Women’s basketball hopes to build on strong conference start
The Kent State women’s basketball team lost to Wright State on Dec. 2, dropping its record to 3-4. The team hasn’t lost since.
The Flashes now sit at 10-4 and 3-0 in the MAC, with each conference win being more impressive than the last.
First, it was freshman Asiah Dingle’s career-high 29 points in the Flashes’ 71-64 win to open conference season. Next, it was junior Ali Poole’s 28 points that led the Flashes to a 87-78 win over high-scoring Northern Illinois. Then, on Saturday, it was a 24-point fourth quarter that led the Flashes to a 58-47 win over Toledo.
Junior guard Megan Carter leads the Flashes with 15 points per game. Carter only played in 20 games last season (four starts), and it’s clear Carter’s full season of play benefited not only her, but the team as a whole. Carter is paired in the backcourt with Dingle, who is second on the team and averaging 13.8 points per game.
Dingle and fellow freshman Lindsey Thall are helping jump-start the Flashes after a disappointing 2017-18 campaign. Thall is currently first in the MAC with 24 blocks, and she is also averaging 10.1 points per game.
The MAC is arguably better than it’s ever been; the conference currently boasts six teams in the top 100 of the RPI rankings. Central Michigan (12-3, 3-0) and Ohio (13-1, 2-1) both received votes in the AP top 25 rankings. Kent State is one of the eight teams in the conference with more than nine wins.
Kent State is arguably the hottest team in the conference, having won seven straight games. The Flashes will travel to take on Ohio in Athens on Tuesday before welcoming the Chippewas to the M.A.C. Center on Saturday.
The Flashes proved through their first three conference games that they’re one of the top teams in the conference — something they’ll look to continue in their matchups against Ohio and a top-ranked Central Michigan squad.