Saturday's Scoreboard
Purdue 81, Bowling Green 74
Eastern Michigan 84, Detroit Mercy 70
Akron 52, Morgan State 45
Western Michigan 79, Denver 70
Stories Courtesy of MAC Sports Information
Purdue 81, Bowling Green 74
Box Score
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team gave Purdue University a battle, but the Boilermakers ultimately came away with an 81-74 win over the Falcons on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 21). The non-conference contest was held at Mackey Arena.
Four players scored in double figures for BGSU (6-5), led by fourth-year Falcon Caterrion Thompson with 18. Junior Madisen Parker, the team's lone Indiana native, scored 17 points and went 5-for-7 from three-point range.
Freshman Elissa Brett had 15 points, the highest total of her young Falcon career, while junior Mari Hill had 11 points and a game-high nine assists.
Purdue's Ae'Rianna Harris led all players with 23 points and 14 rebounds, and she had five blocked shots as well. Kayana Traylor scored 19 points for the hosts, and Lyndsey Whilby and Tamara Farquhar added 13 and 10, respectively.
The game featured six ties and six lead changes. Neither team led by more than seven points over the entire 40 minutes, and the Boilermakers' largest lead of the game was the final margin, which came after Farquhar hit a pair of free throws with 10.3 seconds to go.
Both teams had 21 assists on 28 baskets, and BGSU hit 11 three-pointers to Purdue's six, but the hosts made 19 free throws to the Falcons' seven.
Eastern Michigan 84, Detroit Mercy 70
Box Score
DETROIT, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Not even a Titan's shield could have stopped the onslaught of offense that the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team displayed in its game against the University of Detroit Mercy Saturday, Dec. 21. The Eagles cruised to an 84-70 victory inside historic Calihan Hall to earn their third consecutive victory.
Eastern (5-6) was led once again by redshirt junior Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)), who notched a team-best 22 points on 7-of-13 shooting while dishing out a career-high seven helpers against Detroit Mercy (0-11). Junior Courtnie Lewis (Belton, Mo.-Belton) added 15 points off the bench, including a season-high four three-pointers, while adding a pair of rebounds and steals. Additionally, sophomore Kiara Johnson (Buffalo, N.Y.-Cardinal O'Hara) added a season-best 14 bench points on 7-of-9 shooting while pulling down four boards and recording a career-best three blocks.
The Eagles shot an even 50 percent (33-of-66) from the floor, while holding the Titans to a 34.5 percent (19-of-55) field-goal efficiency. EMU dominated in the paint as they outscored the Titans down low, 44-18, while overmatching the hosts in fast-break points (36-18), assists (24-7), steals (10-4), and blocks (5-2).
The Eagles set the pace from their opening possession, as it took just 12 seconds for the Green and White to get on the board. After winning the opening tip, junior center Autumn Hudson (Richwood, Ohio-North Union) made quick work of the Titan defense, drawing a foul and flushing a layup to put the Eagles up, 2-0.
UDM took a two-point advantage with just over one minute gone by, but it was all Eastern after that, as the Eagles put together an 11-0 run in the middle of the first quarter. With the score knotted at nine, EMU got buckets from four different players during its run lasting nearly four-and-a-half minutes, including a four-point stretch from Combs.
After the explosive run, Eastern continued to dominate, eventually building a 14-point advantage later in the first. Although Detroit closed the gap to just nine, 28-19, with 6:58 remaining in the half, the Eagles proved too strong, fighting back to take a 45-26 lead into the break.
The Green and White started the second half on a string note, scoring six straight points to open up a 51-26 cushion with 8:08 to go in the third quarter. Ahead 53-35, a Combs triple capped a 7-0 run and gave the Eagles a commanding 60-35 lead with 4:38 left in the same frame.
EMU led by as many as 26 against its intrastate rivals, and 11 of the 12 Eagles to see game action notched at least one point. UDM concluded the game on an 8-1 run, but the Eagles won by 14 points to claim their sixth win in their last seven meetings against the Titans.
Eastern will enjoy a short holiday break before entering Mid-American Conference play. The team will face Bowling Green, Jan. 4, at 2:30 p.m. inside the Convocation Center to begin its quest for the MAC crown.
Akron 52, Morgan State 45
Box Score
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico– The Akron women's basketball team closed out the 2019 Puerto Rico Classic with a 52-45 win over Morgan State after locking down on defense in the fourth quarter and knocking down seven key free throws in the final minutes of the contest on Saturday afternoon inside el Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez.
The Zips took care of business and went 2-0 on the weekend defeating Denver (88-72) and Morgan State. Akron now stands 7-4 heading into 2020 the Mid-American Conference schedule and has won three straight contests.
In a game dominated by defense from both sides, Akron shot 34.8-percent from the floor while the Zips defense limited Morgan State to 31.3-percent (19-for-61). Akron took off in the second quarter that played a key role in the Zips victory scoring a game-high 17 points and only allowing eight points for the Bears. The Zips were clutch from the free-throw line on the day connecting on 15-of-20 attempts.
Akron forced 11 turnovers, recorded seven steals, scored 12 points on fastbreaks, and notched five points off Morgan State turnovers.
Senior forward Haliegh Reinoehl (Westfield, Ind.) continued to be a problem for the opposing defense scoring a team-high 13 points for the Zips and pulled in three rebounds. Dating back to the contest against North Carolina A&T, Reinoehl has scored 61 points, recorded 14 rebounds, and five assists. Senior guard Shayna Harmon (Ashville, Ohio) had an efficient day for the Zips scoring 10 points, going 4-for-4 from the free-throw line, recorded four steals, and two assists. Senior Shaunay Edmonds (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and junior Jordyn Dawson (Huntington, W. Va.) chipped in seven points each and a combined 12 rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Reinoehl was all business in the first quarter and scored the Zips first five points after Morgan State scored the first bucket of the game. Following the Bear's second field goal, Shayna Harmon went on to score four straight points and in the blink of an eye, UA held an 11-4 advantage.
The Bears stormed back in the closing minutes of the quarter to square the game up at 13-13 at the quarter break.
Akron and Morgan State went cold in the first three minutes of the second quarter. The first points of the period came at the 7:14 mark when Edmonds knocked down a pair of free throws. The Zips first field goal followed shortly when freshman Rachel Martindale (Pittsburgh, Pa.) splashed a three from the right-wing at the 6:29 mark.
Seven minutes into the second, the Zips held a 10-6 advantage. In the final three minutes, Akron made a push and claimed its largest lead of the half, +9 (30-21) following a 7-2 run courtesy of four different Zips.
Just as the Zips did on day one, UA struggled in the third quarter which allowed the Bears to scrap their way back into the contest. As Morgan State when on an 8-3 run, UA turned the ball four times and the Zips were held without a field goal for seven and a half minutes until sophomore Gabrielle Brown-Mitchell (Solon, Ohio) sunk a jumper from the elbow.
The Zips did manage a small 6-2 run in the closing minutes of the period to extend its lead back to +6 (39-33) that ended with a buzzer-beating lay-up from freshman forward Lonasia Brewer (Akron, Ohio).
Akron went back-and-forth with the Bears in the opening five minutes of the fourth with MSU slightly edging the Zips, 7-6, to cut its deficit back to five points (45-40).
Both the Zips and Bears went cold for a two-minute span that included the two sides going a combined 0-for-4 and a pair of turnovers.
Following a three-pointer by Morgan State at the 3:28 mark, the Zips iced the game six free throws while the Bears connected on just one field goal in the final minutes.
As the calendar year flips, so does the Akron women's basketball schedules as the Zips focus on Mid-American Conference play in 2020. After the holiday season, the Zips open MAC play on Saturday, Jan. 4, at James A. Rhodes Arena. Akron hosts Central Michigan in the league opener at 2 p.m.
Western Michigan 79, Denver 70
Box Score
SAN JUAN, PR. – The Western Michigan women's basketball team began competition at the Puerto Rico Classic in San Juan with a 79-70 victory over the University of Denver on Saturday, Dec. 21 at the Coliseo Ruben Rodriguez.
The win marks the fourth straight victory for the Broncos, moving them to 6-3 overall.
In the inaugural meeting between WMU and the Pioneers, Western Michigan converted 44 points in the paint and shot a season-high 50.0 (31-of-62) percent from the field, earning 19 points off Denver turnovers and outrebounding the Pioneers 36-34.
Redshirt Senior Breanna Mobley again led the Broncos with her seventh double-double of the season (36th career), tallying a season-high 23 points and a ten rebounds. Redshirt sophomore Jordan Walker followed close behind with 22 points, paced by her four three-point field goals. Fellow starter Leighah-Amori Wool notched ten points and six rebounds, with a game-high three blocks.
The Broncos fought hard in the first frame, ending a 5-0 Denver run with four straight points from Wool. Creeping up on the Pioneers with a layup from Walker and Kamrin Reed's first points of the game, the Broncos forced a timeout trailing Denver by five. Coming off the bench to score on WMU's next possession, Sydney Shafer pushed the Broncos forward and Wool sealed their first lead with a layup, quickly followed by a layup from Walker to put them ahead 17-14. The quarter ended on late points from Denver to head into the second quarter with WMU at 17, Denver 16.
The Pioneers outscored the Broncos by a narrow 15-14 in the second quarter. Two Broncos jumped off the bench to score, Reilly Jacobson with a layup and Maddie Watters with a corner three. WMU took off on a 9-0 run with points from Mobley and Watters to give the team their biggest lead of the game so far at 31-25. The Pioneers responded late to score six straight points after a pair of layups and a Western Michigan foul to end the first half with a tie game at 31-31. The Brown & Gold ended the half shooting 40.6 percent from the field with 14 points off turnovers to Denver's four.
Western Michigan redeemed itself in a competitive third quarter, outscoring Denver 28-19. The tied game continued as Denver scored twice in a row from beyond the arc, WMU matching the score with shots from Walker and a three from Reed to force a timeout. The score stayed close with fast-paced baskets from both sides until Mobley earned an and-one to score three, and graduate transfer Chelayne Bailey earned her first points of the game with a layup. Walker came up her third three-point shot of the game to give the Broncos an 8-0 run, adding a foul shot to push the lead to 59-50 heading into the final frame.
The Broncos ended the fourth quarter with their best performance of the game. Shooting out of the gate with ten straight points, WMU held the Pioneers scoreless for five straight minutes with three different Broncos contributing points. Denver ended the run as Western pulled away on a game-high 21-point lead. DU fought back, shooting for seven straight in the final stretch. The Brown & Gold maintained their lead by as much as 11 for the rest of the game to earn the win 79-70.
