Seniors Lindsay Shearer (left) and Malika Willoughby play with a penguin at the Akron Zoo. The Flashes host the Buffalo Bulls at 2 p.m. tomorrow at the M.A.C. Center. As part of “Take a Kid to the Game Day,” the Akron Zoo will be hosting a hands-on wildli

Credit: Carl Schierhorn

The M.A.C. Center is expected to be a zoo Saturday afternoon when Kent State battles conference foe Buffalo for sole possession of second place in the Mid-American Conference.

No, seriously.

In a joint promotional effort with the Akron Zoo, the Kent State women’s basketball team will be holding an animal exhibit in the second floor atrium in the M.A.C. Center before its contest. The exhibit will include small reptiles and other animals as well as numerous hands-on exhibits.

The zoo program is set to begin at 1 p.m., and fans are encouraged to come early to take advantage of the educational opportunity before the 2 p.m. tip-off. Throughout the game, fans will have the opportunity to win free tickets and passes to the Akron Zoo.

In addition, the conference clash will include a “Take a Kid to the Game Day” promotion where any child who attends the game with a parent will get in free. As always, Kent State students get into the game for free with a FlashCard.

The contest will pit No. 2 Kent State (10-5, 3-1 MAC) against No. 3 Buffalo (7-8, 2-2 MAC) for what will be the teams’ first meeting this season. Last year, the Flashes finished a perfect 2-0 against its conference rival, defeating the Bulls by a combined score of 96 points.

Through the midway point of the season, senior forward Lindsay Shearer has established herself as the team’s most consistent player. Shearer, who averages 19 points per game, ranks first in the conference in scoring and is tied for 14th in rebounding with an average of 6.3 boards a game.

Senior point guard Malika Willoughby has continued to make her mark in the Kent State record books with her conference-leading 6.07 assists per game. She has 433 career assists and needs 35 more to move into sole possession of second place.

Following its contest with Buffalo Saturday, the Flashes will be in action Wednesday at Eastern Michigan. The Eagles, who enter the weekend with a 10-5, 4-0 conference record, are ranked first in the MAC West Division.

Contact women’s basketball reporter Matt Gottfried at [email protected].