Kent State University
Buffalo
MAC Plays Begins Wednesday Against Buffalo
1/3/2023 5:40:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Mid-American Conference action tips for the Kent State women's basketball team on Wednesday evening as Buffalo visits the M.A.C. Center for a 7 p.m. tip.
The Golden Flashes (8-3) enter conference play at No. 13 in the Mid-Major Top 25 and with a three-game winning streak. Kent State needed overtime for the first time this season to earn a New Year's Eve win over Coppin State, 72-69. The Flashes made all four of their field goal attempts, including a pair from beyond the three-point arc, during the extra period. Graduate student Lindsey Thall sank her fourth three-point field goal of the day for the go-ahead points with 40.7 seconds remaining. Thall had a team-high 15 points, as all five starters scored in double-figures. Senior Katie Shumate recorded her first double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Kent State leads the MAC with a 35.6% field goal percentage defensive and is allowing the third-fewest points (59.2 ppg) in the conference. The Flashes are 8-0 when holding opponents to fewer than 70 points.
A pair of former All-MAC selections in guard Katie Shumate and forward Lindsey Thall have led the way for the Flashes with 12.1 points per game. Thall is Kent State's all-time leader with 239 triples, which ranks 20th among active NCAA Division I players, and ranks 11th among active players in career blocks (182). Guard Hannah Young (5.6 ppg) pulls down a team-high 5.8 rebounds per game.
Guards Corynne Hauser (8.2 ppg) and Dionna Gray (5.4 ppg) lead a strong bench unit that is scoring 26.4 points per contest.
Scouting Buffalo
The Bulls (5-4) have outscored their opponents by an average of 13.3 points per game during the current four-game winning streak. Buffalo has the stingiest defense in the conference and allows just 58.2 points per contest. Only two opponents have hit the 60-point mark against the Bulls. Offensively, Buffalo averages 60.7 points per game and has scored more points at the free throw line (107) than from behind the three-point arc (99). The Bulls rank 342nd in the country in three-point field goal attempts her game (12.8).
Guard Jazmine Young (12.7 ppg) is the only member of the 12-player roster who was part of Buffalo's program last season. Glenville State transfers Zakiyah Winfield and Re'Shawna Stone have made significant impacts during their first season in blue and white. Winfield averages a double-double with 15.1 points and 11.3 rebounds per contest while ranking second in the nation in defensive rebounding (9.4 per game). Stone adds 11.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
Series History
• Kent State is 30-23 all-time vs. Buffalo.
• The Golden Flashes won each of the first 19 games in the series, beginning with an 86-77 victory on Jan. 13, 1999.
• However, the Bulls are 20-4 over the past 24 meetings.
• Kent State has reached the 70-point mark just three times during this stretch, averaging 58.3 points per game.
• The Flashes are 17-8 in games played at the M.A.C. Center.
• Kent State is 4-11 under head coach Todd Starkey.
Broadcast Info
Dave Wilson and Matt Kiraly will call the action on ESPN+, while Tyler Henry will be on the call on the Kent State Radio Network.
Next Up for Kent State
The Golden Flashes will play their first road game in a month on Saturday, traveling to Ohio for a 1 p.m. contest.
