Tuesday's Scoreboard
Toledo 74, Georgia State 48
Kent State 77, Duquesne 75
Buffalo 61, Central Conn, 56
Harvard 59, Northern Illinois 53
IUPUI 65, Ball State 48
Michigan State 85, Eastern Michigan 50
Syracuse 66, Ohio 54
Stories Courtesy of MAC Sports Information
Toledo 74, Georgia State 48
Box Score
ATLANTA, Ga. – Toledo opened the 2019-20 season with a resounding 74-48 victory at Georgia State on Tuesday in the GSU Sports Arena.
The Midnight Blue & Gold shot an impressive 52.5 percent (32-of-61) from the field and 83.3 percent (5-of-6) from the charity stripe against the Sun Belt Conference member Panthers to improve to 24-22 (.522) all time in season openers, including 7-5 (.583) under head coach Tricia Cullop.
Junior Tanaya Beacham led four Rockets in double figures with a career-high 14 points and a collegiate-best 10 rebounds to post her first-collegiate double-double.
Senior Arianne Whitaker tallied 12 points off the bench, followed by senior Mariella Santucci and junior Nakiah Black with 11 and 10, respectively.
Toledo also benefited from eight points from senior Sara Rokkanen and seven by junior Tatyana Davis to run its record to 3-0 all time versus GSU.
"We are a deep team, and I'm not afraid to go to my bench," Cullop said. "We've got a lot more depth this year than years past, and I need to find minutes for our players. It's my job to make sure we're a balanced team with great depth."
The Rockets also posted a massive 48-6 edge in points in the paint, a 31-8 advantage in bench points and a gigantic 47-22 rebounding edge.
"We did a great job sharing the basketball," Cullop said. "We also ran the floor well and finished well. The other stat that stuck out to me was a plus-25 rebounding advantage."
Taylor Henderson paced the Panthers with 13 points, while Kamryn Dziak and Jada Lewis had 12 each. GSU was held to 29.8 percent (17-of-57) from the floor.
Kent State 77, Duquesne 75
Box Score
Story Coming Soon...
Buffalo 61, Central Conn, 56
Box Score
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo women's basketball team defeated Central Connecticut State 61-56 in the 2019-20 season-opener at Alumni Arena on Tuesday night.
The Bulls were led by freshman Dyaisha Fair who recorded a double-double in her first game as a Bull as she scored a game-high 24 points while grabbing 10 rebounds and dished out three assists. Senior Theresa Onwuka recorded a new career-high with 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting and went 7-for-8 from the charity stripe to go along with five rebounds, five steals and three assists.
With the win, the Bulls are now a perfect 40-0 over the last three plus seasons when holding opponents to under 60 points.
Central Connecticut got off to a quick start, converting an and-one to start the game and scored again a couple possessions later to take an early 5-3 lead. The Bulls would respond with an 8-0 run, all courtesy of Onwuka, to take a 11-5 lead at first media timeout. The two teams would trade baskets the rest of the quarter and Buffalo would take a 17-11 after one quarter of play.
Offense would be at a premium to start the second quarter as the Bulls maintained a 20-13 lead at the media timeout. The Blue Devils would use a 6-3 run to cut the lead to four with 2:22 to play in the first half but the Bulls responded with an 8-3 run of their own, sparked by a Fair triple and a great look from Marissa Hamilton to Onwuka, to give UB the 31-22 lead at the break.
Both teams struggled in the opening half as the teams were just a combined 3-for-33 from beyond the arc, with UB shooting 9-for-30 from the floor and 2-for-19 from beyond the arc.
Fair would have a hot start to the third quarter as she converted on a driving layup and three pointer to put UB up 36-26 at the 8:33 mark. Sophomore Keowa Walters would get in on the action with back-to-back layups to put UB up 40-26 with 7:31 remaining in the quarter. A Central Connecticut 6-2 run cut the lead to 42-32 at the media timeout and the Blue Devils would continue on a 7-0 run out of the media timeout to cut the lead to 42-39 at the 3:28 mark. Fair would answer with a big and-one on the other end to stop the run and the Bulls would close the quarter on an 8-4 run to take a 50-43 lead after three quarters of play.
A quick 4-0 CCSU run cut the UB lead to 50-47 at the 8:11 mark but Onwuka and Fair responded with a 5-0 run to put the Bulls back up 55-47 at the media timeout. The Blue Devils would trim the lead to four points twice in the remaining minutes but that would be as close as they would get as the Bulls sealed the game from the charity stripe to secure the win.
The Bulls scored 26 points in the paint while recording 14 second chance points, 14 points off turnovers and converted 20 CCSU turnovers into 13 fastbreak points.
"Give credit to Central Connecticut, they are a veteran team and we are still young and finding our way," said head coach Felisha Legette-Jack. "Our goal is always to hold teams under 59 points and we did that tonight. You are never going to see this team quit. We are going to fight, we are going to claw, we're going to find a way and we're going to continue to adjust."
The Bulls return to action on Saturday, November 9, as they travel to Big 4 rival Niagara for a 4pm tip off against the Purple Eagles.
Harvard 59, Northern Illinois 53
Box Score
DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team held the Harvard Crimson to 20 points in the second half, but the Huskies' rally in the fourth quarter came up short in a 59-53 loss at the NIU Convocation Center in the season opener for both teams.
"This is a team that we will expect more from offensively," said head coach Lisa Carlsen about the Huskies after their season debut. "I thought we got some really good looks and the ball didn't go in the basket near often enough. I was really proud of them in the second half, especially as far as the resolve down the stretch and understanding time-and-score situations. That's the sign of a veteran club and we'll be able to learn from this film going forward."
Redshirt-Senior Courtney Woods (Brisbane, Australia/St. Margaret's) led NIU with 22 points, going 7-for-8 from the free throw line. Myia Starks (Plainfield, Ill./Nequa Valley) made a pair of three-pointers on her way to 10 points and had a team-high three assists. Riley Blackwell (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) tied a career-high with 10 rebounds.
NIU (0-1) trailed by 16 points heading into the fourth quarter, but got a spark offensively when Ally May (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) made a three-pointer 20 seconds in to get the Huskies within 13, 47-34. Woods then made a pair of free throws and a jumper to cap a 7-0 run and make the score 47-38 with 6:14 to go. NIU made up for shooting 26.3 percent from the field in the quarter by making free throws. The Huskies went 7-for-8 from the line over a 2:00 stretch to get the score to 52-45 with 0:56 left. NIU got as close as four points late in the game but just could not get the game tied.
Harvard (1-0) opened the game on an 8-0 run in the first 2:38 that included a pair of Lola Mullaney three-pointers. NIU closed the deficit to five at the 5:53 mark as Woods scored the Huskies' first five points to make the score 10-5. Down by 10, the Huskies went on a 9-0 run on threes from Starks and Chelby Koker (Racine, Wis./Shoreland Lutheran) to get within one, 15-14, with 3:03 to go in the first. The Crimson extended their lead to four, 20-16 at the end of the quarter. Harvard used a 17-0 run over 4:53 in the second to take a 37-19 lead. NIU was just 3-for-16 from the field in the second quarter and fell behind 39-24 at the half.
NIU held Harvard to 20.8 percent shooting from the field and 1-for-11 from the three-point line in the second half. The Huskies made 16-of-18 free throws in the second half but shot 22.1 percent from the field for the game. NIU scored 18 points off of 19 Harvard turnovers. The Crimson held a 54-46 advantage on the glass. Mullaney led all scorers with 25 points as Jeannie Boehm added 16 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
The Huskies go on the road to face North Dakota State on Sunday, November 10 at 1 p.m.
IUPUI 65, Ball State 48
Box Score
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The Ball State women's basketball team (0-1) opened its season on the road at IUPUI (1-0) Tuesday night at the Jungle, resulting in a 65-48 loss for the Cardinals.
The opening minutes were a little shaky which was to be expected, as both teams took to the floor for the first time this season. Although IUPUI controlled the momentum at the start of the first frame, Ball State was composed defensively against the Jaguars for the first 10 minutes of action. Redshirt freshman Anna Clephane made her return to the lineup after being sidelined last year due to an injury, she led the Cardinals in scoring after the first frame with six points.
IUPUI finally found their offensive rhythm in the second quarter outscoring Ball State 19-11. The Jaguars would take a 31-17 advantage over the Cardinals at intermission. The Cardinals defense held Macee Williams, who was last year's Horizon League Player of the Year and the Jaguars leading scorer in 2018-19, to only six points in the first half.
After the break, Ball State began chipping away at the Jaguars 14-point lead making the score 35-25 at the 7:37 mark. The Cardinals managed to put together an 8-0 run which was sparked by two 3-point baskets from sophomore Thelma Dis Agustsdottir and a jumper in between from Clephane. Unfortunately, IUPUI started to regain its momentum on both ends of the floor, closing the third quarter with an 15-7 scoring spree.
Despite their efforts, the Cardinals were met with more offensive struggles the remainder of the contest. Neither team shot particularly well for the game, IUPUI ended the contest shooting 38 percent from the field while Ball State finished shooting 34 percent from the floor.
The Ball State women's basketball team continues its three-game road swing when it travels just up the road on I-69 to face its second Division I school from the state of Indiana, Purdue Fort Wayne, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. ET.
Michigan State 85, Eastern Michigan 50
Box Score
EAST LANSING, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team made the short trip west to No. 17/21 Michigan State University for its 2019-20 lid lifter, tonight, Nov. 5, at the Breslin Center. A back-and-forth affair in the early going, the Spartans eventually took control, besting the Eagles, 85-50, in their season debut.
On the home court of the Spartans (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten), it was the Eagles (0-1, 0-0 MAC) that looked ready for battle to begin the game. Fast from the first tip, the Eagles quickly went ahead, 5-0, behind a pair of buckets from junior guard Courtnie Lewis (Belton, Mo.-Belton), and freshman sharp-shooter Aaliyah Stanley (Boynton Beach, Fla.-Oxbridge Academy). Stanley also drew a foul on the shot, and hit the ensuing free throw to notch her first three collegiate points in the sequence.
Overall, nine different Eagles found the bottom of the basket, none more than redshirt junior Corrione Cardwell (Cleveland, Ohio-New Tech East), who paced the team with 13 points on 4-of-15 shooting. Junior center Autumn Hudson (Richwood, Ohio-North Union), EMU's leading rebounder a season ago, picked up right where she left off in 2018-19, leading Eastern with six boards in the game.
The Eagles were stout on the defensive end of the court as well, holding MSU scoreless for the game's initial 4:30. Sophomore guard Jenna Annecchiarico (Baldwin N.Y.-Baldwin) contributed two opening-half steals to the Eagles' defensive effort, while redshirt sophomore forward RayJon Harris (Euclid, Ohio-Euclid), on the court for the first time since suffering a season-ending ACL injury in 2018, swiped one ball from the Spartans. Harris also tallied six points on 3-of-4 shooting, joining Cardwell and sophomore Kiara Johnson (Buffalo, N.Y.-Cardinal O'Hara) as Eastern's first half scoring leaders.
With the Eagles up nine, 23-14, Michigan State capitalized on key opportunities. After hitting a three-pointer to cut into the EMU lead, MSU turned Eastern over, immediately hitting another triple to bring the score within three, 23-20. The sequence took only five seconds off the clock, and was part of a 14-0 run that helped the Spartans take the lead, 27-23.
Undiscouraged by MSU's second quarter run, EMU continued to battle through the last three minutes of the half. Down six, 31-25, with 2:18 remaining, Eastern scored the last four points of the frame to cut the Michigan State advantage to just two, 31-29, heading into the break.
Despite its best effort, Eastern struggled to keep pace with Michigan State in the second half. The Spartans outscored EMU, 32-3, in the frame and took a commanding lead into the fourth, 63-32.
Resilient still, the Eagles refused to go quietly. Eastern fought to notch 18 fourth-quarter points, but ultimately fell, 85-50.
Eastern returns to action on Friday, Nov. 8, where it will open its 2019-20 home schedule against Olivet College. The game, the second leg of EMU's annual Education Day, men-women doubleheader, will begin at approximately 12 p.m., inside the Convocation Center. For the most up-to-date information on all things EMU women's hoops, visit EMUEagles.com, or follow the team on social media @EMUWBB.
Syracuse 66, Ohio 54
Box Score
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Ohio women's basketball team (0-1, 0-0 MAC) fell to No. 21 Syracuse (1-0, 0-0 ACC), 66-54, in the season opener on Tuesday night inside the Carrier Dome.
"I think their length gave us some trouble and kind of effected some of shots we took," head coach Bob Boldon said. "Our execution wasn't what it needed to be when you are playing against athletes like this. We'll get back to work on Thursday and try and fix some of our deficiencies. We'll learn from it and get better."
Junior guard Cece Hooks (Dayton, Ohio) was the game's leading scorer with 17 points on 5-of-17 shooting. Redshirt sophomore guard Erica Johnson (Mansfield, Ohio) knocked down three threes and had 13 points, while senior guard Amani Burke (Columbus, Ohio) had 12 points. Junior forward Gabby Burris (Baltimore, Ohio) had five points while redshirt sophomore guard Caitlyn Kroll (Bridgeport, Ohio) recorded four points in her Bobcat debut.
Ohio shot 30.6 percent (19-of-62) from the field overall and was 21.2 percent (7-of-33) from the three-point line. The Bobcats held Syracuse to 37.7 percent shooting (26-of-69) and 33.3 percent (9-of-27) from behind the arc.
Burris and Hooks each had five rebounds to lead Ohio. Redshirt junior guard Katie Barker (Cary, Ill.) added three boards to her three points and Johnson also pulled down three. Ohio was outrebounded, 57-32.
Ohio had assists on nine baskets and Hooks led the way with three. Johnson recorded two helpers while Burris, Barker and Burke all had one.
Hooks recorded six steals for Ohio while the Bobcats had nine as a team. Hooks now has 216 steals in her career and is seven steals behind second all-time in Ohio history.
Ohio ended the first quarter with a 22-12 lead behind a 14-2 run to start the game. Burke, Johnson and Burke again knocked down threes to push the Ohio lead early. Syracuse punched back in the second quarter, outscoring Ohio 21-8 in the frame. Cuse ended the quarter on a 10-1 run.
Ohio shot 36.7 percent (11-of-30) from the floor in the first half, including 23.5 percent from behind the three-point line. Cuse shot 34.3 percent (12-of-35) from the floor and 45.5 percent from behind the three-point line. SU outrebounded OU in the first half, 27-20.
Down one to start the third, the Bobcats grabbed the lead with 4:17 left in the quarter at 41-40 on a layup from Burke. Ohio tied the game at 46-46 on a Johnson three but Cuse took a 51-46 lead at the end of the third quarter. Cuse jumped out to a 62-50 during a 17-4 run. SU won the game 66-54.
The Bobcats shot 23.1 percent (9-of-33) in the second half and was 21.4 percent (3-of-14) from behind the arc in the second half. Johnson led the way with eight points and two assists in the second half.
Ohio is back in action on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. for its home opener against American.
