Kent State University
Bowling Green
First-Place Showdown Set for Wednesday at the M.A.C. Center
2/9/2021 4:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Video              Audio             Live Stats
First-place in the Mid-American Conference standings will be on the line when the Kent State women's basketball team hosts Bowling Green at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
The Golden Flashes (7-3, 6-1 MAC) will be playing their third game in the past five days following thrilling victories over Miami on Saturday and Toledo on Monday. Lindsey Thall's putback layup with 1.8 on the clock was the decisive basket against the RedHawks, while Clare Kelly had a career-high 27 points and Katie Shumate scored nine points in overtime after the Rockets made two three-pointers in the final five seconds of regulation to tie the game. Excellent free throw shooting was key to both victories for Kent State, which had made just 63.5 percent of its attempts over the first eight games. The Flashes went 17-of-18 at the charity stripe against Miami and closed out the Rockets with a 13-of-14 performance during the overtime period. Kent State shot 81.0 percent for the two games.
Six players are averaging more than 8.0 points per game during conference action. Sophomore Nila Blackford is one of two MAC players averaging a double-double with team-best marks of 15.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. Sophomore Katie Shumate (11.5 ppg) leads the MAC in three-point shooting (.516). Junior Lindsey Thall adds 11.0 points per game and is the top shot blocker (1.9 bpg) in the MAC for the third year in a row while averaging a career-best 5.0 rebounds per game. Sophomore Clare Kelly (8.5 ppg) made all five of her shots against Miami and has averaged 19.5 points over the past two games. Junior Mariah Modkins (8.3 ppg) leads the Flashes with 2.9 assists per game. Freshman Casey Santoro (6.9 ppg) is averaging 8.5 points and 4.3 assists over the past four games.
Scouting Bowling Green
Ranked 13th in the most recent Women's Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, the Falcons (14-4, 10-3 MAC) are first team to 10 conference victories, matching their win total from the previous four MAC seasons combined. On Saturday, Bowling Green led wire-to-wire in a 69-53 win over Ohio for perhaps its signature win to this point in the season.
Stellar defense has been the reason for the Falcons' turnaround, and they allow the second-fewest points in the MAC (61.9). Nine opponents have been held under 60 points. Bowling Green leads the conference and ranks in the top-20 in the nation in steals per game (11.7) and turnovers forced per game (21.1). Offensively, the Falcons are scoring 73.2 points per contest and averaging a MAC-leading 15.3 assists per game.
Guard Lexi Fleming was the only freshmen among the 15 student-athletes named to the 2021 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award watch list. Fleming is the top scorer (17.7 ppg) among newcomers in the MAC and ranks third overall with 2.8 steals per game. Guard Kadie Hempfling (11.9 ppg) averages a team-high 6.6 rebounds per game and guard Elissa Brett (10.9 ppg), who scored a career-high 21 points on Saturday, is right behind at 6.6 rebounds per game. Guard Kenzie Lewis (6.0 ppg) leads MAC freshmen in assists per game (3.7) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.35). Center Angela Perry, an All-MAC honorable mention performer last season, adds 8.7 points per game and has made more than half of her 108 field goal attempts. Guard Madisen Parker (7.6 ppg) led the nation in three-point field goal percentage a year ago.
Series History
• Kent State is 37-52 all-time vs. Bowling Green.
• The Golden Flashes have won five of the past six meetings
• Kent State is 21-19 all-time at home against the Falcons.
• The Flashes moved to 2-0 in games that required more than 40 minutes with a 96-86 double-overtime victory at the Stroh Center last season.
• Kent State is 7-2 vs. Bowling Green under fifth-year head coach Todd Starkey.
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 starts a four-game road swing at Central Michigan on Saturday, February 13.
