Kent State University
11-9,10-6MAC
Buffalo
15-8,11-6MAC
Kent State’s Fourth Quarter Rally Falls Short in Quarterfinals Loss
3/10/2021 7:32:00 PM | Women's Basketball
CLEVELAND — Kent State made a flurry of three-point field goals late to get within three in the final minute of the fourth quarter before falling to Buffalo, 73-66, in a Mid-American Conference Women's Basketball Tournament quarterfinal contest on Wednesday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
The Golden Flashes (11-9) scored 27 points in the final 10 minutes on 10-of-19 shooting. They trailed by 10 with a minute to play before junior Lindsey Thall drained a deep three-pointer with 53.7 seconds remaining. Junior Mariah Modkins added triples on the next two possessions to bring Kent State within 69-66 with 26.6 seconds still on the clock. The Flashes were unable to score again, while the Bulls added four points at the charity stripe.
Junior Hannah Young led Kent State with a career-high 15 points. Thall finished with 13 points, while sophomore Nila Blackford, Modkins and sophomore Katie Shumate scored 12 points apiece. Blackford grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds to lead the Flashes to a 39-33 advantage on the glass. Merissa Barber-Smith (20 in 2019) and Lindsay Shearer (19 in 2006) are the only Kent State players to pull down more boards in a MAC Tournament game.
Katie Shumate got the scoring started with a set shot from the elbow just over a minute into the game. Buffalo scored the next 12 points, but Hannah Young splashed triples on back-to-back possessions to get within 15-8 at the media timeout. A layup by Lexi Jackson was the Flashes' only basket the rest of the period, and the Bulls led 21-10 after 10 minutes of action.
A trio of three-pointers helped Buffalo extend its lead to 14 with less than a minute left in the second quarter. Mariah Modkins then drew a foul out front and made two free throws. Jackson came up with a steal and Shumate added three more three throws after being fouled with 0.3 left on the clock to get within 36-27 at halftime.
Nila Blackford scored on the first possession of the third to cut the deficit to seven, but Buffalo scored the next six points and took a 51-39 lead into the final 10 minutes.
Kent State scored the first five points of the fourth, as Modkins made a floater and then found Shumate for a transition three from the wing. It stretched to a 14-5 run, ending with a baseline floater out of the media timeout by Young to get within three. The Bulls scored the next five points and two free throws by Dyaisha Fair pushed the lead back to 10 with just 1:06 remaining.
Lindsey Thall and Modkins then combined for three-pointers on three straight possessions to get within 69-66. After Buffalo split two free throw attempts, Kent State called its final timeout to advance the ball into the frontcourt with 20.9 on the clock. The Flashes went inside to Blackford, who drove across the lane and had her shot blocked. She grabbed the rebound and found Shumate, who drove baseline and was unable to connect on a floater. Buffalo grabbed the miss and was fouled to begin a parade to the free throw line in the final 10 seconds.
