Wednesday's Scoreboard
Ohio 70, Akron 57
Kent State 69, Ball State 68
Central Michigan 98, Buffalo 93
Eastern Michigan 77, Toledo 62
Stories Courtesy of MAC Sports Information
Ohio 70, Akron 57
Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio women's basketball team (13-6, 6-2 MAC) earned its fourth-straight win after defeating Akron (9-10, 2-6 MAC), 70-57, on Wednesday evening at the Convocation Center.
"I thought they showed a lot of toughness tonight," head coach Bob Boldon said. "I thought they did a great job of staying in the game. I was pleased with our effort out of the locker room in the second half, particularly on the defensive end."
Senior guard Amani Burke (Columbus, Ohio) led the way with 20 points on 6-of-14 shooting. Burke hit two threes and was 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. She added six rebounds, two steals and an assist.
Junior guard Cece Hooks (Dayton, Ohio) had 17 points while adding nine rebounds and a season-high seven steals. Hooks added four assists and knocked down four free throws.
Redshirt sophomore guard Erica Johnson (Mansfield, Ohio) had 16 points on 4-of-10 shooting and was 6-of-7 from the charity stripe. Johnson added four assists and two steals.
Freshman guard Peyton Guice (Westerville, Ohio) had a career-high eight points off the bench and was a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.
"Peyton has been showing progress and she's a much better player than the beginning of the season," Boldon said. "She's so cerebral. She has a great understanding of the game and that helps her growth. Defensively for the last two or three weeks she's been really solid for us."
Guice's previous career-high was three, set against IUPUI.
"I think she (Peyton Guice) brought all the energy that we needed. Her presence out there defensively was very helpful and it's good to have her come off the bench because that's the spark we need.
Sophomore forward Edecia Beck (Grand Rapids, Mich.) had four points, redshirt junior guard Katie Barker (Cary, Ill.) had three and junior forward Gabby Burris (Baltimore, Ohio) recorded one.
Overall, Ohio shot 22-of-61 (36.1 percent) from the field and was 5-of-15 (33.3 percent) from the three-point line. Ohio was 21-of-27 (77.8 percent) from the free-throw line. Akron was held to 21-of-55 (38.2 percent) from the field and 7-of-23 (30.4 percent) from deep while going 8-of-10 from the free-throw line.
Ohio outrebounded Akron, 40-34 and the Bobcats pulled down 10 offensive boards. Hooks led the way with nine boards while Beck had eight off the bench. Burris pulled in seven, Burke six and Barker five.
Ohio forced 25 Akron turnovers and had 14 steals. Hooks' seven strips led the way, while Johnson and Burke had two each.
The Bobcats started the first quarter down 18-16 and was led by Johnson and Burke with five points each. Ohio was 7-of-19 (36.8 percent) from the field and 1-of-5 (20.0 percent) from deep. Akron was able to get the lead to 15-9 with 4:42 left in the quarter before Ohio ended the quarter on a Guice layup to cut the lead to two.
Ohio and Akron each posted 16 points in the second quarter.
Hooks had seven points while Guice had six of her eight in the second quarter. OU was 3-of-15 from the field but 10-of-11 from the free-throw line. Akron started the second quarter by getting a seven-point lead with 8:29 left, the Zips largest lead of the night.
The Bobcats chipped away and two Guice free throws at the end of the half put Ohio back at a two-point deficit.
The Bobcats outscored Akron 20-8 in the third quarter. The Bobcats were led by Johnson with nine points while Hooks had seven. Ohio grabbed the lead with 9:37 left in the third quarter but Akron answered right back. Hooks grabbed another layup with 7:26 left and Ohio held the lead the rest of the game. Burke's three put Ohio up 45-40 with 3:31 left in the quarter. Ohio ended the third frame on a 7-0 run capped by a Beck layup to take a 52-42 advantage into the fourth quarter.
Ohio outscored 18-15 in the final quarter. Burke had 11 points after hitting two threes. Ohio pushed the lead to 17, its largest advantage of the game with 7:41 left after Burke knocked down a three-pointer. Akron would get no closer than 11 for the rest of the quarter and won, 70-57.
Ohio will return to action on Saturday at Central Michigan. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.
Kent State 69, Ball State 68
Box Score
KENT, Ohio – Megan Carter scored four of her game-high 20 points in the final two minutes to lead Kent State to a 69-68 victory against Ball State on Wednesday evening at the M.A.C. Center.
As they have done so often this season, the Golden Flashes (11-7, 4-3 MAC) put the ball in Carter's hands down the stretch in a close game. And once again, the redshirt senior delivered clutch baskets to give her team the lead. With the game tied 65-65, Carter used a slight hesitation to drive past a help defender and lay it in with 1:55 remaining.
Two possessions later, she was able to weave through the defense as the shot clock neared expiration and rolled in a shot as she drove into the paint for a 69-66 lead and 10.8 on the clock.
The Flashes prevented a look from beyond the arc on the ensuing possession, and Ball State settled for a layup with just 0.1 seconds to play. Following a timeout to advance the ball into the frontcourt, Kent State was able to toss the ball in and bring the game to an end upon contact.
"More than anything, I'm really proud of Megan Carter, with everything she's been through this season" head coach Todd Starkey said. "It was a hard-fought, tough game. She battled and was fatigued but came away with 20 points against probably the best defensive team in the conference."
Carter returned to the starting lineup for the first time and shot 7-of-14 from the field in just her second game back after being sidelined for three games earlier in the month.
Freshmen Nila Blackford and Katie Shumate were also key late in the game, combining for nine points and nine rebounds in the final quarter. Blackford finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Shumate totaled 15 points, nine boards and a career-high five assists.
Sophomore Lindsey Thall made three of four three-point attempts and finished with 11 points.
The Flashes will travel to Toledo on Saturday for a 2 p.m. matchup.
Central Michigan 98, Buffalo 93
Box Score
BUFFALO, NY – Molly Davis scored 25 points and Micaela Kelly recorded her first-career triple-double as the Central Michigan women's basketball team defeated Buffalo in double-overtime, 98-93, in a Mid-American Conference thriller on Wednesday at the Bulls' Alumni Arena.
The Chippewas, 15-4, 8-0, narrowly maintained their spotless conference record an improved to 2-1 in overtime games this season. They sport a three-game lead in the MAC West following losses by Ball State and Toledo on Wednesday. The Chippewas hold a two-game lead over East-leading Ohio in the overall MAC standings.
The Bobcats, 13-6, 6-2, and Chippewas meet on Saturday (1 p.m.) at McGuirk Arena.
The win over Buffalo marked the fourth-consecutive time that the Chippewas won after trailing in the fourth quarter.
"That was a really good college basketball game," said CMU coach Heather Oesterle. "Those are two good teams going at it."
Eastern Michigan 77, Toledo 62
Box Score
TOLEDO, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team is soaring back to Michigan with a victory in-hand after grounding its Mid-American Conference West Division rival, the University of Toledo, 77-62, tonight, Jan. 29, inside Savage Arena. The win is the team's first over the Rockets on UT's home court since February of 2016.
With the win, Eastern (10-9; 5-3 MAC) is back above the .500-plateau on the season, and has stretched its conference record to 5-3, including an even 2-2 in the MAC West. Additionally, the team successfully closed the month of January with a 5-3 record, which is tied for a team-best under fourth-year Head Coach Fred Castro.
Eastern was led by redshirt junior Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)), who put up 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Sophomore floor-general Jenna Annecchiarico (Baldwin, N.Y.-Baldwin) added 13 points, to go along with a team-best four steals and four assists.
The Eagles faced early adversity as Toledo jumped ahead, 5-0, just 59 seconds into the game. Undeterred, EMU got on the board via a Juanita Agosto (Seattle, Wash.-Garfield) free throw before Combs settled in with two quick buckets to bring the Green and White within three at the first media timeout, 8-5. The margin did not waver through the remainder of the quarter, as Toledo closed the frame with a 15-12 lead.
The two squads traded blows in the second quarter, with Eastern landing the first punch in the form of a 16-2 run. The spurt was highlighted by a seven-point Combs explosion in which the Oklahoma City-native converted a layup, jumper, and three-point shot as part of her 16-point opening-half performance. Junior Courtnie Lewis (Belton, Mo.-Belton) also added a triple, one of two she hit in the first half, while fellow upperclassman Corrione Cardwell (Cleveland, Ohio.-New Tech East) added a pair of buckets as well. A resilient Toledo closed the quarter on a 15-7 run to bring the score within three at the break, 35-32.
The second half started in identical fashion to the first, as Toledo quickly retook the lead via a 5-0 scoring run. Again proving its poise, EMU battled back to reclaim the lead with 6:24 on the clock. Down one, 40-39, Annecchiarico battled under the basket, converting an "and-one," to give the Eagles a two-point edge, 42-40. The Eagles used that momentum to build a 50-44 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
While it attempted a comeback, the Rockets were no match for the high-energy EMU squad in the fourth quarter. Ahead by five-plus points for the majority of the 10-minute span, the Eagles finished off the UT to win by a 15-point margin, 77-62. The margin of victory is the largest for EMU over Toledo since it defeated the Rockets by 18, 59-41, Jan. 23, 2016.
After a two-day break, Eastern will return to the Buckeye State for a weekend game against the University of Akron Saturday, Feb. 1. Tipoff from the James A.Rhodes Arena is slated for 12 p.m. For the most up-to-date information on all things EMU women's hoops, visit EMUEagles.com or follow the team on social media at @EMUWBB.
