The Kent State women’s basketball team returned home to take on the Western Michigan Broncos for the last regular season and home game of the 2025-2026 season. The Flashes brought home the win on senior night, beating the Broncos 67-60.
The Flashes will complete the regular season at 15-15 on the season, and 9-9 in Mid-American Conference play. Senior guard Joy Bergstrom was named an honorary starter for today’s game.
“I came here last year,” said Bergstrom. “Getting ready with them before the game is really fun.”
Saturday was senior day at the M.A.C. Center. Graduate guard Bianca Juzzo, senior forward Tatiana Thomas, senior guard Joy Bergstrom and senior guard Dionna Gray were all honored for their hard work and dedication to the team.
“These seniors have been an unbelievable class,” coach Todd Starkey said. “The great thing for me as a coach is four or five years ago, none of them knew each other and now they’re teammates for life.”
In the first quarter, the Flashes started strong offensively with an easy lay-in bucket from freshman guard Anna Campanelli and a big 3-pointer from Thomas. KSU had great chemistry to piece together easy buckets early on.
Kent senior Tatiana Thomas goes up for a layup during the fourth quarter of their game against Western Michigan on March 7, 2026. (Alyson Garfield)
Gray made the extra pass for junior guard Mya Babbitt to nail down a clutch three to put the Flashes up by six with less than five minutes remaining in the period. KSU played solid defense to tie it at 17-17 at the end of the first quarter.
KSU’s defense started in the right direction in the second quarter, forcing WMU into a shot clock violation a minute in. Gray was able to fight her way in and get a lay-up to tie the game once more at 19-19.
The Flashes’ defense was able to stop the Broncos on three consecutive possessions. With the consecutive stops, the Flashes were able to go up seven with 1:11 left to play in the first half.
“We have been through a lot,” Starkey said. “Its so great for this team to fight from where they were and to get to .500.”
KSU’s defense was able to force a heave from the Broncos to regain possession of the ball at the five-minute mark. Sophomore forward Emory Klatt forced an and-one foul to send the Flashes to the line.
The Flashes only had six turnovers in the half compared to the Broncos’ 12. Starkey’s group played a solid quarter, ending the half up 12 and setting the score at 36-26. KSU held the Broncos to only nine points this quarter.
“We have to get up to Cleveland here,” Starkey said. “We’re going to try and finish it on as high a note as we can.”
The third quarter started in the same dominant fashion for the Flashes with solid defense and great on the boards. Gray had a no-look pass to Thomas for an easy layup to get the first bucket of the half.
Campanelli forced a timeout from the Broncos after nailing a baseline three to put the Flashes up by 19 points with seven minutes remaining in the third. In the paint and beyond the arc is where the Flashes found themselves shooting the best. KSU shone through this quarter as it was up 50-36 at the end of the third.
“I’m really proud of the way we played,” Starkey said. “Definitely most of the game, especially the second and third quarter.”
The fourth quarter started just like the rest, with the Flashes’ offense dominating the scoreboard. KSU forced a turnover at the eight-minute mark that allowed Thomas to score with a fast break lay-up.
The Flashes were able to keep their fouls under control, which helped keep the pace of the game rolling. Babbitt had a fantastic night on offense from the arc and in the paint, giving KSU the momentum on offense.
Juzzo got shaken up with two minutes remaining and got help from her teammates off the court, where she later returned to the bench. The Flashes ended the day shooting 39% from the field and 44% from beyond the 3-point line.
“Communication was good, we were scrambling,” Starkey said. “We deafened the 3-point line much better after the first quarter.”
The leading scorer for the Flashes was Babbitt, having 27 points, four rebounds, three assists and four steals to end today’s game.
“Mya got into a rhythm early,” Starkey said. “Its nice to see that happen for her, and our team’s better when she’s playing like that.”
UP NEXT
The Flashes will head to Cleveland to play in the first round of the MAC tournament Wednesday. They’ll open against a mammoth of an opponent, the #1 seeded Miami RedHawks.
The Flashes are 0-2 against the RedHawks this season, most recently falling 71-52 March 4 in an away matchup. Despite these shortcomings against them, Starkey has belief that his squad can pull off the upset.
“This team is battle-tested,” Starkey said. “We have proved we can play with anybody, and I’m looking forward to the preparation of whoever we play.”
Emily Bezjak is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].
