Kent State University
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
Western Michigan
Kent State Hosts WMU Wednesday for Play4Kay and NGWSD
2/6/2024 2:03:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Two teams who will return to action for the first time since last Wednesday will take the court at the M.A.C. Center on Wednesday evening as Kent State hosts Western Michigan in the annual Play4Kay game and celebrates National Girls & Women in Sports Day. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Despite a terrific defensive performance, the Golden Flashes (13-6, 8-2 MAC) were unable to hand first-place Ball State its first loss in Mid-American Conference play on Jan. 31, falling 57-46 in a road contest. Kent State limited the Cardinals to their second lowest-scoring game of the season on just 37.5% shooting. Redshirt senior Katie Shumate continued her stellar play with a game-high 22 points while grabbing seven rebounds.
Kent State has been terrific on the defensive side of the ball and leads the MAC in opponent field goal percentage (.377) and opponent three-point field goal percentage (.284), while ranking second in in points allowed (60.7 ppg), rebounding margin (+5.2) and turnover margin (+3.6).
Preseason All-MAC First Team guard Katie Shumate leads the Flashes with averages of 14.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Forward Jenna Batsch has been among the most improved players in the MAC this season and is averaging 12.6 points per game. Guard Corynne Hauser (9.6 ppg) owns a 1.67 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 (9.2 ppg) is one of the top scorers among reserve players in the MAC, while forward Bridget Dunn (6.6 ppg) have also posted multiple double-digit scoring performances. Dunn averages a career-high 6.4 rebounds per game and leads the Flashes with 29 three-point field goals.
Scouting Western Michigan
The Broncos (9-10, 4-5 MAC) have won four of their last five games and posted their largest margin of victory of the season last Wednesday, beating Eastern Michigan, 76-49. Western Michigan ranks second in the conference in three-point field goals per game (7.4) and is 5-1 when scoring more than 61 points.
Guard Kaitlyn Zarycki is the second-leading scorer in the MAC at 19.1 points per game while leading the conference in field goal percentage (.524) and free throw percentage (.903). Zarycki also leads the Broncos with averages of 5.0 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game. Guard Maggie Stutelberg adds 11.7 points per game and ranks in the top-10 in the MAC in three-point field goals (35) despite being sidelined for eight games.
Series History
• Kent State is 35-28 all-time vs. Western Michigan.
• The Golden Flashes have an 20-10 all-time record vs. the Broncos at the M.A.C. Center.
• Kent State has held the Broncos below 70 points in 18 of the past 21 meetings.
• The Flashes are 5-3 vs. Western Michigan under head coach Todd Starkey.
Broadcast Info
Dan Griffin and Normandie Berl 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 host Old Dominion on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 1 p.m. in a MAC-SBC Challenge matchup.
Individual Game Tickets
Individual game tickets can be purchased at KSUTix.com.
Follow the Flashes
Be sure to follow the Golden Flashes on X, Instagram and Facebook for news and updates about the team.
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
