Kent State University
15-7,7-6MAC
Ball State
14-8,7-5MAC
Kent State Edges Cardinals in Play4Kay Game
2/12/2022 8:19:00 PM | Women's Basketball
KENT, Ohio — The Kent State women's basketball team held on to defeat Ball State, 64-61, Saturday afternoon during the annual Play4Kay Game at the M.A.C. Center.
The Golden Flashes (15-7, 7-6 MAC) came through with a pair of key defensive stops in the final 20 seconds to earn their fifth win in the past 11 days and move above .500 in Mid-American Conference play for the first time this season.
Junior Katie Shumate led all players with 20 points and sophomore Casey Santoro added 16 to lead Kent State to a 26-4 advantage in bench scoring. Both players sank a pair of free throws in the final 12.3 seconds to close it out.
Senior Mariah Modkins opened the scoring with an elbow jumper on the Flashes' first possession. Kent State went scoreless for nearly three minutes, however, until Shumate splashed a three-pointer to make it 5-5. Ball State led 9-7 at the media timeout, but Santoro made three-pointers on the next two possessions as part of a 13-2 to close the period and give the Flashes a 20-11 lead.
The run extended to 17-6 and junior Nila Blackford made it 26-13 with a jumper with 7:59 to play in the second. The Cardinals scored the next 10 points and got within a point at the 1:16 mark, but senior Lindsey Thall finished a driving layup in the final seconds of the half to give Kent State a 30-27 lead.
Ball State scored the first five points after halftime to take the lead. Three-point field goals by Thall and freshman Bridget Dunn put the Flashes back ahead, but the Cardinals battled back to lead 42-40 with 3:53 left in the period. Shumate and Thall answered with three-pointers and Santoro added a free throw to help Kent State take a 47-44 lead into the fourth.
Kent State remained in the lead until Ball State made a three-pointer to go ahead, 54-53, with 4:17 to play. A minute later, Blackford ripped a rebound away from a Cardinals defender and laid it in retake the lead, 55-54. The defense held Ball State without another field goal until a driving layup got the visitors within 59-58 with 35.9 seconds on the clock.
After Santoro split two free throws, Blackford rose to the challenge on defense and contested a driving layup attempt that was rebounded by Thall. Shumate made two free throws with 12.3 seconds to play to make it 62-58, but the Cardinals sank a triple to get within one with 5.3 remaining. Santoro converted two free throws with 3.4 to play, and Ball State called its final timeout to advance the ball into the frontcourt. This time, it was Thall's turn to step up on the defensive end, as the forward switched out onto Ally Becki as she received a passing going towards the corner and contested the game-tying attempt, which came up short of the basket.
The Flashes will host Northern Illinois at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
