The Miami University women's basketball team lost its fifth consecutive game on Wednesday night, falling 84-66 on the road against Kent State University.
The RedHawks are now 7-15 (1-8 MAC) on the season, while the Golden Flashes improve their mark to 12-10 (6-4 MAC).
"They have some nice role players that are doing a great job. I think that's why [Kent State] has seen some success," head coach Cleve Right said.
The two squads went back and forth out of the gate in the first quarter. After a KSU run gave them an 18-10 advantage, MU responded with a 7-2 run of its own behind buckets from freshman forward Savannah Kleusner and junior forward Molly McDonagh. The Golden Flashes carried a 20-17 at the end of the quarter.
A Kluesner three pointer and McDonagh layup quickly tied things up at 22 apiece to start the second quarter. A three-point play off a layup by sophomore guard Kendal McCoy gave the Red and White their first lead of the game at 27-24.
The MAC rivals went back and forth for the remainder of the half as Kent State held a slim 42-39 lead when the buzzer sounded.
For the third straight game, the 'Hawks were put out of reach in the third quarter as the Golden Flashes opened things up on a quick 6-0 run. Despite baskets from McDonagh, junior guard Kayla Brown and freshman guard Lauren Dickerson, KSU outscored MU by 14 points in the frame to take a comfortable 65-48 lead into the fourth quarter.
Miami kept pace with Kent State throughout the fourth quarter, but were unable to gain the momentum necessary to make any kind of comeback. Their rivals took the game with a score of 65-48.
Kluesner finished with a career-high 15 points for the RedHawks, while Dickerson and McDonagh contributed 14 points apiece. The Golden Flashes were led by senior guard Larissa Lurken who led all scorers with 30 points.
Despite the fact that MU outpaced KSU in regards to shooting percentage (.456 versus .450), the Golden Flashes won the game on the glass. Kent State had 41 rebounds in comparison to Miami's 26.
"I think as coaches we want to really focus on trying to help our players understand some of the things we need to do to be successful," Wright said.
The Red and White return to Millet Hall at noon on Saturday in the hopes of breaking their losing skid as they square off against Ball State University.
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