Senior guard Jenna Batsch was unstoppable for the Kent State women’s basketball team in a 79-59 win over Eastern Michigan Wednesday. 

Batsch led the Flashes with 33 points on 13-21 (62%) shooting from the field. Her point total is a new career-high, well over her previous career-high which was a 25-point performance against Western Michigan last season. 

“I just took the same shots I usually take, but they were all going in,” Batsch said. “It feels good to see early, and it gives you a lot of confidence for the rest of the game.” 

Batsch was on fire the moment the game started, as she scored the first eight points for the Flashes and kept going from there. She also scored utilizing all three levels of the game with numerous layups, jumpers and 3-point attempts. 

“She just got into a rhythm early,” coach Todd Starkey said. “She did a really good job of taking shots inside the context of her offense.” 

As for the team, this is the fourth straight win of 14 or more points for the Flashes. The offense was, once again, a strength for the team with an efficient outing. 

The team had shooting splits of 33-61 (54%) from the field and 7-16 (44%) from 3-point distance. With Batsch drawing a lot of attention, it opened up other opportunities for Flashes in the paint, where the team scored 42 points. 

“We had some easy dump-offs at the basket,” junior guard Dionna Gray said. 

The offense also ran very smoothly. The Flashes had 20 assists compared to nine turnovers. 

A big part of that was Gray’s excellence in her floor general role, and Batsch’s scoring ability. 

“I was just able to run the floor, and my teammates were with me,” Gray said. “Obviously, having the hot hand like Jenna, it wasn’t hard to get all of those assists.” 

The Flashes defense also excelled throughout the game. Eastern Michigan shot 24-58 (41%) from the field and was unable to generate consistent offense with just nine assists compared to 15 turnovers. 

The Flashes were dominant for most of the game, as the team broke out to a 16-point halftime lead thanks to a 23-point performance in the second quarter. 

“We did a really good job of executing the game plan, especially in the first and second quarter,” Starkey said.  

Eastern Michigan made things a little more interesting after outscoring the Flashes 22-17 in the third quarter, but it was too little too late. The Flashes put together another strong offensive performance in the fourth quarter to put the game away for good. 

“We got a little bit out of character defensively and got a little careless on the offensive end,” Starkey said. “Obviously, we turned that around pretty quickly.” 

Outside of Batsch, several other Flashes recorded notable performances. Gray executed the offense perfectly as she notched nine assists, six points and five rebounds. 

Sophomore forward Janae Tyler also filled up the stat sheet with 12 points, five rebounds and three assists. Sophomore center Riley Rismiller also had a big game off the bench with 13 points on 6-8 shooting. 

Eastern Michigan also had a couple notable performances headlined by junior forward Sisi Eleko, she finished with a near double-double with 24 points and nine rebounds. Junior guard Olivia Smith also had a solid outing with 16 points on 7-14 shooting. 

With the win, the Flashes move to 14-7 with a conference record of 7-2. Eastern Michigan drops to 1-18 with a conference record of 0-9. 

The Flashes remain tied for third place in the Mid-American Conference while Eastern Michigan sits at the bottom. 

Looming matchup against Akron 

The next test for the Flashes will come at the hands of the University of Akron. The first matchup of the season between these teams will be held in the M.A.C. Center on Saturday with tipoff set for 1 p.m.

The Flashes swept the season series last year and look to continue that momentum into the rivalry game this season. In two games last year, Batsch combined for 30 points against Akron. 

“That game means a lot to us obviously because it’s technically our rival,” she said. “[We had] some lapses defensively that we have to clean up before that game, and if we just focus on us, we’ll be fine.” 

Coming into the game, Akron sits in a ninth-place tie in the MAC with a record of 9-12 and conference record of 3-6. The Zips have also lost five in a row. 

A couple players to look out for include senior guard Alexus Mobley and senior forward Shelbee Brown. Both players are averaging over 11 points while shooting over 41% from the field.  

Starkey knows how much this game means to the team and to the fans. 

“It’s a rivalry game, and there’s nothing more to it than that,” he said. “You just feel the rivalry.” 

John Engoglia is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].