Kent State University
Buffalo
Kent State to Host Play4Kay Game Against Buffalo on Wednesday
2/23/2021 5:01:00โฏPM | Women's Basketball
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The Kent State women's basketball will host its annual Play4Kay game Wednesday against Buffalo. The game helps to raise awareness and funding for women's cancer research and honor female cancer survivors. Tip inside of the M.A.C. Center is scheduled for 6 p.m.
The Golden Flashes (9-6, 8-4 MAC) return to Kent following four road games in eight days, which ended with impressive wins at Northern Illinois on Saturday and Sunday. The Huskies, who entered the weekend winners of five in a row and in second in the Mid-American Conference standing, were averaging 71.6 points per game. Kent State played lockdown defense for 80 minutes and held NIU to two of its four lowest-scoring contests of the season, including a season-low on Sunday. The 73-58 wire-to-wire victory started with the Flashes shooting 9-of-10 from behind the three-point arc and scoring a program record 33 points in the opening quarter.
Four players are averaging at least 10.0 points per game for the season. Sophomore Nila Blackford is one of three MAC players averaging a double-double with team-best marks of 15.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. Sophomore Katie Shumate (11.8 ppg) has a team-high 41.5 three-point field goal percentage. Junior Lindsey Thall adds 11.5 points per game and is the top shot blocker (1.7 bpg) in the MAC for the third year in a row while averaging a career-best 5.7 rebounds per game. Sophomore Clare Kelly (10.0 ppg) has scored at least 11 games in six of the past seven games, including a career-high 27 points against Toledo on February 8. Junior Mariah Modkins (7.1 ppg) leads the Flashes with 3.1 assists per game. Freshman Casey Santoro adds 6.8 points per game off the bench.
Scouting Buffalo
The Bulls (12-7, 9-5 MAC) enter at No. 17 in the most recent Women's Mid-Major Top 25 Poll but have lost two of their last three contests. Buffalo is third in the conference in both scoring offense (75.0 ppg) and scoring defense (69.0 ppg). The Bulls are an elite rebounding team, ranking seventh in the country in offensive rebounds per game (16.6) and 12th in total rebounds per game (44.2).
Sophomore Dyaisha Fair is one of 10 finalists for the 2021 Nancy Lieberman Award, which recognizes the nation's top point guard. Fair pours in 24.8 points per game, which ranks sixth in the nation, and also ranks in the top-25 in three-point field goals (53), assists per game (5.4) and steals per game (2.9). Backcourt mate Cheyenne McEvans adds 10.3 points per game. Keowa Walters (5.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg), Loren Christie (4.0 ppg, 5.7 rpg), Zena Elias (2.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg), Adebola Adeyeye (4.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg) and Elea Gaba (8.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg) provide the Bulls with depth in the frontcourt.
Series History
โข Kent State is 29-20 all-time vs. Buffalo.
โข The Golden Flashes won each of the first 19 games in the series, beginning with an 86-77 victory on Jan. 13, 1999.
โข However, the Bulls are 17-3 over the past 20 meetings.
โข Kent State has reached the 70-point mark just three times during this stretch, averaging 57.1 points per game.
โข The Flashes are 16-7 in games played at the M.A.C. Center.
โข Kent State is 3-8 under fifth-year head coach Todd Starkey.
About Play4Kay
The vision for Play4Kay came directly from Coach Kay Yow. Through Play4Kay, she saw a vision to bring communities together and honor survivors in the fight against ALL cancers affecting women. It was basically a simple idea โ take a game in your schedule and use it to fundraise for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. As Play4Kay evolved, the mechanisms for fundraising have expanded and so have the initiatives. Schools nationwide are finding ways to "Play4Kay" on and off the basketball court.
Broadcast Info
Dave Wilson and Jack Berney will call the action on ESPN+, while Rob Polinsky has the call on the Kent State Radio Network.
Next Up for Kent State
The Golden Flashes is scheduled to play its final two road games of the season at Miami on February 27 and at Bowling Green on March 3.
