Kent State (8-7, 1-2 Mid-American Conference) played its second conference game of the year to a similar result as the first: a close loss.

The Flashes opened the game shooting 1-for-9 from the field as Western Michigan jumped out to an early 10-2 lead during Saturday’s game.

The team ended the first quarter shooting just 25 percent from the field, and their best player, senior forward Jordan Korinek, was held scoreless.

“When she tried to cut to space, they did a nice job putting multiple bodies on her,” coach Todd Starkey said.

The second quarter was not much better, as the Flashes shot 6-for-15 from the floor, and Korinek scored four points on 2-for-5 shooting in the quarter.

Kent State prides themselves on the team’s ability to get the foul line — seventh in the nation in free throw attempts per game last year — but they were unable to muster a single attempt from the line in the first half.

“If the officials are going to let them play through more contact like they did tonight, we need to be able to respond better,” Starkey said.

Despite the poor shooting and lack of free throws, the Flashes only found themselves trailing, 26-20, after two quarters.

The team inched closer during the third quarter as Korinek shot 6-for-6 from the free-throw line and scored 10 points in the period. Megan Carter added five points (3-for-4 from the line) as the Flashes cut the lead to 39-37 entering the final quarter.

Western Michigan opened the fourth quarter on a 9-0 run to extend the lead to 48-37 with 8:04 left. Kent State missed a few open three-pointers late that would have shifted the momentum, resulting in a 66-61 defeat.

The Flashes will look to rebound from this loss in their next game at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the M.A.C. Center against Eastern Michigan.

Ian Kreider is a sports reporter. Contact him at [email protected].