Kent State University
Ohio
Kent State Visits Ohio Wednesday Night
2/20/2024 12:49:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Kent State will look to sweep the season series with Ohio for the second year in a row when it visits the Convocation Center for a Mid-American Conference women's basketball matchup Wednesday at 7 p.m.
The Golden Flashes (15-7, 10-2 MAC) used an 18-2 run to start the fourth quarter to earn a 77-54 victory on Saturday at Central Michigan. Kent State scored a season-high 46 points in the paint to offset a 3-of-19 shooting performance from behind the three-point arc. Junior Jenna Batsch led all scorers with 17 points and graduate student Mikala Morris was right behind with 16, her most against a MAC opponent this season. Graduate student Abby Ogle tied her career-high with five assists while not turning the ball over and recording four steals.
Kent State has been terrific on the defensive side of the ball and ranks second in the MAC in points allowed (61.2 ppg), opponent field goal percentage (.379), opponent three-point field goal percentage (.287), rebounding margin (+5.4) and turnover margin (+3.4).
Preseason All-MAC First Team guard Katie Shumate leads the Flashes with averages of 14.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Forward Jenna Batsch has been among the most improved players in the MAC this season and is averaging 13.5 points per game. Guard Corynne Hauser (9.8 ppg) owns a 1.71 assist-to-turnover ratio and is averaging the most assists per game (4.2) by a Kent State player since the 2014-15 season. Forward Janae Tyler (9.1 ppg) is one of the top scorers among reserve players in the MAC, while forward Bridget Dunn (6.3 ppg) averages a career-high 6.5 rebounds per game and leads the Flashes with 34 three-point field goals.
Scouting Ohio
The Bobcats (7-16, 4-8 MAC) have lost five in a row after falling to MAC co-leader Ball State on Saturday in a contest they led by 17 points. Ohio forces a conference best 21.9 turnovers per game but ranks last in scoring defense (72.4 ppg) and rebounding margin (-11.4).
Guard Jaya McClure leads the way with averages of 11.8 points and 3.3 assists per game. Guard Kennedi Watkins (10.8 ppg) tied her season-high with 21 points on Saturday and has averaged 12.9 points per game since the first matchup against Kent State on Jan. 6. Guard Bailey Tabeling (9.4 ppg) has averaged 13.0 points per game since entering the starting lineup six games ago and ranks third in the MAC in three-pointers (52).
Series History
• Kent State is 58-35 all-time vs. Ohio.
• The Golden Flashes have won four in a row by an average of 20 points.
• Prior to last season, seven of the previous nine matchups were decided by six points or fewer.
• Kent State is 19-24 in trips to Athens, including just a solo victory over the past eight visits.
• The Flashes made a program record 16 three-point field goals when it hosted Ohio on Dec. 11, 2020, an 84-80 victory.
• Kent State is 8-7 vs. Ohio under head coach Todd Starkey.
Broadcast Info
Sam Hyman and Tenishia Benson will call the action on ESPN+, while Dane Richardson will have the call on the Kent State Radio Network.
Next Up for Kent State
The Golden Flashes will return to the M.A.C. Center on Saturday, Feb. 24 to battle rival Akron.
Individual Game Tickets
Individual game tickets can be purchased at KSUTix.com.
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