The Golden Flashes failed to keep possession of the ball throughout the game, giving Central Michigan an easy double-digit win Thursday night in Mt. Pleasant, Mich.

Kent State was unable to get into a flowing offense at any point of the game, almost handing the ball over to Central Michigan as they went on to win 91-44. The Flashes played a hard zone in the first half but allowed the Chippewa’s wide-open lanes to the basket.

The Chippewa’s (13-7, 7-0 MAC) dominated from tip off, starting with a 6-0 lead over Kent State (2-18, 0-7 MAC). They remain undefeated in the conference with their dominant play throughout the game.

“Central Michigan certainly is as good as advertised and I have to give Coach [Sue] Guevara a lot of credit, she certainly developed a good system,” said Kent State head coach Danielle O’Banion.

The Flashes knew this game was going to be a difficult challenge.

“I felt we did some things well early, but coming in we knew we had a very small margin of error,” O’Banion said. “Certainly defending the three-point line with a point of emphasis as well as limiting our turnovers. We really wanted for Central Michigan to earn their points and we did that a little early in the game.”

The Flashes were within two points of Central Michigan in the first half with a score of 10-8 with 12:00 minutes to play. That was the closest to a lead the Flashes were throughout the rest of the game.

Standout player Jessica Green helped aid Central Michigan to a 49-21 lead at the half. Green left the first half early with foul trouble, but was still able to finish the game with 9 points, 5 assists and 6 rebounds.

Crystal Bradford was limited to 10 points, below her average of 15 points per game.

Freshman center Heather Bachman, who had a big presence in the paint, was a bright spot for the Flashes. She and senior guard Tamzin Barroilhet were the only Kent State players to reach double figures with 10 points a piece. Barroilhet also finished the game with 8 rebounds.

Bachman credits a team effort that helped her get the important points in the paint.

“It was important for my teammates to look for me in the paint, you can tell by the way that they pushed the ball into the half court,” Bachman said. “We are always very team oriented and I have to give the credit to my teammates.”

The Central Michigan bench was able to get a large amount of playing time as many of the starters took a seat early in the second half. All but one of the 13 Chippewa players was able to get on the scoreboard.

“I have been where Kent State is right now, and I was just happy with the way we came out,” said Central Michigan coach Sue Guevara in an interview with MAC Sports.com.

This weekend, the team will travel to Athens to take on the Ohio Bobcats (5-13, 0-6 MAC). Both teams are looking for their first conference win. This is arguably the best chance that Kent State has to secure a conference win.

“The best thing about Sunday is that it gives us another chance to play,” O’Banion said. “We haven’t necessarily shown our best effort to any team in the M.A.C. and I think the best place for us is to regroup and continue to strive to that against OU on Sunday.”

Contact Meghan Blaha at [email protected].