Kent State University
Toledo
Flashes Visit First-Place Toledo on Wednesday
2/28/2023 6:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Kent State travels to first-place Toledo for a matchup between the two Mid-American Conference teams with the longest winning streaks at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 1.
The Golden Flashes (19-8, 11-5 MAC) have won four in a row and will be the No. 4 seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament. Kent State has committed single-digit turnovers in all four games and posted consecutive conference wins by at least 26 points for the first time since February 2000 after decisive victories over rival Akron (87-46) and Ohio (82-56).
Kent State's defense has been among the best in the MAC this season. The Flashes lead the conference in scoring defense (61.5 ppg) and rank second field goal percentage defense (.392). Kent State is 18-1 when holding opponents to fewer than 70 points and 5-0 when opposing teams shoot less than 30% from the field.
Guard Katie Shumate posts team-best averages of 11.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest. Shumate has grabbed at least nine boards in each game during Kent State's current four-game winning streak. Forward Lindsey Thall is close behind at 11.4 points per game and has totaled team-best marks of 43 three-pointers and 27 blocked shots. Thall is Kent State's all-time leader with 261 triples, which ranks 25th among active NCAA Division I players, and ranks 10th among active players in career blocks (199). Guard Corynne Hauser (10.0 ppg) is averaging a team-best 11.2 points per game during conference play.
Guard Clare Kelly (7.1 ppg) and forwards Bridget Dunn (4.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg) and Tatiana Thomas (4.7 ppg) lead a strong bench unit that is scoring 23.4 points per contest.
Scouting Toledo
Winners of 11 consecutive games, the Rockets (11-3, 2-1 MAC) hold a one-game lead atop of the MAC standings entering the final two games of the regular season. Toledo, the No. 6 team in Mid-Major Top 25, has an average winning margin of 13.8 points during this stretch. The Rockets own top-25 national rankings in field goal percentage (.456), free throw percentage (.791), free throws made per game (15.4), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.25) and turnovers per game (12.4).
All-MAC guard Quinesha Lockett leads is the second leading scorer in the conference at 17.9 points per game and has scored 20 or more points in five of the past six games. Guard Sophia Wiard (10.3 ppg) ranks second in the MAC in assists per game (4.1) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.47). Guard/forward Sammi Mikonowicz (10.0 ppg) grabs a team-best 7.4 rebounds per contest.
Series History
• Kent State is 35-45 all-time vs. Toledo, including a 14-25 record as the road team.
• The Rockets have won three straight meetings, including a 77-68 victory in Kent on Jan. 14 and a 79-59 home triumph in the second round of the 2022 Postseason WNIT.
• Under head coach Todd Starkey, the Golden Flashes are 7-5 overall against the Rockets and 4-2 in trips to Savage Arena.
• Toledo had won nine straight matchups prior to Starkey's arrival.
Broadcast Info
Rhett Boyd and Chris Schmidbauer 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 hold Senior Day when Northern Illinois visits the M.A.C. Center at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 4 for the regular season finale.
