KENT, Ohio – The Western Michigan women's basketball team travels to Kent, Ohio, in search of their fifth win in six contests as they take on Kent State University on Wednesday, February 7, on ESPN+. Tipoff is slated for 7:00 PM.
As of late, Kent State has been on a roll and carries a 13-6 (8-2 MAC) record into Wednesday's contest after winning four out of their last five games (including a victory over Central Michigan University via forfeit). Currently, Kent State's conference record of 8-2 is good for third in the Mid-American Conference standings. During their five-game stretch, the Golden Flashes have defeated their opponents by 8.7 points on average in their victories. In part, their success is credited to redshirt senior guard Katie Shumate. Through 19 games played thus far, Shumate leads the Golden Flashes with 14.2 points and 6.6 rebounds.
After starting MAC play 0-4, the Brown and Gold have bounced back by winning four out of their last five conference matchups. With one month left in the regular season, Western Michigan occupies the sixth seed and enters Wednesday's action within striking distance of the fourth seed (1.5 games behind University at Buffalo (6-4 MAC)). Last time out, WMU defeated in-state rival Eastern Michigan on the road 76-49 behind graduate student Kaitlyn Zarycki's 26 points (10-12 FG) for her sixth 20-point outing in nine games. Maggie Stutelberg would also see an efficient scoring night after compiling 14 points in 21 minutes Wednesday after shooting 4-7 from three in her second game back in the lineup. On the glass, graduate student Jasmine Elder continues to find success after grabbing six rebounds against the Eagles. Over her last three games, Elder has increased her average rebounding production to eight rebounds per game.
Despite trailing Kent State 7-9 in the all-time series, the Broncos are looking to build momentum in the series and in the overall MAC landscape. A win over Kent State will secure WMU's third victory in their last four matchups over the Golden Flashes and put the Broncos at the .500 mark for the first time since December 21, 2023, when the team held a 5-5 record entering conference play.
For all things WMU women's basketball, make sure to follow the team on Instagram @wmu_wbb, Twitter @wmu_wbb, and Facebook @westernmichiganwomensbasketball.
