Kent State University
Ball State
Women’s Hoops to Host First-Place Ball State for Anticipated MAC Battle on Wednesday
1/14/2025 3:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Kent State women's basketball team returns to the M.A.C. Center on Wednesday, Jan. 15 for a key Mid-American Conference matchup with first-place Ball State that is scheduled to tip at 7 p.m. The first 500 fans will receive a "Everyone Watches Kent State Women's Sports" t-shirt as part of the 'Black Out' theme.
A barrage of three-point field goals in the opening moments of the third quarter during Saturday's road contest at Ohio helped the Golden Flashes (10-6, 3-1 MAC) earn a 79-64 victory after trailing at halftime for the first time this season. Kent State drained five consecutive shots from beyond the three-point arc as part of a 17-0 run to start the second half and allowed its lead to dip below 10 for only 30 seconds over the final 17 minutes of the contest. The Flashes finished the game with 16 three-pointers, tying the program record that was set against Ohio on Dec. 11, 2020. Sophomore Mya Babbitt and freshman Journey Hildebrand led the historic shooting performance with five triples each. Senior Jenna Batsch led the team with 14 points and eight assists.
Preseason All-MAC First Team selection Jenna Batsch (15.1 ppg, 4.3 apg) is the only player in the conference averaging at least 15 points, four assists and one steal per game. Bridget Dunn (8.3 ppg) ranks fourth in the nation in defensive rebounding (8.6 drpg) and 23rd overall in rebounds per game (10.2). Mya Babbitt (12.3 ppg) leads the MAC with 42 three-pointers and has made 40.8% of attempts from beyond the arc. Dionna Gray averages 9.8 points and 4.7 assists per game while leading Kent State to an 8-3 record in games played this season. Riley Rismiller, a transfer from Dayton, has made an immediate impact with averages of 9.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
Scouting Ball State
The Cardinals (12-4, 4-0 MAC) are No. 10 in the most recent Mid-Major Top 25 and were last beaten by No. 11 Ohio State back on Dec. 10. Ball State has won each game during its current six-game winning streak by at least 11 and has a 30.2 points per game average margin of victory overall.
In addition to averaging a team-high 14.2 points per game, Ally Becki is the MAC leader in assists per game (5.7) and assist-to-turnover (2.33). Alex Richard adds 13.8 points per game on 55.7% shooting and team-high on 6.1 rebounds per game. Transfers Elise Stuck (11.0 ppg) and Lachelle Austin (10.1 ppg) are also double-digit scorers.
Series History
• Kent State is 42-25 all-time against Ball State.
• The Golden Flashes are 27-6 all-time in matchups inside of the M.A.C. Center and had a four-game home winning streak in the series ended in the home finale last season (57-46).
• Kent State had held the Cardinals below 65 points in six of the previous 10 meetings.
• The Flashes are 5-7 vs. Ball State under head coach Todd Starkey.
Broadcast Info
Matt Kiraly and Jacki Windon 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
The Golden Flashes will be back in action at the M.A.C. Center for the annual We Back Pat game against Western Michigan on Saturday, Jan. 18.
