Despite a disappointing loss to Central Michigan last Saturday, the Kent State women’s basketball team looks to build off their strong offensive performance.

The Flashes, who shot a solid 49 percent for the game, appear to be back in a strong offensive stride once again.

“I thought that for most of that game we had pretty good offense,” said senior guard Jamilah Humes. “I thought that was the best we’ve run our offense the entire season.”

Humes posted one of her best offensive games of the season on Saturday, posting 27 points while shooting a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line.

Although Kent State (16-7, 7-4 Mid-American Conference) had a strong showing with its offense, the defense let the team down late in the game.

The Flashes held on to a 10-point lead with just over six minutes remaining in the game. But with a few defensive faults, the Flashes could not finish with a win.

“I thought we had good defense when we were actually containing them, we actually were doing a good job,” said sophomore guard Tamzin Barroilhet. “Unfortunately, at the end we had a few relapses that cost us the game.”

Kent State’s bench provided a boost in the team’s offense by collectively scoring 22 points. Behind Barroilhet’s 12 points, the young bench got a look at what they can do to help the team succeed.

“We had a few iffy games but I think the game is a sign of things to come,” Barroilhet said. “We’ve been working hard to get out of our little slump, and I think it was a positive thing if we can do what we did over the next couple of games.”

The Flashes are returning to MAC East play Thursday at 7 p.m. at Miami (10-14, 2-9 MAC). Earlier this season, the Flashes were able to beat the Red Hawks 76-62 at the M.A.C. Center.

“It’s really crucial getting to play a team twice in the same season because you’ve already played them and they know their tendencies,” Humes said. “ Whether you won or lost, you know what you did right to win, and they know what happened to them to create that loss.”

In the last game against Miami, the Flashes had a solid team performance with five Flashes in double-digit points. The team will need to relive that type of performance with just five games remaining in the regular season schedule before the MAC Tournament starting March 5.

“We can definitely carry over our offensive execution we had but need to pick it up on defense,” Humes said. “We just need to play together.”

Contact Matt Lofgren at [email protected]