Women’s basketball (12-8) lost to the Kent State Golden Flashes (10-6) 65-62 Wednesday night at the MAC Center in Kent, OH.
With the loss, the Bulls fall into a tie with Northern Illinois for fifth place in the MAC. As the season winds down, the pressure is on Felisha Legette-Jack’s squad to win these close games and return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.
Sophomore guard Dyaisha Fair led the Bulls with 23 points, four rebounds, one assist and one steal. Fair made 43% of her shots but failed to get it going from downtown, making just one of five three-pointers. Junior forward Keowa Walters was efficient, dropping 13 points along with eight rebounds on 75% shooting. Freshman guard Cheyenne McEvans scored 14 points and snagged two steals while shooting 40% from the field.
As a team, the Bulls shot 45% from the field, compared to Kent State’s 39%. The Bulls dominated in the paint, scoring 46 of their 62 points from underneath. But the Golden Flashes’ efficient 35% three-point percentage outshined the Bulls’ 12.5% clip from behind the arc. UB spent 20 minutes in the lead, with their largest lead coming in the second quarter, when they led by nine points. The Bulls struggled on both ends of the floor in the third quarter, allowing Kent State to go on a 11-0 scoring run.
Kent State sophomore forward Nila Blackford led the Golden Flashes with 18 points, nine rebounds and two steals. Sophomore guard Katie Shumate scored 17 points, 14 of which coming in the first half. Junior forward Lindsey Thall had ten points, three assists, two steals and two blocks before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
Kent State shot 53.8% as a team in the third quarter as well as 40% from beyond the three-point line. The contest was close until the final whistle; Kent State junior guard Mariah Modkins hit a floater to give the Golden Flashes a 63-62 lead with just over a minute left in play. UB had the ball down 65-62 with 10 seconds left, but Fair missed the potential game-tying shot.
The Bulls will look to shake off the loss when they host the Ohio Bobcats Saturday at 2 p.m. at Alumni Arena. The game will be televised on ESPN+.
The sports desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com
Kayla Sterner is an assistant sports editor at The Spectrum. She is studying communications with the hopes of being a sideline reporter. In her spare time, she can be found in the gym, watching football or vibing to Mac Miller. Kayla is on Twitter @kaylasterner.
