MAC TotalCasts/Recaps
CLEVELAND (March 2, 2000) -- Kent State University's three all-conference selections
combined for 49 points to lead the top-seeded Golden Flashes (23-5) to a
narrow 71-68 victory over eighth-seeded University at Buffalo (18-11) in
the MAC Tournament quarterfinals March 2 at Public Hall.
MAC Player of the Year Dawn Zerman (Fremont, Ohio/Ross) and second-team
All-MAC pick Alana Bader (Kennan, Wis./Phillips) each scored 17 points
for Kent. Senior center Julie Studer (Mansfield, Ohio/Lexington), who
also earned second-team honors, added 15 points and a team-high seven
rebounds.
Buffalo had tied the game at 58-58 on a Tiffany Bell (Alexandria,
Va./Hayfield) layup with 2:39 remaining but the Golden Flashes made
eight of 10 free-throw attempts, including six of eight by Zerman, to
stave off the Bulls' charge. Kent built its lead to 67-58 with 35
seconds to play and survived another Buffalo rush as the Bulls scored
eight points in the final 24 seconds, including a pair of three-point
field goals by Mari McClure (Rochester Hills, Mich./Rochester Adams) in
the final five seconds.
"You saw a good game that certainly was a game of two halves," said Kent
Head Coach Bob Lindsay. "We seem to have the ability to win close
games. We were fortunate to win the first one (in the tournament) and
we'll see what happens from here."
In the first half, Studer scored the Flashes' first seven points to
stake Kent to a 7-2 lead and built the advantage to 34-18 before taking
a 34-21 lead at halftime.
McClure and Tara Perrier (Aurora, Ontario/Aurora) each scored 15 points
to lead Buffalo. The pair combined to hit 7-of-13 from three-point
range. Bell, a second-team All-MAC selection, had a double-double with
10 points and a game-high 11 rebounds but was held to 4-of-11 shooting
from the field.
With the win, the Golden Flashes extended their winning streak to eight
games and have now won 20 of their last 21 games since Dec. 11. Kent
advanced to the MAC Tournament semifinals for the ninth time in the past
10 seasons.