After dropping its previous two games, the Kent State women’s basketball team entered Saturday’s game against Western Michigan looking for a way to snap the losing streak.

The Flashes (3-14, 1-5)  jumped out to an early 3-2 lead, but that brief lead would not last long. The Flashes lost the game 78-55, now extending Kent State’s losing streak to three.

The Flashes were outplayed in the contest, plagued by turnovers, poor execution and poor shooting throughout the game.  

In the first half, the team turned the ball over 12 times, which led to 12 fast break points for the Broncos.  

The team also had a hard time setting a rhythm offensively. In the first half, the Flashes shot a low 26 percent from the field, and redshirt senior center CiCi Shannon scored no points that half.

Coach Danielle O’Banion said her despite her team’s effort, it didn’t translate into the win column.

“I think we played very hard today, but at the end of the day, we made critical mistakes that cost us points,” O’Banion said. “We kept shooting ourselves in the foot, and Western Michigan took advantage of it.”

Unforced turnovers proved to be troublesome for Kent State, as they compiled 23 total turnovers which led to 24 points for the Broncos. The team didn’t capitalize on many of its possessions and finished the game shooting about 35 percent compared to the Broncos’ 48 percent.

“They (Western Michigan) tried to speed us up in the game,” O’Banion said. “We missed a lot of shots that we should have made, and when you don’t make shots, it’s very difficult to win against a team of this caliber.”

Despite the loss, the Flashes shot 80 percent from the free throw line in the game.

Sophomore guard Larissa Lurken lead all scorers in the game with 18 points. Sophomore guard Krista White chipped in eight points, and Shannon added seven points and collected 10 rebounds.  

The Flashes will now look to put this loss behind them as they prepare for a road test Wednesday, Jan. 28 against Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant, Michigan at 7 p.m.

Contact Quentin Smith at [email protected].