Wednesday's Scoreboard
Kent State 60, Akron 55
Western Michigan 74, Buffalo 62
Eastern Michigan 70, Bowling Green 58
Ball State 60, Toledo 58
Northern Illinois 86, Miami 84
Stories Courtesy of MAC Sports Information
Kent State 60, Akron 55
Box Score
AKRON, Ohio – Kent State made defensive stops down the stretch to defeat Akron, 60-55, in a Crystal Clinic Wagon Wheel Challenge contest inside of James A. Rhodes Arena on Wednesday evening. The Golden Flashes closed the game with a 9-2 run to secure their fourth straight victory in the rivalry.
For the third game in a row, Kent State (13-9, 6-5 MAC) held the opposition to at least 10 points below its season average. Sophomore Lindsey Thall's blocked shots and sophomore Asiah Dingle's four steals led the way defensively. The Flashes held a 43-34 rebounding advantage and allowed only two second-chance points.
Tied 45-45 entering the final period, Akron scored on the opening possession. Freshman Katie Shumate answered with a tough finish in the lane and redshirt senior Megan Carter's baseline jumper put the Flashes ahead, 49-47, with 8:09 remaining.
Neither team was able to score again until the Zips sank a pair of free throws to even the score at the 4:59 mark. Less than a minute later, Alyssa Clay was able to get a contested floater from outside the lane to rattle in and put the hosts back in the lead.
Kent State still trailed by a basket with just under two minutes remaining when Thall ran down a defensive board after rejected a transition layup attempt and threw an outlet pass to Dingle, who pushed the ball the other way. After freezing the defender with a hesitation, Dingle was unable to convert a layup attempt. However, sophomore Hannah Young tracked down the miss and found the trailing Thall for an opener three-pointer at the top of the key for a 54-53 lead.
The Flashes' full-court pressure following an Akron timeout created chaos and resulted in a turnover, which led to a three-point play by Dingle with 1:20 to play.
Now leading by only two, Dingle came up with a steal in the backcourt following a Kent State miss with just over 30 seconds on the clock. She would be sent to the free throw line with 27.3 left, splitting a pair to make it 58-55. Following a timeout by the Zips to advance the ball into the frontcourt, Young contested a three-point attempt that was off the mark and rebounded by Carter. After two free throws by Carter, Thall blocked another three-point attempt to seal the victory.
Asiah Dingle paced Kent State with 15 points. Freshman Katie Shumate had 12 points and seven rebounds, while classmate Nila Blackford added 10 points and nine boards.
The Flashes will return to the M.A.C. Center for the annual Play4Kay game against Toledo on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 3:30 p.m.
Western Michigan 74, Buffalo 62
Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Western Michigan women's basketball team took down MAC East foe Buffalo on Wednesday, Feb. 12 with a 74-62 victory inside University Arena.
The Broncos welcomed Buffalo to their home court to pick up their fifth conference win of the season. WMU treated them to a complete 40-minute effort, leading throughout the game en route to their largest margin of victory since January against Toledo. WMU tallied 19 points off turnovers and out-rebounded the Bulls 38-37.
Western Michigan led in all three shooting categories, converting 26 of 63 field goals (41.3 percent) with 32.1 percent shooting from long range and an impressive 86.7 percent at the line, going 13-for-15. The Broncos tallied 26 points in the paint and limited the Bulls to just 5-for-21 shooting from three-point range.
"I thought we had a lot more grit this game, especially on the defensive end," head coach Shane Clipfell said. "We made some huge defensive plays, our bench put up a lot of points, and that's very important for our team moving forward- that we continue to have productive players coming off the bench."
All eight Broncos that saw action in tonight's games scored at least four points for the Brown & Gold. Six of those players at least one made basket from long range, while four scored in the double-digits. Jordan Walker led the charge with 18 points, converting a season high four three-pointers. She added six rebounds and four steals. Breanna Mobley tallied her second straight double-double with 13 points and ten rebounds. Leighah-Amori Wool led the assist game with a team-high seven helps, adding five points and a pair of rebounds. The Bronco bench saw 44 minutes of action and poured in 24 points, junior Reilly Jacobson leading with 15.
"I was very happy with our ability to score points against their defense tonight," Clipfell commented. "I thought we did a good job in both zone and man-to-man defense and stayed deep in the corners to make some of those three-point shots."
Despite a slow start that saw Buffalo taking an early four-point lead, the Broncos came to life after Walker scored five straight points and Kamrin Reed earned three points after getting fouled on a layup. The Brown & Gold didn't look back, tallying another five straight points to open up the second quarter, thanks to a layup by Mobley and a three-point shot off the bench from Maddie Watters. The second quarter saw WMU pour in five shots from beyond the arc, a tie for their season-highest in a single quarter. A three-pointer from five feet back from Shafer ended the half and capped off a 9-0 scoring run for the Broncos.
Taking a 14-point lead into the third quarter, the Broncos continued to dominate, outscoring the Bulls 24 to 15. Jacobson came alive off the bench to score 12 of WMU's 24 points in the third quarter. A jumper from Mobley halfway through the frame gave her a double-digit mark in scoring and rebounding. The quarter closed out with Western Michigan holding a 21-point advantage.
As the Bulls opened the fourth quarter with a 6-0 run to trim the Bronco lead, WMU stayed collected, earning points off a jumper from Bailey and Wool's first three of the night. Buffalo outscored the home team 20-11 in the final frame, their highest-scoring quarter of the game. Despite the late surge, Western Michigan held on to the lead with last-minute free throw shots from Walker to seal the win.
The Broncos, now 12-10 overall and 5-6 in conference play, are back on the road this Saturday (Feb. 15), taking on the Northern Illinois Huskies in Dekalb, Illinois.
Eastern Michigan 70, Bowling Green 58
Box Score
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team used a second-half surge to upend its Mid-American Conference East Division rival, Bowling Green State University, 70-58, tonight, Feb. 12, inside BGSU's Stroh Center.
The win completed a season-sweep for Eastern (12-11; 7-5 MAC) over Bowling Green (8-15; 1-10 MAC), and lifted EMU to seven conference wins for the first time under fourth-year head coach Fred Castro. Prior to this season, Castro's highest league win total was six (2017-18, 2018-19). The victory also extends EMU's win streak over the Falcons to five games, a new program record.
Eastern was led by the duo of sophomore Jenna Annecchiarico (Baldwin, N.Y.-Baldwin), and redshirt junior guard Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)). Annecchiarico dropped 22 points in her encore performance from a career-high 31-point day at Western Michigan, Feb. 8. Combs was also stellar. The Oklahoma City native registered her third-career double-double with a 20 point, 13 rebound effort. Junior Autumn Hudson (Richwood, Ohio-North Union) contributed 11 rebounds for the Green and White to notch her sixth 10-plus rebound game of the season.
The game began with both teams playing efficient, clean basketball. That was best evidenced by the 8:22 of game clock that ran continuously until the contest's first media timeout. The long-running segment saw 33 collective points, with EMU holding the one-point edge, 17-16, at the stoppage.
Although it took an extended period of time to stop the clock for the first time, it took EMU no time at all to open the game's scoring. After controlling the tip, the Eagles ran their first set play to perfection, which left redshirt junior guard Areanna Combs (Oklahoma City, Okla.-Putnam City West (Oklahoma State)) with an open lane to the basket. She took advantage and put EMU ahead, 2-0. From that point on, the offensive festivities continued. In all, four different Eagles registered points as sophomore Jenna Annecchiarico (Baldwin, N.Y.-Baldwin) paced the team with 10. Despite the offensive comfortability, Bowling Green ended the quarter up one, 20-19.
The pace of play slowed dramatically in the second quarter as the defensive efforts of both teams picked up. The Eagles used a pair of steals courtesy of redshirt sophomore Juanita Agosto (Seattle, Wash.-Garfield) and Combs to fuel a 9-4 run over the frame's first 3:20. Up by a pair of buckets, 28-24, EMU faced another offensive push from the MAC's second-best scoring team. EMU mustered just two points over the final six-plus minutes and went into the locker room down two, 32-30.
It was Eastern that appeared to have utilized the halftime intermission more effectively than its Buckeye State-counterpart as play resumed in the third quarter. The Eagles quickly produced a 14-6 scoring run, and opened up a six point, 44-38 lead with four minutes remaining in the quarter. Annecchiarico and junior Courtnie Lewis (Belton, Mo.-Belton) both knocked in shots from deep during the run. The triple make cemented a sixth-consecutive outing with two-or-more three-pointers by Lewis. Sophomore big Kiara Johnson (Buffalo, N.Y.-Cardinal O'hara) made her presence known on the inside during the third quarter, as she notched her first points of the game and hauled in four rebounds. Combs' layup at the 6:05 mark notched her 10th point of the game, and officially stretched her double-digit scoring streak to 16 games. EMU's offense remained aggressive throughout the period, scoring 19 third-quarter points to lift the Eagles to a 49-41 lead with 10 minutes to play.
Despite spurts of effort by the Falcons in the fourth quarter, Eastern proved much too strong to overcome as the game dwindled into its final minutes. EMU continued to take advantage of BGSU on both ends of the court, and eventually pulled out the 70-58 decision.
EMU returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 15, as it returns home to Ypsilanti for a game against the University of Akron. Tipoff from the Convocation Center is scheduled for 12 p.m., and will serve as the first leg of a women/men doubleheader. Eastern's men will face Western Michigan with a tipoff time slated for approximately 2:30 p.m. For the most up-to-date information on all things EMU women's hoops, visit EMUEagles.com
Ball State 60, Toledo 58
Box Score
TOLEDO, Ohio - Anytime these two Mid-American Conference West Division rivals clash it is going to be a battle to the very end. After 12 ties and 14 lead changes the Cardinals held on tight to their fourth quarter lead to win the ball game 60-58 over Toledo Wednesday night in Savage Arena.
In most of the Cardinals (16-7, 8-3 MAC) games this season, the contest came down to the wire and tonight's win over Toledo (11-11, 6-5 MAC) was no different. Ball State continues to be resilient in stressful situations by getting the job done with its third-straight league victory to remain in the No. 3 spot of the MAC standings. It was a defensive battle for the 40-minute duration, as neither team shot particularly well. The Cardinals shot 43 percent for the game while the Rockets were held to 31 percent from the floor.
Graduate Senior Jasmin Samz led the Cardinals with 15 points and had some key baskets at some pivotal moments to keep the Cardinal in control in the final frame. She was the lone Cardinal to reach double figures although nine of her ten teammates that played today managed to score for Ball State.
The game started out tonight as one would expect in a MAC West Division rivalry contest. Both teams traded baskets for the first 10 minutes of action. Ball State had a four-point lead twice in the first quarter, once at the 4:13 mark and then again with 2:48 left on the clock. After that, Ball State was held without a field goal but senior Arbrie "Deuce" Benson attacked the basket at the last second to draw a foul, making both free throws to give the Cardinals a slim 14-12 edge over Toledo heading into the second frame of action.
The offensive struggle between both teams carried over to the second quarter of play. At the media timeout, Toledo had outscored the Cardinals 7-3 to give Toledo a two-point advantage, 19-17. The Cardinals strung together a quick 6-3 run after back-to-back layups from freshmen Annie Rauch and Sydney Freeman to close out the first half, allowing Ball State to take the 23-22 edge over Toledo at intermission.
At the half, Ball State had shot slightly better than Toledo with a 34.6 field goal percentage while the Rockets shot 26.7 percent from the floor. At the half, Freeman and Benson led the Cardinals with five points apiece.
Call it a defensively battle if you may, the Cardinals and the Rockets still were struggling to find their offensive rhythm in the third frame. Although, Ball State led the majority of the third quarter, with its largest lead being seven (33-26) at the 3:17 mark. Toledo continued to snipe at the heels of the Cardinals, eventually tying the game at 35-35 with seconds remaining. Samz ended the third stanza on a high note for the Cardinals with a clutch jumper at the buzzer to put Ball State back up by two (37-35) heading into the final stanza.
The Ball State women's basketball team continues Mid-American Conference action on the road when it faces Buffalo for the second time this season at 2 p.m. in University Arena. The Cardinals defeated the Bulls in their first meeting by a score of 69-65 on Jan. 22 in Worthen Arena.
Northern Illinois 86, Miami 84
Box Score
DeKALB, IL – For the second straight game, the Northern Illinois University women's basketball team overcame a five-point deficit late in regulation to force overtime and win with an 86-84 victory against the Miami RedHawks Wednesday night at the NIU Convocation Center.
"That was 45 minutes of just finding a way to get it done," said head coach Lisa Carlsen. "This team has shown that they understand that and have obviously had some success in overtime this year. We've had great situations where kids have made plays and it showed again tonight. We found each other, knocked down shots that are pressure shots, and made the plays needed."
NIU (8-14, 4-7 MAC) trailed 74-69 with 1:05 left in regulation after an Abbey Hoff three-pointer put the RedHawks up five. Myia Starks (Plainfield, Ill./Nequa Valley) then made back-to-back jumpers to get the Huskies within one, 74-73, with 10 seconds left. The Huskies fouled Kenzie Schmitz to save time on the clock. Schmitz split a pair of free throws to make it a two-point game. NIU tied the game on its next possession as a driving Gabby Nikitinaite (Orpington, Kent, UK/Coopers School) found an open Ally May (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) under the basket for the layup that tied the game at 75 and forced overtime.
The Huskies opened overtime on an 8-3 run, taking an 83-78 lead on a May jumper with 2:02 to go in the extra session. Miami responded with a 6-1 run over the next 1:33 as a Savannah Kluesner three tied the game at 84 with 29 seconds left in overtime. NIU held for the last shot, which ended up being two shots. May missed a corner three, which led to a Nikitinaite offensive rebound. The junior guard then found an open Courtney Woods (Brisbane, Australia/St. Margaret's) for a jumper that gave NIU an 86-84 lead with five seconds left. The Huskies then forced a turnover on Miami's last possession as Riley Blackwell (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) deflected an in-bound pass that Starks stole to run out the clock.
"We're playing a lot better collectively and put a really big emphasis on getting in the gym and getting better at doing your job," said Woods, who finished the game with a team-high 20 points and 10 rebounds. "That makes it a lot easier for the team. We're not doing anything different offensively. We've just all put in the work to get better."
Miami (11-13, 4-8) used a 22-2 run in the first quarter to lead 24-6 with 1:09 to go. The Huskies scored the last five points of the quarter on a Starks three-point play and a Woods jumper to get within 13, 24-11. NIU's defense came alive in the second quarter, holding the RedHawks to eight points on 4-for-17 shooting from the field. Sparked by six straight points from A'Jah Davis (DeKalb, Ill./Montverde Academy [Fla.]), NIU went on a 15-2 run over 4:37 to take a 31-30 lead. However, Miami got a layup from Tihanna Fulton with 1:19 to play in the second to take a 32-31 halftime lead.
The Huskies started the third quarter making five of their first six shots from the field. May capped an 11-4 NIU run to start the period with a layup at the 5:37 mark and put the home team up 42-36. The lead grew to 11 when Chelby Koker (Racine, Wis./Shoreland Lutheran) scored seven straight points to make the score 51-40 with 2:48 left in the third. The RedHawks then scored the last eight points of the third to make it a 51-48 game heading into the fourth.
NIU's 18-point comeback was its largest since bouncing back from 22 down against Ohio in the 2017 MAC Tournament to win 72-71. Woods was one of five Huskies in double-figure scoring Wednesday night. Nikitinaite was 7-for-9 from the field with four threes for 19 points and added six boards. Starks had 14 points with Koker adding 12 off the bench and May chipping in 11.
The Huskies shot 46.8 percent from the field, holding Miami to 38.8 percent and 6-for-26 from the three-point arc. NIU outrebounded Miami 50-44, marking the sixth straight game the Huskies have outrebounded their opponent. Kluesner led all players with 28 points and 12 rebounds.
NIU hosts Western Michigan Saturday at 1 p.m. for the Play4Kay game.
