Led by a hot start and strong effort on the offensive and defensive side of the ball, the Kent State women’s basketball team dominated Akron 73-51 Saturday.

For the Flashes, it’s their fifth straight win versus the rival Zips and their fifth consecutive win this season. Similar to the team’s past four games, the Flashes came out and outplayed their opponent in all facets of the game. 

“We did a great job of paying attention to our gameplan,” coach Todd Starkey said. “We were really connected defensively, and then on the offensive side of the ball, we really executed at times.”  

The game got out of hand quickly for the Zips after a lightning-fast start for the Flashes. Akron led just once in the game after taking a 4-2 lead with 6:34 left in the first quarter; they wouldn’t score again until the 9:04 mark in the second quarter.

In that span of time, the Flashes went on a 20-0 run to take an 18-point lead.  

“We were very connected and let our good defense play into our offense and get a good flow going,” sophomore forward Janae Tyler said. “We always play better when we can kick the ball out or when we are moving off of where we get the ball in.”

The strong play for the Flashes didn’t end there. The team kept their momentum going into the half with a 39-14 lead. 

“We had about a three or four minute stretch in the second quarter where we kind of got away from some things a little bit and took some quick shots, but other than that I thought our offense of execution was really good,” Starkey said. “It’s always great in these rivalry games to get out to a quick start.” 

Akron finally found its shooting stroke in the third quarter, where it scored 21 points on 7-14 shooting. The Flashes didn’t let up, answering with 27 points (9-11 from the field).  

After taking a 66-35 lead at the end of the third quarter. The Flashes took their foot off the gas in the fourth with the victory well in hand. 

With the men’s team suffering a hard-to-swallow defeat to Akron just the night before, this game served as much needed payback and rejuvenated disappointed fans.

“We know in the back of our heads that, for our fan base, we really needed to get this rivalry win,” senior guard Jenna Batsch said. “We knew they didn’t have a great game last night, so it feels good to return the favor.” 

The Flashes were firing on all cylinders throughout the game on offense. The team shot 25-47 (53%) from the field and 6-17 (35%) from 3-point range.

The team also found success in the paint with 32 points and at the free throw line (17-23). With offensive success building for the Flashes the past few games, Starkey hopes to continue this growth. 

“We’ve had some really good moments through the last few weeks, and we’ve shown a lot of potential,” he said. “This team is hungry for more, and they know we can continue to improve.” 

The Flashes also found monumental success on defense. The Zips were held to 6-30 (20%) shooting from the field in the first half and 18-53 (34%) throughout the entire game. 

Akron also shot poorly from beyond the three-point line (2-13) and committed 16 turnovers compared to eight assists. 

“The defensive side of the ball today showed up early, and that was something that we really focused on,” Starkey said. 

The Flashes had several impressive performances in the win, Batsch headlines the group with 25 points on 9-15 shooting. Her efficiency has improved as the season has gone on, and she’s been a huge part of the Flashes’ recent offensive success. 

“Early on, I was I was really sped up, and I was trying to do things that were not

part of my game,” she said. “I was trying to force things too much, so I really just tried to slow down and focus on the right things and it let it come to me.” 

Tyler also had a big performance with 14 points and five rebounds. Sophomore guard Mya Babbitt also clocked in a solid outing with 13 points on 5-6 shooting. 

Akron’s players were bottled up for the most part, but senior forward Shelbee Brown played well with 15 points and seven rebounds.

With the win, the Flashes move to 15-7 overall and 8-2 in conference play. The Flashes also remain tied for second place in the Mid-American Conference.  

Akron falls to 9-13 overall with a conference record of 3-7. The Zips remain tied for ninth-place in the MAC. 

Up next for the Flashes is a road matchup against Northern Illinois Wednesday. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. 

“It’s a great win for us to go to five straight,” Starkey said. “We just want to try to keep that streak going as long as we can.”

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