Kent State University
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Western Michigan
Batsch’s Career Night Leads Flashes in Play4Kay Game Victory
2/7/2024 10:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball
KENT, Ohio — Junior Jenna Batsch scored a career-high 25 points during Wednesday night's Play4Kay game to lead Kent State to a 70-57 win over Western Michigan at the M.A.C. Center. Batsch made a career-best nine field goals on 14 attempts and tied career-high marks with four three-point field goals and three blocked shots.
The Golden Flashes (13-6, 7-2 MAC) used their size advantage to outscore the Broncos 40-18 in the paint and lead 40-26 in rebounding. Freshman Janae Tyler and sophomore Tatiana Thomas led the way around the basket. Tyler scored 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting and Thomas had eight points to tie her career-high and blocked two shots. Both players had five rebounds.
Western Michigan sank five of its first six shots to lead 10-7 but shot less than 30% for the remainder of the game. A 6-0 run put the Flashes ahead before the Broncos answered with a three-pointer to even the score entering the final minute of the first quarter. Sophomore Dionna Gray then spotted Batsch open in the corner for her second triple of the period and added a layup for an 18-13 lead.
Kent State held its guest to just one field goal over the first eight minutes of the second quarter and the lead reached 11. Despite a pair of late three-pointers for WMU, the Flashes entered halftime with a double-digit lead at 33-23.
Tyler and Batsch scored early baskets in the third to push the lead to 14, the largest of the game to that point. Although the Broncos were able to get within single-digits briefly, Kent State led 54-39 at the end of the third quarter.
A 9-2 run to start the fourth kept WMU in the game but Batsch scored nine of the Flashes' next 10 points to help put it out of reach.
Kent State will host Old Dominion on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 1 p.m. in a MAC-SBC Challenge matchup.
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