Sunday's Scoreboard
Ohio 74, Ohio State 68
NIU 80, Colorado State 75
Western Kentucky 93, Central Michigan 58
Stories Courtesy of MAC Sports Information
Ohio 74, Ohio State 68
Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ohio – For the first time in school history, the Ohio women's basketball (3-1) team went to Columbus and took down Ohio State (2-1), 74-68, on Sunday afternoon at Value City Arena.
"We had a nice alumni event before the game and these fans just keep showing up for us," head coach Bob Boldon said. "That makes it really special. We always have the best fan support in Cleveland and we had some fans come out to Chicago for the WNIT last year. The support today was great, I know it's something our kids really appreciate, and I know it's something we're really proud to be a part of.
Ohio was led by Columbus native and senior guard Amani Burke, who had 23 points after going 6-of-19 and 3-of-9 from deep. Burke was a stellar 8-of-9 from the free throw line. Burke had five rebounds and added two assists.
"We had so much support and it felt like the entire city of Athens came out," Burke said. "It was a great atmosphere. I felt like we came to play because we had so much support and we could just feel it on the floor. I'm overwhelmed with the support we got. It's just a great feeling right now."
Redshirt sophomore guard Erica Johnson (Mansfield, Ohio) was the game changer in the second half. Johnson had her second double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds and added six assists. Johnson was 1-of-8 in the first half with two points but came out in the second half and shot 5-of-6, including a perfect 4-of-4 from deep, with nine rebounds.
"This was a big win for us," Johnson said. "We wanted it. We went out and got it. It's huge to be able to beat them and show we're capable of beating them and we're able to play with these big teams."
Junior guard Cece Hooks (Dayton, Ohio) had 15 points and eight rebounds on the night. Hooks was 6-of-11 from the field and 3-of-7 from the free throw line.
Overall Ohio was 23-of-60 (38.3 percent) from the field and 8-of-24 (33.3 percent) from behind the three point line. Ohio State was held to 25-of-69 (36.2 percent) from the field and 4-of-21 (19.0 percent) from behind the arc.
"This was the opposite of the Syracuse game," Boldon added. "We started out poorly offensively, but we regained our composure and that's hard to do. (Ohio State) is a good, physical and athletic team. There's a lot of talent on that team. Our kids just went out and fought, and fought, and fought."
Redshirt sophomore guard Caitlyn Kroll (Bridgeport, Ohio) chipped in nine points while junior forward Gabby Burris (Baltimore, Ohio) had eight and redshirt junior Katie Barker (Cary, Ill.) had three points.
Ohio was outrebounded 50-41 by OSU. After Johnson's 12 and Hooks' eight, Kroll pulled in six, Burke had five and Barker and sophomore forward Deesh Beck (Grand Rapids, Mich.) had two.
Ohio was down five in the first quarter, 19-14. The Bobcats started off shooting cold at 3-of-17, but knocked down seven free throws. Burke led the way with six points.
Ohio was able to cut the lead down to 32-20 in the second quarter when after going 6-of-19 (31.6 percent) from the field. Ohio State was held to 4-of-13 shooting (30.8 percent). Hooks ahd five points and three rebounds while Burke had six points in the frame.
The Bobcats shot 9-of-36 (25.0 percent) from the field and 1-of-12 from behind the three-point line.
OU came out red hot in the third quarter. The Bobcats shot 8-of-12 (66.7 percent) from the field and 6-of-7 (85.7 percent) from the three-point line. Johnson hit three from deep, Burke had two and Barker had one. Burke tied the game at 8:43 left in the frame, 36-36, and Ohio tied it once again at 45-45 after a Johnson triple. Johnson then gave Ohio the lead before the Bobcats took a 53-47 advantage into the break.
The Bobcats outscored OSU 23-15 in the final frame. Johnson led the way with nine points while Burke had six on two deep balls. Ohio's lead jumped to 12 at one point, but Ohio State chipped away and tied the game with two free throws at 68-68. Burke gave Ohio the lead at 2:04 left with a pair of free throws and Ohio didn't look back and won, 74-68.
Ohio will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 23 at The Convocation Center against Incarnate Word. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.
NIU 80, Colorado State 75
Box Score
FORT COLLINS, CO – The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team won its second consecutive road game in overtime Sunday, defeating the Colorado State Rams 80-75 at Moby Arena.
Riley Blackwell (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) led four Huskies in double figures with a career-high 18 points and added eight rebounds. Courtney Woods (Brisbane, Australia/St. Margaret's) had 16 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Gabby Nikitinaite (Orpington, Kent, UK/Coopers School) made four three-pointers on her way to 15 points. She also led NIU with nine rebounds. Freshman Chelby Koker (Racine, Wisconsin/Shoreland Lutheran) had a season-high 11 points off the bench with five rebounds and four assists.
"Riley kept us in the game in the first half because she was consistently knocking down shots," said head coach Lisa Carlsen. "We always talk about Riley being in the right place at the right time and being such a good glue person on both ends of the floor because she shares the ball on offense and is always in the right spots defensively."
NIU (2-1) erased a 34-24 Colorado State halftime lead in the third quarter. Sparked by a Blackwell three-pointer, the Huskies used a 13-2 run over 6:22 to tie the game at 39. Nikitinaite had five points in that run including the three-pointer that tied the game with 2:30 left in the quarter. NIU took the lead with 1:52 left in the third when Mikayla Brandon (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) made her first career three-pointer to give the Huskies a 42-40 lead. The advantage grew to six when a Woods three and a Blackwell jumper made the score 47-41. NIU held Colorado State without a field goal for the final 5:07 of the quarter to take a 47-42 lead.
Three of NIU's first four field goals in the fourth quarter came from the three-point line. Blackwell, Koker, and Brandon each had a three as the Huskies took a 58-52 lead with 4:53 to play. The Rams then scored the next seven points with a Tori Williams three giving Colorado State a 59-58 lead with 1:43 to go. Woods then knocked down a three on NIU's next possession to put the Huskies back up by two, 61-59. Katia Samatelopoulos then drove for a layup with 1:10 to go in the fourth. Both teams had an opportunity to win it in regulation but the game headed to overtime.
Colorado State (3-2) got out to a 67-63 lead 1:20 into overtime behind a pair of baskets from Annie Brady. NIU responded with a Nikitinaite three and a Blackwell layup to put the Huskies in front 68-67 with 2:14 to go. The Rams then scored four straight points to take a 71-68 lead, but that would be their last advantage of the day. Woods and Nikitinaite combined to go on a 7-0 run over 58 seconds to give NIU a 75-71 lead with 0:32 to play. The Huskies made five of their six free throws in the final minute to secure the 80-75 win.
NIU got off to a fast start, making five of its first six shots from the field. The Huskies broke a 5-5 tie with a 7-0 run as a pair of Blackwell layups and a Myia Starks (Plainfield, Ill./Nequa Valley) three put NIU up 12-5 with 6:05 left in the opening quarter. The Rams closed the quarter with an 11-2 run over the final 4:45 to take a 16-14 lead. Jamie Bonnarens and Makenzie Ellis each had four points in that stretch to give Colorado State the lead.
Colorado State's run extended to a 16-4 run early in the second quarter as a Bonnarens jumper and Megan Jacobs three put the Rams up 21-14 with 8:48 left in the half. NIU closed the gap to three points, going on a 6-2 run over 2:56 as a Koker jumper in transition made the score 23-20. The Rams then went on another 11-2 run, getting three straight three-pointers from Ellis, Bonnarens, and Tori Williams to take a 34-22 lead. Blackwell cut the deficit to 10 before halftime with a jumper at the 1:36 mark. After its hot start from the field, NIU ended the first half shooting 32.4 percent from the field and made just two of 12 three-point attempts.
NIU shot 37.3 percent from the field on Sunday with Colorado State shooting 36.7 percent. The Huskies made 12 threes in the game and were 12-for-17 at the free throw line. NIU outrebounded Colorado State by 19, 60-41 and scored 24 fast break points. Williams led the Rams with 17 points as Brady, Ellis, and Bonnarens each had 12.
"It was huge for us to control the glass today," Carlsen said. "We were in a situation today where the team we're playing is much bigger than us. I thought we did a good job handling their physicality and getting on the boards on both ends."
The Huskies are back in action on Wednesday, November 17 with a 7 p.m. game at Illinois State.
Western Kentucky 93, Central Michigan 58
Box Score
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Western Kentucky outscored Central Michigan, 52-23, in the second half on Sunday as the Hilltoppers handed the Chippewas a 93-58 nonconference women's basketball loss at E.A. Diddle Arena.
The loss was the third for the Chippewas in as many starts as they continue to battle through a rugged nonconference schedule under first-year coach Heather Oesterle.
CMU opened with a 111-105 double-overtime loss to mid-major power Green Bay and then fell, 76-63, at No. 9 Louisville on Thursday. The Chippewas' next four games are at home, beginning with Dayton on Thursday, Nov. 21 (noon).
Dayton (3-1) is another strong mid-major program. The Flyers' lone loss this season came to No. 6 South Carolina, 75-49.
