For the first time since Nov. 16, the Kent State women’s basketball team has lost two games in a row, following a 76-70 loss to Buffalo Wednesday. 

It’s also the third loss out of the last four games for the Flashes. The losses have all been close games with a combined loss margin of 12 points. 

“Our average marginal loss is four points, so we’re right there,” coach Todd Starkey said regarding the three losses. “It’s not doomsday or the end of the world; we just need to make sure we learn from it and continue to grow.” 

Similar to the previous losses in the stretch, the Flashes battled the whole way and made it a tight contest late into the fourth quarter. Things didn’t go their way in the final moments once again. 

“I thought we outplayed Buffalo for 33 of the 40 minutes,” Starkey said. “It was the other seven minutes of the game where they outplayed us, and you can’t let that happen with a really good team on the road.” 

The game started out well for the Flashes, as the team jumped out to a 20-11 lead in the first quarter. The defense held the Bulls to shooting splits of 3-11 (27%) from the field and 1-3 (33%) from 3-point distance. 

Things changed quickly, as the Bulls roared back to cut the Flashes lead to one point entering halftime. The offense woke up to generate 24 points on 10-15 (67%) shooting. 

The third quarter started out as a back-and-forth battle between both teams, but the Flashes managed to build a slight lead thanks to success at the free throw line (10-12). 

Despite shooting a poor 5-14 (36%) from the field, the Flashes managed to build a five-point lead going into the final quarter. 

“We were in control,” Starkey said. 

In the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Flashes managed to build a 10-point lead. Just when it seemed the team would pull away and secure the win, things began to unravel. 

“We had the lead for 35 minutes of the game,” Starkey said. “Then we made some crucial mistakes in the fourth quarter that played into their hands and strengths.” 

With just over two minutes left, Buffalo took the lead on a layup from graduate guard Chellia Watson. After a series of missed layups and free throws from the Flashes, the team was down three points with 21 seconds left. 

A clutch steal from junior guard Dionna Gray gave the Flashes a chance to tie, but a turnover from senior guard Jenna Batsch ended all hope for a comeback. 

“We’re playing really good basketball for segments of games, and we just need to figure out how we can translate that to all 40 minutes,” Starkey said. “I don’t think we’re far off.” 

The Flashes were outscored 24-13 in the fourth quarter and shot 5-15 (33%) from the field and 1-5 (20%) from 3-point range. On the other hand, Buffalo shot 9-15 (60%) and missed its lone 3-point attempt. 

Despite these down-to-the-wire losses, Starkey is hopeful these predicaments will lead to success and improvements in the future. 

“The more experience you have in these situations, the more prepared you are when you face them in the future,” he said.  

Overall, the Flashes shot 24-61 (39%) from the field and 9-22 (41%) from beyond the 3-point line. The Bulls had shooting splits of 29-54 (54%) from the field and 3-9 (33%) from 3-point distance. 

While Buffalo didn’t fire a high volume from 3-point range, it made up for it scoring in other areas. The Bulls scored 46 points in the paint, 35 points off fastbreaks and 20 points off turnovers. 

The Flashes were outscored by 10 points or more in every category.  

“We had some costly turnovers, and our shot selection wasn’t great,” Starkey said. “That led to their biggest strength, which is playing in transition.” 

Several Flashes had impressive performances in the loss. Sophomore guard Mya Babbitt and Batsch led the way with 17 points each. 

Sophomore forward Janae Tyler was on the doorstep of a double-double with 10 rebounds and nine points. Gray rounds out the list with eight points, eight assists and four steals. 

Buffalo also had some noteworthy performances, headlined by Watson’s 28 points on 12-18 shooting and nine rebounds. She was huge for the Bulls in crunch time, scoring 14 points in the final quarter. 

Starkey had high praise for her, calling Watson “one of the best players in the league.” 

“She played phenomenal down the stretch,” he said. “She made some very difficult shots.” 

Sophomore guard Kirsten Lewis-Williams also had a big game with 17 points on 5-7 shooting. Graduate guard Noelani Cornfield was everywhere on the court, filling up the stat sheet with 13 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds and four steals. 

The loss drops the Flashes to 16-10 and 8-5 in conference play. The loss plummets them to a fourth place tie in the Mid-American Conference, as well. 

With the win, Buffalo improves to 21-4 with a conference record of 10-3. The team remains in second place in the MAC.

Up next for the Flashes is a road matchup against top-seeded Ball State Saturday. Tipoff is at noon. 

Starkey said the Flashes will have to play their best ball to have an opportunity to win. 

“We’re playing against a really tough opponent,” he said. “It’s an important game for us. No question about it.” 

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