The Kent State women’s basketball team defeated the University of Louisiana at Lafayette 64-55 on Sunday. 

The Flashes (1-0) opened their season on the road as the Ragin’ Cajuns (1-2) have now lost back-to-back games. 

“We knew they were going to be tough, especially defensively,” coach Todd Starkey said. “I’m proud of coming away with a win. The players on the bench stepped up as well.” 

Freshman Janae Tyler led all bench players, scoring nine points. 

The other new addition, graduate student forward Mikala Morris, added 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting.

“In under 20 minutes, Morris had ten points and seven rebounds, which was really big,” Starkey said.“ Then Tyler comes off the bench and scores nine points in her first college game, so the combination of both of them was very effective for us.” 

Overall, the Flashes performed excellent defense during the first half, which set the tone for the rest of the game.

“I thought our communication was pretty good, but we had a few breakdowns here and there,” Starkey said. “I think we did a really good job of forcing tough shots.” 

In the first half, KSU limited the ULL to 26% shooting from the field and 0-for-5 from behind the arc.

The game’s highest scorer was junior forward Jenna Batsch, with 15 points. 

Batsch played in 30 games off the bench last season, averaging 3.1 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. 

“She played 36 minutes, and it was by far her best. She scored 12 points in the first half, which was really big. I was really pleased with her effort,” Starkey said. “She was sharing minutes with some really good players, and she showed moments of really good basketball. 

“She came back this summer determined to play with more confidence and work on her game.” 

The Flashes’ defense played a key role in their game tonight, leading them to victory. 

“We preach it all the time, every season, that our defense needs to be good enough to travel,” Starkey said. “ I was pleased with the way we started to really defend about midway through the second quarter.” 

The Flashes will now take on Louisiana State University this Tuesday in Baton Rouge, LA. 

Tip-off is at noon.

Last season, LSU (2-1) won the NCAA National Championship, defeating Iowa 102-85.

This season, the No. 1 Tigers lost their opening game 92-78 to No. 20 Colorado and have since scored over 100 points in their two previous games. 

“We need a little bit better offensive flow and execution,” Starkey said. “We have some new players that are still seeking to get comfortable. We played a little in the summer, but it takes time to get comfortable and understand who you are playing with.”

Emily Lowen is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].