Kent State University
19-11
Buffalo
19-12
Balanced Flashes Beat Bulls, Advance to MAC Tournament Semis
3/11/2020 11:22:00 PM | Women's Basketball
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Kent State held off a furious run in the closing minutes to defeat defending champion Buffalo, 72-66, in a Mid-American Conference Women's Basketball Tournament quarterfinal game on Wednesday evening inside of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
The third-seeded Golden Flashes (19-11) took their largest lead of the night, 68-53, on a pair of free throws by sophomore Asiah Dingle with 3:35 to play. The Bulls turned up the pressure on defense and were able to get as close as 68-64 with possession of the ball at the 1:06 mark. Kent State was able to get three stops in a row and knock down free throws to avoid being eliminated by Buffalo for the third consecutive year.
Four Flashes scored in double-figures. Dingle led the way with 18 points to go with seven assists and four steals. Freshman Nila Blackford notched a double-double in her first conference tournament game with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Freshman Katie Shumate was right behind with 12 points and eight boards. Redshirt senior Megan Carter added 12 points.
Kent State will play a MAC Tournament semifinals contest on Friday, March 13 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland against seventh-seeded Eastern Michigan, who defeated Ball State, 64-63, on Wednesday.
