Wednesday's Scoreboard
Eastern Michigan 74, Kent State 69
Ball State 86, Bowling Green 80
Toledo 71, Buffalo 59
Miami 66, Northern Illinois 64
Western Michigan 56, Akron 51
Central Michigan 73, Ohio 71
Stories Courtesy of MAC Sports Information
Eastern Michigan 74, Kent State 69
Box Score
KENT, OHIO (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team fought off a late comeback attempt from its opposition en route to its fifth consecutive victory tonight, Jan. 8, in a Mid-American Conference bout against Kent State University. Despite a furious late-game comeback that saw KSU get within four, EMU eventually extinguished the Golden Flashes,74-69, at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center.
With the win, Eastern (7-6; 2-0 MAC) is 2-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2010-11 campaign, when the Eagles opened MAC play with wins over Northern Illinois, and Ball State, respectively. Additionally, the win is the first for Eastern over Kent State since the 2016 season, and the first in Kent, Ohio since EMU topped the Flashes, 70-53, Feb. 4, 2015. Prior to tonight's win, EMU had lost its previous six matchups against KSU.
Dominant in every aspect of the game, Eastern saw team single-game season-highs in free throw attempts (35), free throw makes (28), free throw percentage (80%), and three-point field goal percentage (.67). Eastern's 8-for-12 three-point effort tied for the second-best single-game three-point percentage in EMU women's basketball history, its best performance since it shot the same 67 percent against Idaho State, Nov. 22, 1997.
The Eagles were led by the duo of redshirt junior Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)) and sophomore Jenna Annechiarico (Baldwin, N.Y.-Baldwin), who each contributed 15-point efforts in the win. Combs has now scored in double figures in seven consecutive contests, while Annechiarico notched her third double-digit performance of the season, and first since the team's win over Southeast Missouri State, Nov. 19, 2019. She added a team-best three triples as well.
Defensively, junior Autumn Hudson (Richwood, Ohio-North Union) paced the team with a nine-rebound performance. Sophomore Kiara Johnson (Buffalo, N.Y.-Cardinal O'Hara) added six boards in the win.
A defensive-dominant approach at the beginning, Eastern was able to hold the Golden Flashes without a field goal for the first 7:31 of game action. The Eagles used that stretch to their advantage, quickly building a 6-0 lead, one it eventually stretched to 16-9 at the end of the quarter.
A back-and-forth second frame saw Kent pull within four, 21-17, with just over four minutes gone-by. Determined to regain momentum, EMU again rose to the occasion, outscoring KSU, 13-2, over the next 5:19 to build its largest lead of the game, 34-19, with under one minute remaining in the half.
Although Kent State hit a late triple, the Eagles still took a double-digit lead, 34-22, into the intermission.
The majority of the second half continued in Eastern's favor, evidenced by its 12-point lead with just over two minutes remaining in the game. Although it appeared that EMU was in control, the final minutes of the game were heart-clenching for Fred Castro and his squad.
After multiple EMU turnovers and timely KSU baskets cut the Eagle lead to just three, 72-69 with under one minute to play, it was Annechiarico that sealed the win. With one second on the clock, the Baldwin, N.Y. native stepped the line and nailed a pair of free throws, sealing the win, 74-69.
Eastern takes its 2-0 conference record back on the road for a weekend matchup with MAC West rival Ball State University Saturday, Jan. 9, in Munice, Ind. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. Be sure to follow @EMUWBB on social media, and visit EMUEagles.com for the most up-to-date information on all things EMU women's hoops.
Ball State 86, Bowling Green 80
Box Score
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - It wasn't easy, but the Ball State women's basketball team extended its win streak over Bowling Green to 10 with the Cardinals 86-80 overtime win Wednesday night in the Stroh Center.
Junior Oshlynn Brown scored a career high 29 points against the Falcons while graduate senior Jasmin Samz ended the night with 19 points. Sophomore Thelma Dis Agustsdottir and freshman Sydney Freeman both chipped in 13 apiece.
With 35 seconds remaining in overtime and Ball State (10-4, 2-0 MAC) leading Bowling Green (7-7, 0-2 MAC) by one (81-80), Agustsdottir hit a jumper just outside the paint to extend the Cardinals lead to three. Ball State then turned up its defense and held the Falcons scoreless the remainder of the contest.
Some big plays from Freeman, Samz and Brown made it possible for the Cardinals to lock down the win in OT. Both Samz and Brown made their free throws down the stretch. Freeman also had a steal and a fast break layup with 1:39 on the clock to give Ball State an extra boost.
The Falcons opened the third quarter with a 16-9 run to take a 49-48 lead over Ball State at the 4:32 mark. Brown answered after the media timeout with three layups to put the Cardinals back up by three (54-51) with 1:32 on the clock. But a 3-pointer from the Falcons Madisen Parker, who ranks 11th in the nation from behind the arc, tied up the ball game at 54-54 to end the third.
The fourth stanza was a close one as well, as the two teams continued to trade baskets. Samz and Brown each hit their buckets to give Ball State a four-point edge (74-70) with 31 seconds remaining in regulation. Parker then came through for the Falcons again with an old fashioned three-point play to send the game into OT.
After the opening tip, Bowling Green struck first while the Cardinals struggled offensively. Ball State finally answered with its first basket from freshman Annie Rauch at the 6:33 mark. Turnovers seemed to plague both teams in the first 10 minutes of action. In a back and forth affair that consisted of three ties and seven lead changes, Rauch and senior Arbrie Benson combined to reclaim the lead for Ball State at 18-16 to end the first quarter of play.
The second quarter mimicked the first, although it seemed like a bit of a seesaw match the Cardinals held onto their slim lead throughout the second 10 minutes of action. A combination of Cardinals that included baskets from Brown, Agustsdottir, Samz and Freeman allowed Ball State to take a six-point (39-33) lead over Bowling Green at intermission.
The Ball State women's basketball team continues Mid-American Conference action Saturday at home when it hosts Eastern Michigan in Worthen Arena at 1 p.m.
Toledo 71, Buffalo 59
Box Score
TOLEDO, Ohio – Toledo played its most complete game of the season, claiming an impressive 71-59 victory against Buffalo in Wednesday's Mid-American Conference home opener before 3,217 fans in Savage Arena. With the double-digit win, the Rockets improve to 6-7 overall, 1-1 in the league.
The Midnight Blue & Gold led wire-to-wire to snap the Bulls' (10-3, 1-1 MAC) seven-game winning streak.
Junior Tanaya Beacham paced Toledo with 17 points off the bench, scoring in double figures for a second-straight game. Beacham knocked down an efficient 7-of-12 shots from the field and 3-of-6 from the charity stripe in 26 minutes.
Freshman Quinesha Lockett added 13 points, a season-high seven rebounds, three assists and two thefts.
Toledo also received eight points from junior Nakiah Black and seven each from senior Mariella Santucci, junior Tatyana Davis and freshman Sophia Wiard to stretch its home winning streak to three-consecutive contests.
As a team, the Rockets shot 36.9 percent (24-of-65) from the floor, including a respectable 39.1 percent (9-of-23) from beyond the arc, and 58.3 percent (14-of-24) from the free throw line to run their record to 12-1 all-time against UB at home.
Toledo also did a fantastic job taking care of the basketball against the athletic Bulls, finishing with 15 assists, compared to only 13 turnovers. Santucci spearheaded Toledo's offensive execution with a contest-best five helpers.
Three-time MAC East Division Player of the Week Dyaisha Fair led Buffalo with 17 points, followed by Theresa Onwuka with 14. However, the Rockets held Fair to just 4-of-18 from the field.
UB overall was limited to 35.1 percent (20-of-57) from the field, including 27.8 percent (5-of-18) from three-point land, en route to posting its second-lowest scoring output this season. The visitors came into tonight's MAC cross-division matchup ranked fourth in the league in scoring offense (71.7 ppg), fifth in overall field-goal percentage (.408) and seventh in three-point field-goal percentage (.309).
Miami 66, Northern Illinois 64
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio – The Miami University women's basketball team (8-6, 1-1 MAC) came back from a 14-point deficit against Northern Illinois in the second half to win by a 66-64 margin on Wednesday inside a Millett Hall.
Monique Esbrand had the steal and game-winning basket with just seconds remaining after tying the game with a three-pointer just one minute earlier.
Esbrand had 13 points as one of four RedHawks to reach double figures against the Huskies. Savannah Kluesner led the offense with 19 points while Lauren Dickerson and Peyton Scott each contributed 11.
The Huskies began the game with the 5-2 edge before the RedHawks went on a 7-0 run to take a 9-5 lead after three minutes of play.
NIU responded with the next 10 points to flip the script to a 15-9 game with 4:20 to play in the opening quarter. A basket from Dickerson and a three-pointer from Bree Paulson brought Miami back within one with three minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Western Michigan 56, Akron 51
Box Score
AKRON, OHIO. - The Western Michigan women's basketball team was victorious in its first Mid-American Conference road game on Wednesday, Jan. 8 at the University of Akron, pulling off a fourth-quarter comeback and earning the win by a score of 56-51.
The Broncos outscored the Zips 16-5 in second chance points and earned 16 points off turnovers, out-rebounding their opponents 54-36 to set a new season high. Western Michigan shot 28.3 percent from the field (17-for-60) and tied a season high of 19 points scored off 25 free throw attempts. Both teams struggled beyond the arc, the Broncos going 3-for-22 from long range while the Zips had two made baskets off of 15 attempts.
Breanna Mobley led the Broncos with 15 points and 11 rebounds, good for her tenth double-double of the season She also tallied a season-high four blocks. Jordan Walker notched 11 points and was just one rebound shy of a double-double, adding a team-high three assists and four steals, one short of a career-high. Fellow starter Leighah-Amori Wool had 14 points and eight rebounds. Reilly Jacobson brought in a team-high ten points off the bench, adding seven rebounds.
"I didn't expect us to struggle at the arc or to win a game with 28 percent shooting, but credit to our kids for figuring out how to get to the free throw line, we made it up with a really good percentage there," Head Coach Shane Clipfell commented. "That clearly was a difference maker. It was a great effort. Bree (Mobley), you just can't stop her. But collectively, we defended well and clearly that was a big factor in the game."
Akron came out of the gate with the advantage, holding the Broncos to just eight points in the first frame. With a 5-0 run to open play, the Zips scored five more after back-to-back baskets from Mobley to force an early timeout at 10-4. WMU trimmed their opponent's lead to six before the Zips pulled away, closing out the first quarter with a ten-point lead at 18-8.
Western Michigan bounced back in the second quarter, opening the frame with six straight points off baskets from Mobley and Walker. Jacobson drew a foul after a made basket to put the Broncos within three points of Akron, on the way to a 7-0 run with more points scored by Wool and Mobley. WMU outscored the Zips 17-12 in the quarter, heading into the locker room trailing the home team by five.
Scoring in the third quarter was nearly even as Akron tallied 14 points to Western's 13. All three of WMU's made baskets from long range came in the third frame, with shots from Walker and senior Kamrin Reed. Despite strong shooting, the Zips began to pull away on a 7-2 run to close out the quarter with a narrow 44-38 advantage.
The comeback victory for the Brown & Gold came in the final frame of play. Akron opened the quarter with a fast break layup before the Broncos took over the court. Holding the Zips scoreless for over seven minutes of play, WMU went off on a 15-0 run, helped by 10-of-14 shooting from the charity stripe. Wool made all six of her free throw attempts, while Mobley put up eight points during the steak, including 5-of-6 shooting from the line. The breakaway came when the redshirt senior scored back-to-back on a pair of layups and two free throw shots to put the Broncos ahead 52-49. From there, WMU held on to score five more points and shut out Akron until the final seconds, ending the quarter outscoring the Zips 18-7 and securing the victory.
Up next, Western Michigan (9-4, 2-0 MAC) looks to win on the road again, traveling back to Ohio to face Kent State (7-6, 0-2 MAC) on Saturday, Jan. 11. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Central Michigan 73, Ohio 71
Box Score
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