UB to Play Regular-Season Finale Saturday at Kent State
3/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo, State University of New York women's basketball team will travel to Mid-American Conference opponent Kent State for its regular-season finale Saturday. The Bulls (17-11, 10-7 MAC) and the Golden Flashes (5-23, 3-14 MAC) will meet for the 36th time with a 2 pm contest at the Memorial Athletic & Convocation Center.
Kent State dominates the all-time series against UB, 26-9, dating back to the 1998-99 season. Though UB has won the most recent six matchups, KSU won 19 unanswered to tip-off the series. The Bulls last claimed a 59-57 victory over the Golden Flashes on Feb. 18 at Alumni Arena.
The Bulls, who remain in the hunt for a first-round bye, are shooting 37.2 percent from the field, have a three-point showing of 25.2 and a free throw percentage of 66.4. Leading the MAC in steals (11.2), offensive rebounds (15.9) and blocks (4.0) per game, UB averages 64.7 points and 41.8 boards per game. Senior Kristen Sharkey paces UB with 14.3 points and 8.0 boards per outing to go with 45 steals, while shooting a team-best 77.9 percent at the line. Junior Mackenzie Loesing is averaging 13.8 points per game and has 39 threes on the year. Sophomore Alexus Malone is posting 10.9 points and 7.8 rebounds a contest. She has seven double-doubles and chips in 41 assists and a team-best 49 steals. Senior Christa Baccas is contributing 8.3 points per game to help guide the balanced UB offense, and pulls down 7.9 boards per contest. Ranking second all-time at UB and 13th nationally among active Division I student-athletes with 424 blocks, Baccas has 54 to lead the conference this season. Freshman Stephanie Reid has a Bull-best 51 assists in 15 games. Sharkey adds 48 and junior Karin Moss 46.
Kent State, who picked up a MAC victory against Northern Illinois and a pair against Bowling Green, has lost four of its last five. The Golden Flashes have two non-conference victories on the year over Blemont and Colgate. The Golden Flashes lead the league with a rebounding defense of 34.1. They are outrebounding opponents, 36.0-34.1, but are being outscored, 65.7-55.4, the largest scoring margin in the MAC. Kent State is connecting 40.8 percent of all field goals, 30.4 percent from the arc and 61.4 percent from the line, a league-low.
The game will air live on ESPN 1520 AM with Sloane Martin on the call, while a live webstream will be available. Fans can also follow along with live stats or live tweets.
