Women's Basketball

Miami and Ball State Improve to 5-0 in #MACtion

Wednesday’s Women’s Basketball Results
UMass 82, Akron 68
Ball State 103, Buffalo 61
Kent State 71, Ohio 68
Miami 69, Eastern Michigan 55
Bowling Green 61, Western Michigan 54
Toledo 70, Northern Illinois 49
Stories Courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications

UMass 82, Akron 68
Box Score

AMHERST, Mass. -- University of Massachusetts women's basketball (12-3, 4-1 MAC) defeated Akron (3-14, 0-5 MAC), 82-68, during a Wednesday afternoon matchup at Mullins Center.   

The Minutewomen used a 28-point first quarter and three career-high performances to cruise past the Zips. In the absence of Chinenye Odenigbo, Jess Ross and Lilly Ferguson stepped up for UMass, each pouring in career high 13 points. Yahmani McKayle dished out a career-high 11 assists.  

Five Minutwomen reach double-figures, as Allie Palmieri, McKayle, Ross, Ferguson and Olbrys netted 16, 15, 13, 13 and 13, respectively. It marks the first time Jan. 29, 2025, that five Minutewomen scored in double figures.  

As a unit, UMass dished out 25 assists, nabbed 36 rebounds and buried eight triples in the contest, shooting an efficient 35-of-71 (.493) from the field and 8-of-24 from behind the arc (.333).  

Breaking Down The Action   
  •  Megan Olbrys netted the first points for the Minutewomen, knocking down a triple from the right wing to put UMass on the board first, 3-0, 50 seconds into the game. 
  • McKayle and Ferguson finished at the rim on consecutive possessions to regain the lead for UMass, going up 7-6 with 6:53 left in the first. 
  • McKayle hit nothing but net on her first two treys of the night, extending the UMass lead to 13-6 with 5:32 to play in the first quarter. 
  • Palmieri connected on a smooth step-back baseline jumper to extend the Massachusetts lead to 17-11 with 3:48 to play in the opening frame. 
  • McKayle broke down her defender with a hesitation dribble before scooping a pass to a waiting Olbrys for the easy finish, making the contest 19-12 in favor of the Minutewomen with three minutes left in the first. 
  • Jess Ross and Olbrys connected on consecutive jumpers to force an Akron timeout at 1:49 with UMass holding on to a 23-12 lead. 
  • Palmieri splashed her first triple of the night to extend the lead to 28-14 for the Minutewomen at the end of the opening quarter. 
  • Lilly Ferguson connected on consecutive baskets at the rim pushing her total to eight on the day, pushing the UMass lead to 34-18 at 8:03 in the second. 
  • Ross buried a three from the left wing, then finished through contact at the rim to put UMass up 43-30 with 1:37 remaining in the first half. 
  • Ross followed her own miss and finished strong to set a career-high in points at nine, while also giving the Minutewomen a 45-32 lead with 8:28 to play in the third. 
  • McKayle found Palmieri in transition who knocked down her second triple of the afternoon to extend the UMass lead to 52-36 with 6:04 left to play in the third.  
  • Ferguson entered double-figures with a putback layup at 4:10 in the third to keep UMass ahead 57-39. 
  • Consecutive fast break layups put the UMass lead to over 20, going up 63-41 with 2:19 to play in the third. 
  • Ayanna Franks buried a triple from the right wing to put Massachusetts up 67-48 at 9:42 in the final quarter.  
  • The Minutewomen went on a 7-0 run over a span of two minutes with Palmieri finishing two layups and McKayle connected from long range to put UMass up 80-54 with 3:53 remaining in the game. 
  • Akron tried mounting a late comeback, but the lead was too large to overcome as the Minutewomen took an 82-68 victory.  
By the Numbers     

5: Minutewomen scored double figures: Palmieri (16), McKayle (15), Ross (13), Ferguson (13) and Olbrys (13).  
8: Triples the Minutewomen knocked down. 
11: Yahmani McKayle set a career high in assists with 11. 
13: Jess Ross and Lilly Ferguson set career highs in points with 13. 
25: UMass dished out 25 assists. 
36: The Minutewomen nabbed 36 rebounds. 

Ball State 103, Buffalo 61
Box Score

MUNCIE, Ind. - The Ball State women's basketball team (13-4, 5-0 MAC) has opened Mid-American Conference action with a 5-0 ledger for the third-straight season after defeating Buffalo (2-24, 0-5 MAC) by a 103-61 decision Wednesday night in Worthen Arena.

Tessa Towers led the Cardinals against the Bulls, finishing with 16 points. She was strongly supported by teammates Grace Kingery and Bree Salenbien, who each contributed 14 points to the effort. Aniss Tagayi rounded out the significant scoring for the Cardinals, adding another 13 points in the contest while defensively, Alba Caballero turned in a personal best 11-rebound performance.

Ball State outpaced Buffalo 24-14 in the opening frame to build an early 10-point advantage over the Bulls. Back-to-back defensive plays which were accompanied by layups from Tagayi at the 3:28 mark allowed the Cardinals to push ahead of the Bulls.

Ashlynn Brooke capitalized off a Bulls' turnover with a made 3-pointer to open the second stanza for the Cardinals. That bucket set the tone with just three minutes shaved off the clock as Ball State extended its lead to 21 (35-14) off another fast break layup from Tagayi. The Cardinals' defense came into play as well holding the Bulls to only nine points in the second quarter allowing Ball State to take an impressive 44-23 advantage over Buffalo at intermission.

After the break, Ball State made some impressive plays defensively and continued to have a hot shooting hand which gave the Cardinals a 29-point (56-27) edge that was capped off by a layup from Tagayi with 6:22 on the clock. The Cardinals ongoing success led to Ball State eventually taking a 71-44 advantage over the Bulls into the last 10 minutes of action.

The fourth quarter mimicked the previous ones, and the Bulls could not catch up to the Cardinals no matter how hard they tried. The period was highlighted by layups from Laura Martinez at the two-minute mark for the Cardinals 103rd point of the game that also put the exclamation point on tonight's victory. It marked the third time this season the Cardinals have reached the 100-point plateau.

For the game, the Cardinals poured in the points, showcasing their depth and offensive versatility. When the final buzzer sounded, the 42-point margin highlighted a total team effort that left Buffalo reeling.

Ball State shined in the rebound category tonight outpacing Buffalo, 44-29. The Cardinals also shot 55 percent (35-63) from the field while defensively holding Buffalo to 39 percent from the floor. 

Kent State 71, Ohio 68
Box Score

KENT, Ohio – The Kent State women's basketball team hosted Ohio in the M.A.C. Center on Wednesday night, claiming a thrilling 71-68 over the Ohio Bobcats.

After ending the first quarter with a seven-point deficit, the Golden Flashes (7-10, 2-4) outscored the Bobcats 21-11 in the second quarter to take a three-point lead into the halftime break. A back-and-forth second half saw Kent State emerge victorious as the Flashes fended off multiple big shots from the Bobcats.

Sophomore Emory Klatt was a force in the paint for the Flashes as the sophomore tallied her second double-double of the season with a career-high 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Junior Mya Babbitt led Kent State in scoring on the night, tallying 18 points with four three pointers and adding three steals on the defensive end.

Senior Dionna Gray recorded a season-high 12 assists while adding six points and five rebounds.

Riley Rismiller added six points and six rebounds to the Flashes close out their second conference victory of the season.

Kent State out-rebounded the Bobcats 45-24 on the night, allowing the Flashes to convert with 19 second chance points.

Miami 69, Eastern Michigan 55
Box Score

OXFORD, Ohio–Amber Tretter and Núria Jurjo each scored 16 points and Amber Scalia added 15 as the Miami University women's basketball team defeated Eastern Michigan 69-55 Wednesday night. Tamar Singer finished with 10 assists for the RedHawks (13-4), who won their sixth straight game and improved to 5-0 in Mid-American Conference action. The Eagles fall to 7-8, 1-4 MAC.

How it Happened:
  • After the visitors took an early 5-2 lead, Miami ripped off an 11-0 run to go ahead, sparked by eight consecutive points from Jurjo. The run was capped by a Clara Gonzalez Planella three-pointer to make it 13-5. A pair of baskets from Scalia in the final 1:35 of the quarter helped the RedHawks hold a 19-14 lead after 10 minutes of play.
  • Jurjo picked up where she left off to open the second period, finishing a left-handed layup off a Singer assist on a 2-on-1 break to extend the margin to 21-14. Buckets from Gonzalez and Singer made it 25-17, and Miami eventually took its largest lead of the half at 29-20 on an Tretter layup with 5:30 left. Although the Eagles scored the next seven points to stay within striking distance, Tretter buried a shot from downtown to stem the tide and give Miami a 32-27 lead. After a Scalia triple, the RedHawks took a 35-31 advantage to the locker room.
  • Miami scored on its first three possessions of the second half, stretching its lead to 41-33. A Scalia three-pointer gave the hosts a 45-38 lead, and back-to-back hoops by Ilse de Vries extended the margin to 49-39 midway through the third quarter. Singer converted a layup and fed Tretter for another one to give the RedHawks their biggest lead of the period at 12. Miami ended the quarter on top by a score of 55-45 after a Scalia driving layup in the final minute.
  • Leading 57-50 with seven minutes to go, the RedHawks rattled off seven straight points when Scalia knocked down a mid-range jumper and then assisted on two Tretter makes. That gave the Red and White their largest lead of the contest at 64-50. Gonzalez drove inside to make it 66-52 with 3:41 remaining, and the RedHawks closed the Eagles out down the stretch to put the finishing touches on a 14-point victory.

Game Notes:
  • Singer finished in double digits in assists for the third consecutive game and the sixth time this season.
  • The Red and White matched the second-best start to conference play in program history at 5-0 (the 1989-90 team began league play 9-0).
  • The RedHawks forced 22 turnovers and out-scored the visitors 23-7 in points off turnovers.
  • Miami improved to 7-0 at Millett Hall this season.
Bowling Green 61, Western Michigan 54
Box Score

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team ended the third period on a double-digit run, then held off a spirited fourth-quarter comeback attempt by Western Michigan University on Wednesday evening (Jan. 14). The Falcons downed the Broncos, 61-54, in Mid-American Conference action at University Arena.

Sophomore Lauren Gerken and senior Kaia Woods each scored 15 points for the Falcons (10-6, 3-2 MAC), while junior Paige Kohler added 13. Gerken knocked down four three-point field-goal attempts as BG went 9-of-24 from the arc.

BGSU scored the final 11 points of the third period to take a 48-34 lead, and the Falcons still led by 13 points after Jaedyn Cook's baby hook with just over four minutes remaining in the game. The Broncos (5-10, 2-3 MAC) scored the next eight points to get within five with 1:12 left, but Western would draw no closer.

Sophomore Johnea Donahue scored eight points and had five assists and three steals. Junior Taya Ellis also had three steals, including one in the late stages of the game to douse any hopes the Broncos had for a miracle finish.

Kailey Starks (20) and Alli Carlson (18) combined for 38 of WMU's 54 points on the night.

Toledo 70, Northern Illinois 49
Box Score

TOLEDO, Ohio – Graduate student Patricia Anumgba scored a season-high 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting to lead the Toledo women's basketball team to a 70-49 Mid-American Conference victory over Northern Illinois at Savage Arena on Wednesday.

The Rockets (8-7, 3-2 MAC) built an 18-12 lead after one quarter and extended that edge to double digits, 35-22 by halftime. Toledo then exploded in the second half, extending the lead to as much as 30 in the fourth quarter. Anumgba took over, scoring 17 of her points in the final 20 minutes. Toledo cruised to victory despite being without leading scorer Kendall Carruthers due to injury.

The Rockets took advantage of a 21-10 edge in the turnover battle, with a 26-6 edge in points off turnovers and a 21-1 advantage in fast break points. Toledo shot 52.9% (27-of-51) from the field in the game, a season-high in field goal percentage, while holding NIU to just 40 percent.