and the Golden Flashes iHeartRadio channel, while Brad Woznicki and Ryan Strodtbeck bring the action on ESPN3.
Next Up for Kent State
The Golden Flashes will conclude the regular road slate with a short trip to Akron on Wednesday, March 6.
