Saturday's Scoreboard
Ball State 66, Kent State 62
Ohio 87, Northern Illinois 67
Western Michigan 84, Toledo 72
Buffalo 86, Miami 72
Central Michigan 77, Akron 72
Eastern Michigan 78, Bowling Green 61
Stories Courtesy of MAC Sports Information
Ball State 66, Kent State 62
Box Score
MUNCIE, Ind. - Freshman guard Sydney Freeman went 4-for-4 from the line to help the Cardinals open Mid-American Conference action on a high note with Ball State's 66-62 victory over Kent State Saturday afternoon in Worthen Arena.
It came to no surprise that the Cardinals (9-4, 1-0 MAC) league opener against Kent State (7-5, 0-1 MAC) today would come down to the wire. Ball State almost doubled its point total in the second half to take the victory from Kent State. The Cardinals scored 42 points in the last 20 minutes of action after only scoring 24 in the first half.
The game today was tied nine times with eight lead changes. It wasn't until the 1:27 mark in the final stanza that the Cardinals had finally built themselves a seven-point cushion (61-54).
Unfortunately, that breathing room didn't last long, Kent State turned up its half court defense and would capitalize of some plays underneath the basket, allowing the Golden Flashes to make it a three-point (64-61) ball game with just 20 seconds on the clock. Fortunately for the Cardinals, Freeman drew some fouls that sent her to the line twice. Freeman would then go 4-for-4 from the charity stripe to secure the win for Ball State.
Ohio 87, Northern Illinois 67
Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio women's basketball (8-4, 1-0 MAC) team began Mid-American Conference play with a win over Northern Illinois (4-8, 0-1 MAC), 87-67, on Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
"I thought we took good shots and the ball moved pretty well," head coach Bob Boldon said. "We had a decent amount assists and I thought the drives came at the right time. All of our guards did a good job of driving into space when it created itself and then we moved the ball and created good shots."
Redshirt sophomore guard Erica Johnson (Mansfield, Ohio) led the way on 9-of-13 shooting for 23 points. Johnson was 5-of-9 from the three-point line and pulled down eight rebounds, added five assists and came up with two steals in 26 minutes on the floor.
"She (Erica Johnson) was locked in all day today and all week as well," Boldon added. "She wasn't alone, this team in general was excited to get conference play started. You're excited you're at home. I thought we had a nice crowd and I thought our kids came out with good energy."
Western Michigan 84, Toledo 72
Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Western Michigan women's basketball team opened Mid-American Conference play with a huge 84-72 victory over the University of Toledo on Saturday, Jan. 4 at University Arena.
The Broncos were victorious in their conference opener for the fourth consecutive season, improving their overall record to 8-4 and winning four of their last five contests. The win snapped an 11-game losing streak against Toledo, their last victory over the Rockets back in 2014 on the road.
Four of five Bronco starters had double-digit performances on the day. Leighah-Amori Wool led WMU with an impressive career-high 23 points, shooting 8-for-12 from the field, a team high 3-for-5 from three-point range, and 4-for-4 at the free throw line. Breanna Mobley earned her ninth double-double of the season within the first half of the contest, going on to score a total of 15 points and 11 rebounds. Jordan Walker followed Wool with 20 points, her fifth game of the season scoring 20 points or more, and Chelayne Bailey brought in 11 points, eight of which were earned from the charity stripe.
As a team, Western Michigan shot 48.4 percent (30-of-62) from the field, converting eight shots beyond the arc. Despite the Rockets out-rebounding WMU 37-32, the Broncos had a strong defensive showing, converting 19 points off UT turnovers and 16 fast break points with 40 points scored in the paint.
The Broncos came out firing in the first quarter, converting 9 field goals and two shots from long range. WMU opened the game on a 10-2 run behind points from Mobley and threes from Wool and Walker to force an early Toledo timeout. The early lead extended heading into the second quarter thanks to a fast-break layup by Walker and eight points total from Mobley.
The second frame started out slow on both sides until Mobley drew an and-one foul to put three points on the board for the Brown & Gold. Sophomore Maddie Watters came off the bench to score a corner three, assisted by freshman Sydney Shafer. Mobley earned her double-double with seconds to spare, grabbing her tenth rebound off a missed Toledo free throw. The Broncos shot 40.6 percent in the first half, playing clean with just four turnovers to Toledo's ten.
WMU opened the third quarter strong on a 7-2 run, capped off by two consecutive baskets from Wool and a pair of threes from Bailey and Kamrin Reed to take a 16-point lead into the final stanza.
The Rockets mounted a comeback in the final frame as both teams put up impressive numbers, with Toledo combining its first three quarter numbers and narrowly outscoring WMU 37-33. Despite opening the quarter with six straight points, the Rockets fought back with a late 11-4 run. The game was ultimately won at the free throw line. Bailey went up for free shots on five straight Bronco possessions, going 8-for-10. Wool went to the line next, making both of her shots to earn her new career-high in the game's final seconds.
The Broncos travel hit the road for back-to-back Ohio games next week, facing University of Akron on Wednesday, Jan. 8 and Kent State University on Saturday, Jan. 11. WMU is back home on Wednesday, January 15 against Ohio University at 7 p.m.
Buffalo 86, Miami 72
Box Score
OXFORD, OH – The University at Buffalo women's basketball team had four players score in double figures as the Bulls defeated Miami (OH) 86-72 in the conference opener on Saturday afternoon at Millett Hall.
Buffalo was led by freshman Dyaisha Fair who scored 23 points to go along with a career-high 10 assists, four rebounds and two steals. Sophomore forward Adebola Adeyeye recorded career-highs with 16 points and 14 rebounds and Theresa Onwuka and Elea Gaba also got into double figures with 15 and 12 points, respectively.
"This team is locked in the foxhole together and they are playing for each other," said head coach Felisha Legette-Jack. "It's not about me and my score it's about what we need to do as a team. I'm really proud of our efforts today."
The RedHawks would take a narrow 7-5 lead in the early going but Buffalo rattled off a 6-0 run, capped by an Onwuka drive and finish, to go up 11-7 and they would lead 11-9 at the first media timeout. Fair got on the board out of the media as she hit back-to-back triples to spark an 8-0 and give the Bulls a 19-9 lead at the 2:30 mark. Buffalo withstood a mini Miami run and responded with a 6-0 run, capped by a pair of layups by Adeyeye to take a 27-13 lead after one quarter of play.
The two teams would trade baskets to start the second quarter before the Bulls would rattle off a 7-0 run, jumpstarted by a Fair spot up three and capped by a Gaba bucket to take a 36-17 lead at the media (4:29). Miami took advantage of a two plus minute UB scoring drought with a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 36-24 but Schiffer answered with a triple on the wing to stop the bleeding and the Bulls would take a 41-26 lead at the break. Buffalo shot 50% from the floor while outrebounding the RedHawks 28-12 in the opening half.
Miami opened the third quarter on a 6-2 run to cut the lead to 43-32 before Hall got the Bulls going knocking down a mid-range jumper and Onwuka converted the and-one to put BU up 48-32 at the 5:39 mark. Dickerson knocked down a three to cut the UB lead to 11, but Fair answered 20 seconds later with a triple on the end and Adeyeye knocked down a jumper in the paint to put UB up 53-37 at the media timeout. Keowa Walters would give the Bulls a spark, scoring six points to go with a pair of buckets from Fair and Hall to give UB a 63-46 lead at the end of the third.
After a back-and-forth start to the fourth quarter, Fair drilled a spot up triple from the top of the key to put the Bulls up 72-50 and later would hit a three through contact to give UB a 79-59 lead at the 3:52 mark. Miami would put together one last 6-0 run to cut the lead to 85-72 at the 1:04 mark but that would be as close as they would get as the Bulls hung on for the victory.
The Bulls shot a blistering 56.3% from the floor for the game, won the rebounding battle 48-34 and held a 48-32 edge in the paint.
Buffalo continues its road trip at Toledo on Wednesday, January 8, with a 7pm contest against the Rockets.
Central Michigan 77, Akron 72
Box Score
AKRON, Ohio – Micaela Kelly put her well-rounded game on full display on Saturday.
The Central Michigan women's basketball team served notice that it hasn't gone anywhere.
Kelly scored 31 points as the Chippewas held off inspired Akron, 77-72, at the Zips' Rhodes Arena in the Mid-American Conference opener for both schools.
The Chippewas, 8-4 overall, are seeking their fourth-consecutive MAC regular-season championship and their fifth-straight MAC West crown.
It was also the first conference victory for first-year coach Heather Oesterle, who served as an assistant and then the associate head coach to Sue Guevara for 12 years before taking over the program last July.
"I've been up since 4 o'clock this morning," Oesterle said. "I could not sleep last night. It's tough to go on the road in this conference and win games. I was just really proud of the way they played."
Eastern Michigan 78, Bowling Green 61
Box Score
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team extended its winning streak to four consecutive games, as it opened its 2020 Mid-American Conference slate with a 78-61 victory over Bowling Green State University Saturday, Jan. 4, inside the Convocation Center.
The Eagles (6-6, 1-0 MAC) were led by a stellar performance from redshirt junior Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)), who tallied a career-high 32 points on 14-of-20 shooting, while adding seven rebounds, four steals, two assists, and a pair of blocks. Her 14 successful field goal attempts also tied for the eighth-most in program history, equaling the mark set by Tavelyn James versus Kent State, Feb. 11, 2012 and Danielle Minott against Buffalo, Jan. 27, 2018 and Jan. 9, 2019. Additionally, Combs became the first Eagle to reach the 30-point plateau since Minott tallied a program-record 43 points in an overtime loss to Buffalo, Jan. 9, 2019.
Fellow redshirt junior Corrione Cardwell (Cleveland, Ohio-New Tech East) also reached double-digits in points, recording 10 points and a team-best six steals along with four rebounds and three helpers. Freshman Aaliyah Stanley (Boynton Beach, Fla.-Oxbridge Academy) and Kiara Johnson (Buffalo, N.Y.-Cardinal O'Hara) tied Combs for the team lead with seven boards, while redshirt sophomore Juanita Agosto (Seattle, Wash.-Garfield) notched eight points on 4-of-5 shooting along with a team-high four assists.
EMU finished 50.8 percent (33-of-65) from the field, while BGSU (7-6, 0-1 MAC) ended the contest with a 41.8 percent (23-of-55) clip. The Green and White overwhelmed their MAC East opposition in multiple categories, including rebounds (44-23), fast-break points (14-0), and points in the paint (50-22).
After Bowling Green scored the game's first bucket, the Eagles responded with an 11-1 run to capture an 11-3 lead by the halfway mark of the opening quarter. Cardwell added a layup to extend EMU's cushion to 16-6, but the hosts called a timeout after BGSU scored 10 unanswered points to knot the score at 16 with 1:16 left in the first period.
The Eagles quickly collected themselves and responded with a 14-0 run that carried over into the second quarter, opening up a 30-18 lead with 6:58 left in the first half. In total, EMU outscored BGSU 23-4 at one stretch to build a 39-20 advantage with 4:27 left in the second stanza.
The Green and White held a commanding 45-27 lead coming out of the break, but were dealt a scare when they were outscored by BGSU in the third quarter, 22-12. The Falcons eventually sliced the lead to 57-51 with 9:36 to go in regulation, but the Eagles pulled way with an 8-1 run to open up a 65-52 lead with fewer than six-and-a-half minutes remaining. Combs and Stanley provided the bulk of EMU's offense during the fourth quarter, before sophomore Natalia Pineda (Miami, Fla.-John A. Ferguson) wrapped up the scoring with a last-minute triple to seal a 17-point victory.
Eastern Michigan continues Mid-American Conference play with a two-game road trip, starting with a visit to Kent, Ohio to take on the Golden Flashes of Kent State University Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m.
