Kent State University
Northern Illinois
Kent State Set to Meet NIU in MAC Women’s Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals
3/12/2024 6:29:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Kent State will play Northern Illinois in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Women's Basketball Tournament for the second year in a row, this time from the No. 3 seed line. The matchup will be the final quarterfinal contest played at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland on Wednesday, March 13 and is expected to tip around 6:30 p.m.
The Golden Flashes (18-10, 13-5 MAC) tied the most conference wins in a season under eighth-year head coach Todd Starkey but lost the final two regular season games against the top two seeds in the tournament, Toledo and Ball State. Kent State shot 56.3% from the floor and led by as many as eight points in the first quarter against the Rockets on Saturday but made just three shots in the second period and trailed by one at halftime. Toledo put up 50 in the second half to pull away for an 83-61 victory. Graduate student Mikala Morris led the Flashes with 18 points, tying her highest-scoring performance of the season.
Kent State has been terrific on the defensive side of the ball and ranks third in the MAC in opponent field goal percentage (.388), opponent three-point field goal percentage (.299) and blocks per game (3.5).
All-MAC First Team guard Katie Shumate leads the Flashes with averages of 15.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game and is one of only two MAC players who rank in the top 10 in both categories. Forward Jenna Batsch has been among the most improved players in the conference this season and is averaging 13.4 points per game. Forward Janae Tyler (9.0 ppg) is one of the top scorers among reserve players in the MAC, while forward Bridget Dunn (6.5 ppg) has helped the Flashes ranks second in the conference in rebounding margin (+6.2) with a career-high 6.7 rebounds per game and leads the Flashes with 45 three-point field goals.
Kent State in the MAC Tournament
• Kent State is making its 36th appearance in the MAC Tournament and has a 36-31 record in tournament play.
• The Golden Flashes have advanced to the quarterfinals in Cleveland in seven of eight seasons under eighth-year head coach Todd Starkey.
• Kent State has advanced to the semifinals 19 times, recording an 12-6 record in those games (2020 game was not played after tournament was canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic).
• The Flashes have won three MAC Tournament titles: 1999, 2000 and 2002.
• Kent State appeared in the championship game seven straight years from 1996-2002 and has played for the title 12 times overall.
• During that seven-year stretch, the Flashes owned an 18-4 MAC Tournament record.
MAC Tournament History vs. Northern Illinois
• Kent State is 2-1 all-time vs. Northern Illinois in MAC Tournament play, with each matchup coming in the quarterfinals.
• Last season, the Golden Flashes posted a 75-68 wire-to-wire victory.
• The Huskies won the first meeting, 72-68, in 2007.
• The teams met again the following season, and Kent State avenged the loss with a 75-67 victory.
Scouting Northern Illinois
The Huskies (15-15, 8-10 MAC) needed road wins over Miami and Western Michigan to earn the No. 6 seed. Northern Illinois has not won three in a row since the end of December.
Forward Brooke Stonebraker and guard Jayden Marable have stepped up in the absence of guard Chelby Koker, a Preseason All-MAC First Team member, to earn all-conference honors. Stonebraker is the Huskies' top scorer at 11.5 points per game and ranks second in the league with 9.1 rebounds per game. Marable is close behind at 11.4 points per game and adds 4.1 assists per game, which puts her fifth in the MAC. Guard Sidney McCrea adds 9.3 points per game and has drained a team-high 57 three-pointers.
Series History
• Kent State is 29-18 all-time vs. Northern Illinois.
• The Golden Flashes own a five-game winning streak and have won nine of the last 10 meetings overall.
• Kent State is 9-5 against NIU under head coach Todd Starkey.
Broadcast Info
Dave Bacon and Jeff Phelps will call the action on ESPN+, while Dane Richardson will have the call on ESPN Cleveland and the Kent State Radio Network.
Next Up for Kent State
With a win, the Golden Flashes advance to the MAC Tournament semifinals on Friday, March 15 against the winner of the quarterfinal between No. 2 seed Ball State and No. 7 seed Ohio.
Follow the Flashes
Be sure to follow the Golden Flashes on X, Instagram and Facebook for news and updates about the team.
