Golden Flashes Defeats NIU 73-48 on National TV
The Kent State women’s basketball team won their six straight over the Northern Illinois Huskies 73-49. On a CBS Network televised event, the Golden Flashes did not disappoint in their first ever nationally televised game at the M.A.C. Center.
Kicking off the game, the first 5 minutes was a back and forth affair, with the Golden Flashes holding a 8-2 lead at the 4:21 mark. The Huskies ended the quarter on a 9-4 run to finish the first period down 12-11. The Golden Flashes started the second quarter extending their lead to 19-13, before the Huskies knocked down back to back shots to bring it back to 19-17 at the 6:10 mark of the 2nd. The Golden Flashes closed out the 1st half on a monstrous 16-0 run with Forward Bridget Dunn knocking down two 3’s in the run to go into halftime with a 37-19 lead.
Finishing off the final 20 minutes, the Golden Flashes’ lead never went below 18 points, with the gap widening as big as 26 points midway through the fourth quarter. The Golden Flashes finished with 4 players finishing in double-digit points, with Forward Katie Shumate leading the night with 16 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds to surpass 700 career rebounds, while Forward Bridget Dunn followed with 15 points, and 6 rebounds. Forward Jenna Batsch also finished with 15 points, while Center Mikala Morris added 10 points and 6 rebounds. For the Huskies, Forward Brooke Stonebaker finished with 15 points and 9 rebounds, while Guard Jayden Marable followed with 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals.
With the win, the Golden Flashes have won their six straight to advance to a 10-4 record and moved to 4-0 to start Mid-American Conference play for the first time since 2020-21.