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After a strong three game Mid-American Conference winning streak, the Kent State women’s basketball team has lost its last four games in a row culminating with its latest loss, Saturday, to Eastern Michigan 83-47.

With their second-worst loss of the season, the team is still looking for answers as MAC tournament time is just around the corner. Unfortunately both offensively and defensively, no one has been a consistent go-to player for the Flashes.

Freshman Itziar Llobet led the Flashes, scoring 13 points, the sixth time this season she has led the team in scoring. Juniors Tamzin Barroilhet and Diamon Beckford added 10 each.

While still struggling on offense, Eastern Michigan’s Tavelyn James dropped 40 points to thrash the Flashes. Setting an Eagles record with 10 three-pointers in the game, James shot 10-20 from beyond the arch and proved to be the difference in the game.

On top of struggling with defending one person, as a team, the Flashes lost the rebounding battle 50-26, which included losing on the offensive glass 21-5.

The team committed 20 costly turnovers in the game that the Eagles turned into 28 points.

Statistically, the Flashes lost every major category on the statistics sheet including points in the paint, 42-22, and second chance points, 18-8. Where the Flashes really let the game get away was in shooting percentage: the team shot 33.3 percent in both halves to Eastern Michigan’s 44 percent.

With so many turnovers and a low shooting percentage, the Flashes were only able to sink 51 shots in the loss compared to 74 for the Eagles.

Saturday’s loss is the final MAC West test the Flashes will have in the regular season, as the team was unable to keep their heads above water after starting off the swing 2-0. Rounding out the stretch of the schedule, the Flashes finished 2-4.

With just five more games left on the schedule, including three home games, the Flashes will need some wins, and a little luck, if the team hopes to book a trip to Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland for the MAC Tournament.

Sitting at second from the bottom in the MAC East standings, the Flashes need to hope for losses by Ohio, Akron, Bowling Green and Miami. All of which are left on the Flashes’ schedule.

MAC tournament games are slated to start March 3 at campus sites of the higher seed. As it stands now, the Flashes are the ninth seed, which means that currently the team would be on the road to face an opponent.

The RedHawks of Miami (17-7, 7-4 MAC East) will travel to the M.A.C. Center to take on the Flashes Wednesday at 7 p.m. In their last meeting on Jan. 11 at Miami, the Flashes fell 73-55.

Contact Matt Lofgren at [email protected] and @MLofgrenDKS.