The unofficial online home for fans of the Kent State University Golden Flashes. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

The women return to action at noon Monday against Division II Clarion in the first game of a doubleheader with the KSU men, who play Oberlin a half hour after the women end.

The Flashes (6-4) are playing for the first time since a 57-40 victory at NJIT on Dec. 21.

The game is mostly a tune-up for the conference season, which starts with a home game against Eastern Michigan Saturday. That's the first game of another doubleheader. The women play at 5 p.m., the men against Bowling Green a half hour after the first game.

Clarion is 7-5. Its best player is 5-7 guard Kadijah Dickson, who leads the team in both scoring (16.3) and rebounding (8.8).

Full preview is on the blog at http://wbbflashes.com.

The women put up with third-highest margin of victory in school history in a 92-38 victory over Division II Clarion.

They led 19-0 after seven minutes and 26-4 after the first quarter.

Yeah, it was Clarion. But seven other MAC teams played Division II teams since Saturday. Kent's was the largest margin of victory. The 92 points were the second highest point total of MAC teams.

92 also was KSU's highest total of the season by 16. The Flashes posted season highs in seven other categories, including field goal percentage (52.4), fast-break points (32) and points off turnovers (29).

Megan Carter had 15 points, Alexa Golden and Hannah Young 13 and Merissa Barber-Smith 11. Young and Barber-Smith's totals were career highs.

The Flashes finish non-conference play at 7-4, tied for seventh in the MAC with three other teams, Clarion is 7-5.

Kent opens MAC play at 5 p.m. Saturday against Eastern Michigan. It's the first game of a doubleheaders with the KSU men, who play Bowling Green a half hour after the women finish. One ticket gets you in both games.

Full story on the game, including quotes from Golden, Carter and coach Todd Starkey, is on the blog at http://wbbflashes.com.

I noticed some players missing from the bench. any updates?

(01-01-2019 12:40 PM)luckyflash Wrote:  I noticed some players missing from the bench. any updates?

I think the the only player AWOL was Amanda Sapp. I don’t know why but she almost never plays.

Sophomore center Amanda Sape and junior guard Jessica Wallis were both sick, according to Jay Fiorello, the assistant sports information director for women's basketball. It's sort of sad. Both had played very little and would have gotten a chance to see considerable time against Division II Clarion.

MAC season starts Saturday,. League is ninth of 33 Division I leagues and has five teams in top 100 RPI, led by Central Michigan at 44.

I put together league rankings based on five different measures on the blog at http://wbbflashes.com. Here's what I found:

1 (tie) Ohio (11-0) and Central Michigan (9-3)
3. Buffalo (8-3)
4. Toledo (8-3)
5. Miami (9-2)
6. Northern Illinois (8-4)
7. Akron (9-2) and Kent State (7-4)
9. Bowling Green (7-4)
10. Eastern Michigan (7-4)
11. Ball State (5-7)
12. Western Michigan (6-5)

League could be as strong as last season, who Central and Buffalo made Sweet 16.

MAC teams have beaten five teams in the top 50 RPI, including Miami (of Florida), along with Purdue. Central Michigan lost by four at home to No. 3 Louisville, Buffalo by seven to No. 8 Stanford.

Lots of wonky statistics in the blog post, with more on the league and Kent's outlook coming later in the week.

The women open MAC play against Eastern Michigan Saturday. The 5 p.m. game at the MACC is the first of a doubleheaders with the men, who play Bowling Green. One tickets gets you in both games.

Like Kent, Eastern is 7-4. Its non-conference schedule wasn't as strong as Kent's. Kent State ranks significantly above the Eagles in every national ranking system. The game is in Kent. If the Flashes can't win this one, there's little hope of finishing in the top five or six in the league.

Also on the blog at http://wbbflashes.com are my "Keys to the MAC Season," which are:

1. Score more. The Flashes average 64 points a game (62 not counting their 92 points against Division II Clarion). Starkey's goal at the beginning of the year was to average in the mid-70s. But the Flashes' shooting percentage is 11th in the league, they're last in assists and they have only two players averaging in double figures. All that needs to get better.

2. Cut turnovers at guard. Megan Carter and Asiah Dingle are KSU's top scorers, but their combined assist-to-turnover rate is 0.77. A good point guard is at least 1.5.

3. Keep defending. KSU is first in the league in field goal defense and fourth in scoring defense. That's a lot better than I expected and the reason they win games.

But defense alone won't get them a .500 record on the MAC.

My prediction is they'll win seven to 11 games in the league, depending on their progress in these areas.

Lots of detail is on the blog on both the EMU game and where the team stands after non-conference play.

Freshman Asiah Dingle played KSU's best game at point guard since Hall of Famer Dawn Zerman and scored 29 points to lead the women to a 71-64 win over Eastern Michigan in their MAC opener.

Single also had two assists and five steals. She had nine rebounds and blocked three shots. (She's 5-5.)

Coach Todd Starkey kept pushing Dingle to go "down hill," and she drove to the basket almost at will.

Fellow freshman Lindsey Thall made four-of-six three-point shots and had 14 points. She also blocked four shots and now leads the MAC in blocks. KSU"s Merissa Barber-Smith is second.

Flashes made 12 three-pointers and shot 54 percent from distance, both season highs. Senior Alexa Golden made three three-pointers, had nine rebounds and played all 40 minutes.

LSU is 8-4 and, of course, tied with five other MAC teams for first at 1-0. On Wednesday, they play 9-4 Northern Illinois, which beat a good Miami team 82-71 in DeKalb Saturday. Eastern is 7-5.

Full game story, including interviews with Starkey, Dingle and Thall, is on the blog at http://wbbflashes.com.

(It was a far more satisfying game than the men's.)

Nice win but our offense appears to be Dingle, Dingle and hoist the threes. It was helter skelter basketball (I’m being kind) at the highest level. Both teams were turning the ball over at high rates. We obviously won’t shoot 50+% from three every game so we better find a few more options. Carter disappeared and I wonder if Dingle and her can co-exist. They both need the ball and I wonder if that’s going to work. Inside we have no offense. Barber-Smith is a defensive player but I would like to see a little inside play from Thall. Hopefully that improves throughout the year.
I see some talent from Hannah Young but she plays very tight. She needs to just let the game flow. We could use her to provide a few mid range jumpers. Ali Poole the same.

Although Dingle was fantastic I’m not ready to change my 7 conference win prediction.

I think the offense Saturday was just a "run it until they stop you." And they never did stop Dingle.

Starkey has mentioned to me a bunch of times that Carter and Dingle are still learning to play together. They are similar players in that they both make their own shot -- though Dingle is mostly drives and Carter pull-up jumpers. Carter has told me she really likes playing with Dingle, so I don't see personality problems, just style of play problems. The two does keep the defense from keying on one....if Carter can shoot better than she did Wednesday.

Team had 14 assists on 24 baskets agains Eastern. That shows me they were running some kind of offense.

I think Poole will be more important in scoring than Young, though I think Hannah will be a good contributor. And Thall knows she needs an inside game.

We should see a very different kind of game Wednesday.

Northern Illinois is the No. 13 scoring team in the country (83 points a game). They also don't play a lot of defense, allowing the most on the MAC at 71 a game. They push the ball hard and shoot a lot of threes. Their leading scorer, Mikayla Voigt, averages 21 and shoots 40-odd percent from both two- and three-point distance. She had a MAC-record 52 against Western Illinois earlier this season.

KSU's defense has been its strength, leading the league in field-goal defense. So the key will be whether they can slow down NIU's offense.

Expect a score in the high 70s.

It's a big game for the Flashes. They're 8-4 and have an RPI of 114. Northern on paper looks a little better -- 9-4 and RPI of 81. But it's a home game for Kent and the kind of game they need to win if they're going to get more than Burden's prediction of seven.

Full preview is on the blog at http://wbbflashes.com.

Kent played really well tonight beating NIU by nine, 87-78. Poole had 28 points. Even made a prayer at the buzzer at the end of the half. I really liked the way Starkey slowed the game down with about 5 minutes left and kept NIUs possession to a minimum. I’m not ready to up my prediction above 7 wins since they play four of their next five on the road and they really need a bit more depth. Hopefully Brinlee and Young can provide more minutes as the season goes on. However it a very exciting team to watch. Reminds me of Lindsay’s early 1990 teams. They couldn’t beat the best teams in the MAC but they could sure score (and pile up the turnovers when they had an off game).

Definitely a very good win.

NIU had a higher RPI (81 to KSU’s 114) and a slightly better record (9-4 to KSU’s 8-4). The Flashes had lost three in a row to Northern.

At 2-0 in the MAC, Kent is tied for first with Central Michigan. BG and Eastern Michigan are 0-2. Every other team is 1-1.

Poole’s 28 beat her career high by nine points. Freshman forward Lindsey Thall also had a career high with 17. Asiah Dingle also had 17 and Megan Carter 12.

Poole said her high-arching shot at the buzzer in the first half “would have hit the ceiling” in her high school gym at Carrollton.

Starkey said the offensive game plan was to drive and kick the ball out to shooters like Poole, who had four three-pointers. Defensive plan was to limit transition points, where NIU scores a bundle. The Huskies had only six fast-break points Wednesday. KSU had 12.

The 87 points were the most KSU has scored against a Division I opponent since it lost to Northern 98-97 in Kent two years ago. It was 21 points above Kent State’s average. NIU’s 78 points were five below its average, which ranked 13th in the country.

Full story with quotes from Poole, Starkey and guard Alexa Golden, is on the blog at http://wbbflashes.com.

Kent State takes its highest RPI since the early 2000s to Toledo Saturday for its first MAC road game.

The Flashes are 96th in the latest NCAA rankings. Toledo is 89th of 351 teams. Both teams are 9-4. The Flashes won at home last week against Eastern Michigan (7-6) and Northern Illinois (9-5). Toledo beat Ball State (6-8) at home and lost by one point at Miami (10-3).

Both schools are among the best defensive teams in the conference statistically. Toledo is second in defense (59.4 points a game); Kent State is fourth (59.9)

On offense, Toledo is ninth in at 66.5. KSU is sixth at 68.0.

The Flashes played their best two conference games against the Rockets last year, beating them at Toledo in season play, then winning there again in the first round of the MAC Tournament. Before that, the Flashes had lost eight in a row in Savage Arena.

Full preview is on the blog at http://wbbflashes.com.

The MAC has six teams in the top 100 in this week’s RPI rankings by the NCAA. I can’t imagine that’s ever happened before.

Here’s what it looks like going into Saturday's games:

1. Central Michigan (11-3, 2-0 MAC) 21st.
2. Buffalo (9-4, 1-1) 47th.
3. Ohio (12-1, 1-1) 58th.
4. Toledo (9-4, 1-1) 89th.
5. Northern Illinois (9-5, 1-1) 92nd.
6. Kent State (9-4, 2-0) 96th

Then:

7. Miami (10-3, 1-1) 116th.
8. Akron (10-3, 1-1) 165th.
9. Ball State (5-8, 1-1) 195th.
10. Bowling Green (7-6, 0-2), 203rd.
11. Eastern Michigan (7-6, 0-2), 217th.
12. Western Michigan (7-6, 1-1), 292nd.

There are 351 Division I teams.

As a league, the MAC’s RPI ranks eighth 32 Division I conferences in the country.

More on the blog at http://wbbflashes.com.

Well at least one of our basketball teams is doing well. Nice win at Toledo this afternoon. I’m impressed with how they ran with NIU and won a high scoring game and then today played great defense and beat Toledo in a low scoring game.

The 58-47 win was the women's best of the season. Like Kent, Toledo had been 9-4 going into the game and had a higher RPI than the Flashes.

And the Rockets have won 77 percent of their games at home under coach Tricia Cullop. KSU now has won three in a row in Toledo. They've won seven in a row since Dec. 7.

When I looked at the schedule before the conference season, this was not one of the games I thought Kent had a good chance to win.

The KSU defense was outstanding. Toledo scored only 18 points in the first half and made just 31 percent of its shots for the game, which is 13 percentage points below its average. Senior forward Kaayla McIntyre, who is second in the MAC in field goal percentage at 58, was four of 10.

For the third straight conference game, Kent controlled the fourth quarter. The Rockets had closed to within 34-32 at the end of the third. KSU outscored Toledo 13-0 to start the quarter.

Megan Carter, who had been in somewhat of a scoring slump through most of KSU's winning streak, equaled her season high with 22 points. Asiah Dingle had 13. Freshman Lindsey Thall, who leads the MAC in blocked shots, had four more. Senior center Merissa Barber-Smith had a career-high three steals.

The Flashes are now 10-4 -- their best start since 2010-11 -- and one of two MAC teams at 3-0. Defending champion Central Michigan is the other; the two teams play next Saturday in Kent.

But first the Flashes have to play at Ohio on Wednesday. Ohio is 13-1.

Full story with quotes from coach Todd Starkey, assistant Mike McKee and Carter is on the blog at http://wbbflashes.com.

Carl/burden: did you make the trip to UT? It sounds like sour grapes from some of the Toledo folks that we may have taken the celebration too far. Just wondered if you were there what your take was.

I wasn’t there, Jim. Preparing for classes, which started today.

What happened? I saw Starkey saluting KSU fngs on tv. Teams seemed to go through the postgame handshake. But that’s all I know.

Toledo fans, and they lead the mAC in attendance every year, don’t like to lose. Losing three in a row to Kent in Toledo must really rankle.

Kent State's 58-47 win at Toledo jumped the team 23 spots in the NCAA's RPI rankings to 73rd.

It's the highest ranking for KSU in at least 10 years. The big jump came because RPI heavily rewards beating a good team on the road.

So next the Flashes play at 13-1 Ohio in Athens on Wednesday. The Bobcats have lost only to Central Michigan, the MAC's best team. OU has the fifth highest-scoring offense in the country. As usually, they play fast, shoot well and make a lot of three-points baskets.

Also as usually, their defense isn't as good as their offense, ranking sixth in the MAC.

KSU is the opposite -- second-best defense in the league in scoring average and first in field-goal defense. The offense has improved in their winning streak but still is pretty average.

Flashes and Central Michigan are the only 3-0 teams in the MAC. Overall Kent is 10-4, its best start in nine years.

It will be a very tough game to win. But two years ago, Kent was just 8-9 when it went to Athens and handed OU its first home loss. KSU went on to win the MAC East.

Full preview is on the blog at http://wbbflashes.com.