Kent State University
Ohio
Kent State to Host Bobcats in Friday’s MAC Opener
12/10/2020 5:20:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Kent State will begin the 2020-21 home slate with a rematch from last season's home finale when Ohio visits the M.A.C. Center for a 2 p.m. contest Friday.
That game was played on March 4 and won by the Golden Flashes, 81-77, behind 20 points and eight rebounds by then-freshman Katie Shumate. The teams split the season series and shared the Mid-American Conference East Division title. A rubber match seemed likely to follow 10 days later, as each team was the highest-remaining seed on its side of the MAC Tournament bracket, but the event was forced to be canceled, and the teams will finally meet again just more than nine months later.
Kent State (0-2) dropped a back-and-forth battle at Saint Francis (Pa.), 67-64, on Wednesday afternoon. The Flashes started the fourth quarter with a 12-2 run to lead by five but shot just 1-of-12 from the floor over the 6:41 of the contest. A corner three-pointer from the corner by Linsey Marchese was off the mark as time expired and the host Red Flash escaped with their first victory of the season. Junior Lindsey Thall scored a game-high 17 points and grabbed a team-high seven boards. Sophomore Nila Blackford added 13 points. Junior Mariah Modkins played a solid floor game and finished with nine points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Scouting Ohio
The Bobcats (2-0) have not played since upsetting No. 22 Notre Dame, 86-85, on Black Friday. Two days earlier, Ohio started the season with a 76-74 win against Liberty. The Bobcats are averaging 81.0 points per game, which leads the MAC in the opening weeks of the campaign.
Guards Erica Johnson (27.5 ppg) and Cece Hooks (25.0 ppg) are the top scoring duo in the country. Both were named to the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year preseason watch list. Johnson, who was named to the watch list for the Cheryl Miller Award given to the nation's top small forward, leads the Bobcats with nine three-points and seven assists while averaging 7.0 rebounds per game. Hooks, who was named to the watch list for the Nancy Lieberman Award given to the nation's top point guard, is the two-time reigning MAC Defensive Player of the Year and is Ohio's top rebounder at 7.5 boards per game.
KSU in MAC Openers
• Kent State is 18-21 all-time in MAC openers, including a 12-8 mark at the M.A.C. Center.
• The Golden Flashes are 6-2 vs. Ohio in MAC openers, including a 3-1 record in home meetings.
• Kent State has won the past four conference openers between the programs.
• Most recently, the Flashes earned a 70-66 victory in Kent on Jan. 6, 2010.
• Head coach Todd Starkey owns a 3-1 record in conference openers. Starkey lost his first MAC contest, 91-78, to eventual regular season champion Central Michigan on Dec. 31, 2016. Following victories over Eastern Michigan in each of the two next two conference lid-lifters, Kent State fell on the road to Ball State last year.
Series History
• Kent State is 53-33 all-time vs. Ohio.
• The Golden Flashes won both meetings during the 2016-17 season, but the Bobcats have won nine of the last 12 overall.
• Each of the past five matchups have been decided by four points or fewer.
• The Flashes snapped a five-game skid in the series with an 81-77 victory on March 4 last season.
• Kent State is 29-11 as the home team in the series.
• The Flashes' 19-game winning streak from Jan. 10, 1996 through Jan. 28, 2004 is the longest for either school.
• Kent State is 3-5 vs. Ohio under fifth-year head coach Todd Starkey.
Broadcast Info
Dave Wilson be on the call on the Kent State Radio Network. The game will also be streamed on BoxCast.
Next Up For Kent State
The Golden Flashes will conclude a stretch of three games in five days when they visit Toledo for a MAC contest at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
