Wednesday's Scoreboard
Eastern Michigan 77, Ball State 58
Kent State 47, Ohio State 103
Stories Courtesy of MAC Sports Information
Eastern Michigan 77, Ball State 58
Box Score
MUNCIE, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team is flying high tonight, Dec. 2, after starting its 2020-21 Mid-American Conference slate with a dominant win over Ball State University, 77-58, inside Muncie's Worthen Arena.
With the win, Eastern (2-1, 1-0 MAC) has now emerged victorious in 13 of its last 19 conference openers. The win is also EMU's third-consecutive over Ball State (0-3, 0-1 MAC), its best streak since handing the Cardinals four straight losses between Jan. 20, 2010 and Feb. 16, 2011. Additionally, the 19-point margin of victory is the best for EMU over Ball State since the 2012 season, when the Eagles bested its Hoosier State foe, 74-43, in Ypsilanti.
On the court, it was redshirt senior Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)) that stole the show as she dropped 26 points on 11-of-24 shooting, her best performance of the young season. She added 11 rebounds to notch her fifth-career double-double in just her second year playing with the team. The game was her 27th-consecutive with better than 10 points. Combs' Sooner State sister, redshirt sophomore Ce'Nara Skanes (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)) was fantastic as well. She added 20 points and eight rebounds of her own to follow up her 30-point game against UIC, Nov. 29. Junior Jenna Annecchiarico (Baldwin, N.Y.-Baldwin) notched 10 points to round out EMU's trio of double-digit scoring performances.
Defensively, Combs recorded a career-best six steals, while Skanes registered the team's only block. Senior Autumn Hudson (Richwood, Ohio-North Union) came off the bench to record five important rebounds for the Green and White. She added three points in what is her best performance this season.
The first quarter saw EMU start hot on the defensive end of the floor, a fact that comes as no surprise given that the Eagles entered the contest as the MAC's leader in opposition scoring (59.0 ppg). With neither team yet on the board, it was Combs who got the action going as she recorded a steal and finished at the other end to give EMU the game's first score and put the Eagles ahead, 2-0. Just moments later, Annecchiarico got involved as she drilled a deep three to extend Eastern's lead to five, 5-0. The three brought a sigh of relief to the EMU bench, as it came following an 0-for-15 night from beyond the arc against UIC, Nov. 29.
The early run from EMU was quickly matched by Ball State, however, as the Cardinals knocked in three triples during the heart of an 11-0 run of its own. EMU stopped the bleeding with 4:20 to go as Combs broke away for a fast-break finish at the other end. That bucket was the start of a second EMU run, this time in 10-to-0 fashion, which allowed EMU to take the lead once again, 15-14.
The two teams traded buckets as the quarter closed and finished in a 17-17 stalemate. EMU's three first-quarter triples tied a season-best for three-point makes in a single quarter. The squad previously made three shots of the kind in the third quarter against Southern Illinois, Nov. 25.
The back-and-forth continued in the early portion of the second frame as the two teams each exchanged a pair of buckets before EMU settled into a five point lead, 27-22, with just under five minutes remaining in the quarter. Ball State was able to answer with a mini-run of its own to bring the score level at 27 apiece with 2:49 on the clock, but the Eagles responded in positive fashion, as they closed the half on a 6-4 run to earn their first halftime lead of the season, 33-31.
The heavy-weight battle continued into the early portion of the third quarter before EMU began to distance itself as the more dominant force in the contest. A noticeable shift in momentum came with 8:20 left in the quarter. Down, 35-33, Eastern's redshirt junior forward RayJon Harris (Euclid, Ohio-Euclid) fought to convert a three-point play and help EMU retake the lead, 36-35. The Eagles never looked back after that point, and soon after found itself with a 7-point edge with 3:48 left in the third, its largest of the game at that point. Although Ball State continued to counter-punch, the blows were far from enough as EMU was able to add another point to its lead and take an eight-point advantage into the fourth quarter, 54-46.
Eastern's third quarter momentum more than carried over into the fourth and final quarter of the MAC-opening bout as the Eagles quickly took the lead to double digits. Ball State was unable to break through for any easy buckets in the final minutes of the game, and EMU ultimately stretched the lead to 21 points, 77-56, with under one second to play. BSU added a pair of free throws to make the margin closer, but the effort was far from enough to fight back against Eastern.
Following its impressive road win, EMU is set to travel to the state of Missouri for a matchup with Southeast Missouri State University Sunday, Nov. 6. Tipoff of the 2019 rematch is set for 2 p.m. CT. For the most up-to-date information on all things EMU women's basketball, visit EMUEagles.com and continue to follow the team on social media, at @EMUWBB.
Kent State 47, Ohio State 103
Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Kent State started the 2020-21 women's basketball campaign with a 103-47 loss at 19th-ranked Ohio State on Wednesday afternoon.
Sophomore Nila Blackford paced the Golden Flashes with nine points and junior Mariah Modkins added eight points.
Difficulty making shots did not deter Kent State from putting forth great effort. The Flashes secured 18 offensive rebounds and trailed by just three, 44-41, in the overall battle on the boards. Sophomore Clare Kelly provided four of her team-high seven rebounds on the offensive end. Blackford, redshirt junior Linsey Marchese, junior Annie Pavlansky and junior Lindsey Thall grabbed five boards apiece.
The host Buckeyes shot 39-of-66 from the floor for just under 60 percent. Dorka Juhasz and Jacy Sheldon led five in double-figures with 16 points each.
Kent State will open the home schedule against Ohio at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5 for the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams.
