KENT, Ohio – The Western Michigan women's basketball team ended its 2025-26 season with a close 67-60 loss to the Kent State Golden Flashes.

For the second game in a row, the Broncos overcame a major deficit in the second half. WMU trailed by as many as 19 early in the third quarter but found its way back to within seven in the final minute. The Brown and Gold weren't quite able to get over the hump in that final minute, ending in the 67-60 score. Sophomore guard Kailey Starks led Western Michigan with 24 points while guard Alli Harness and forward D'Myjah Bolds added 12 and 10 points through 40 minutes.

The Broncos took an early lead on a layup from guard Kailey Starks. But WMU didn't hold the lead for long as Kent State tied the game up on the possession after. It was a mostly defensive quarter from there with only two three pointers being scored over the next three plus minutes. The Golden Flashes put together a brief five point run to retake the lead. The Brown and Gold started going back and forth with Kent State in scoring, closing the gap to only a point on an Alli Harness three at 3:47. Harness hit another triple less than a minute later, tying the game. Both teams had one more basket before the end of the first ten minutes, knotted at 17 each.

Western Michigan scored the first bucket of the second quarter to take a two-point lead just under two minutes in. But the Broncos offense was quiet from there, not scoring another point for the next three minutes. WMU had a five-point run to get back within a bucket of the Flashes. But another cold spell until the final seconds of the first half had the Brown and Gold trailing by 10.

The Western Michigan offense took some time to get going in the second half as Kent State grew its lead to 19. The Broncos got going before the media timeout of the third, adding five points. The Flashes responded with a five-point run of their own. But WMU quickly got back to scoring, ending the third with five straight points and keeping Kent State scoreless for almost three minutes.

An early foul got the Brown and Gold within 12 points as it became a back-and forth affair until four minutes had elapsed. Western Michigan put together a six-point run in only a minute to shrink its deficit only eight. The Broncos added 11 points in the final two and a half minutes of the game, but Kent State kept just ahead with 10 points in the last four minutes. WMU ended its season in the MAC Center with a 67-60 final.

The Brown and Gold end the 2025-26 season with a 9-20 overall record and a 5-13 Mid-American Conference record.