Mid-American Conference

Note: Game stories are courtesy of home sports information departments

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Ball State Upsets Eighth-Seeded Northern Illinois, 80-71
DeKALB, IL---What a difference four days can make. That much time after suffering an 82-62 loss at the Convocation Center in the regular-season finale, Ball State defeated homestanding Northern Illinois 80-71 in Saturday's (Mar. 6) opening round of the 2004 Kraft Mid-American Conference Championships.

Kate Endress led five Cardinals in double figures with 21 points as the Cardinals snapped a six-game skid, improving to 13-15 on the season. Ball State advances to the quarterfinals and faces top-seeded Miami (OH) on Wednesday at Cleveland's Gund Arena. Northern Illinois ends the season with a 12-16 record despite 18 points and a season-high 15 rebounds from Jennifer Youngblood (Rock Island).

"I was hoping we wouldn't be satisfied (with Tuesday's victory), and I felt Ball State was definitely more ready to play today," Huskie coach Carol Hammerle said. "Maybe they felt a little embarrassed about that game, and they were very aggressive. They really came at us defensively. We didn't handle that very well. We were better in the second half and were doing some good things, but we dug such a big hole."

BSU raced to a 21-11 lead after six and a half minutes, taking advantage of four early Huskie turnovers and riding the hot shooting of Dana Collins. The Ball State point guard hit three three-pointers in that span before Endress took over. Endress had 16 points at the break as the Cardinals took a 45-31 lead to the locker room.

That 14-point cushion came from the visitors' 50 percent (18-of-36) shooting, comapred to 36.4 percent (12-of-33) by the Huskies. Ball State also committed only two turnovers and scored 15 points off NIU's seven miscues.

Northern Illinois opened the second half on a 6-0 run, but Ball State regained control on two Johna Goff jumpers to establish a 56-41 advantage. The lead grew to 67-50 on Kelsey Corbin's eight-footer with 8:52 remaining before the Huskies made the first of two late runs. Monique Davis (Columbus, OH / Marion-Franklin) hit two free throws to cut the deficit to 70-62, capping a 12-3 flurry but two Cardinal buckets returned the margin to double figures.

NIU trailed 74-62 before Youngblood's basket started a 7-0 run. Fellow senior Lindsay Secrest (Bloomfield, IN) hit two free throws to bring Northern Illinois within 74-69 at the 1:22 mark, but that was as close as the Huskies would get. Hampton canned two charity tosses and Collins added four more in the final 32 seconds to secure the victory.

Ball State was only two-for-20 behind the arc in Tuesday's 82-62 Huskie victory, but went 11-of-22 from the tri-light zone on Saturday. That was part of the Cardinals' 28-of-63 (44.4 percent) overall shooting, while Ball State also made 13 of 14 free throws and committed only eight turnovers.

Northern Illinois matched its season-low with ten miscues but shot a mere 38.8 percent (26-of-67) from the floor including five-of-20 from three-point range. The Huskies also missed six of 20 free throws, spoiling a 45-35 rebounding advantage which featured Youngblood's 15 caroms.

"The early turnovers shook us up and it snowballed," Hammerle added. "After you turn it over, you just have to let it go. We didn't do that. We're an emotional team, and they (Ball State) took it to us today. They came here ready to play."

The senior forward ends her career with 1,010 boards, putting her fourth in NIU history. She became the fifth player in MAC annals to reach four figures with a carom 91 seconds before halftime. Youngblood also stands tenth on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,453 points.

Davis and Secrest added 14 and 11 points, respectively, with Secrest's total giving her 1,092 in a Northern Illinois uniform. The fourth member of NIU's senior class---Stephanie Smith (Huntley / Hampshire)---tallied six points in her final collegiate contest. Her two three-pointers give her 83 in her career, tying Smith for sixth place in school history. Secrest is second on that list, canning her 190th career triple Saturday.

Freshman guard Stephanie Raymond (Rockford / Lutheran) was the fourth Huskie in double figures with 14 points, but Ball State's balanced scoring featured 19 points from Collins plus 15 from Goff. Kelsey Corbin and Jessica Reiter added 11 and ten, respectively, for the victors.

Western Michigan Advances To Quarterfinals With Win Over Akron
Kalamazoo, Mich. - The Western Michigan women's basketball team advanced to the quarter finals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament when they defeated Akron 89-67 Saturday in University Arena.

The Broncos improve their overall record to 17-11 while Akron ends its season 7-21.

It was a collective effort from the Broncos as four players scored in double figures. Kelly Koerber and Carrie Moore each chipped in 16 total points while Shaylen Jackson and Nicole Watkins each scored a career high 11 points. Maria Jilian chipped in five points and had 12 assists while Lori Crisman led the Broncos defensively with 13 rebounds.

The Zips struggled from the floor in the first half as they shot for a 41.4 percent while Western Michigan shot for a 61.3 percent.

The Zips trailed the Broncos by 23 points at the half.

Akron cut WMU's lead to 12 with 11:57 left in the game but WMU came back eventually building a 21-point cushion with 5:17 remaining.

The Broncos would win the game 89-67 to advance to the quarter finals of the MAC Tournament in Cleveland, Ohio; Wednesday, Mar. 10. The No. 5 seeded Broncos will take on No. 4 Bowling Green at 3:00 p.m.

Bowling Green Advances To Cleveland For First Time Since 2001 With Win Over Chippewas
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team used hot shooting in the early going, along with a pair of key scoring runs to post a 66-54 win over visiting Central Michigan University Saturday afternoon (March 6). The game, a first-round contest in the Kraft Mid-American Conference Tournament, was held at BGSU's Anderson Arena.

With the win, the Falcons improve to 19-9 overall. BGSU, the fourth seed in the tourney, will play in the quarterfinal round Wednesday (March 10) at Gund Arena, against the winner of the game between Akron and Western Michigan. The UA-WMU game was scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. in Kalamazoo.

The Chippewas, the tournament's 13th seed, end the season with a 5-23 record.

Four Falcons hit double digits in the win, led by freshman Ali Mann's 15 points. Mann had a game-high eight rebounds, while classmate Liz Honegger had 12 points and seven boards.

Both junior Kelly Kapferer and senior Lindsay Austin had 11 points, with Kapferer adding five rebounds in only 14 minutes of action. Austin had game-high totals of five assists and four steals.

The Falcons scored the first six points of the game, then scored six-straight points to take a 14-6 lead with nine minutes gone. Central closed within to two points, at 23-21, before the Brown and Orange scored the final eight points of the half to take a 10-point advantage into the lockerroom.

Junior Tene Lewis began the run with a layup, and Austin hit a three-pointer with just over a minute left in the half. Mann took an Austin feed and hit a turnaround shot in the lane with only 3.3 seconds left, drawing a foul and converting a three-point play.

Another Falcon run early in the second half put the game away, for all intents and purposes. After a Lindy Hatfield trey brought the Chippewas within 33-26 at the 18:08 mark, BG reeled off a 12-0 run to take a 19-point lead. Six different Falcons scored points during that run, including a triple on the fast break by senior Stefanie Wenzel, followed by a Mann layup and an Austin steal and breakaway layup.

The Falcons led by as many as 23 points on a Kapferer jumper with 7:14 left, before the Chippewas went on a 15-4 run to end the game.

Casey Manning led the visitors with 13 points and seven rebounds, while Ann Skufca had 11 points.

Toledo Holds On For 68-65 Win Over Ohio; Head To Cleveland For Fifth Straight Year
TOLEDO, OH - The University of Toledo women's basketball team defeated Ohio, 68-65, in the first round of the 2004 Mid-American Conference Tournament on Saturday night in Savage Hall.

"Win and advance, that's the name of the game come tourney time," said Toledo Head Coach Mark Ehlen, who improved to 18-4 all-time in the MAC Tournament. "It wasn't pretty but it's a win, and this season I'll take any win I can get."

With the victory, the Rockets improve to 13-15 on the season. UT, the No. 7 seed in the tourney, will play in the quarterfinal round on Wed., March 10 at Gund Arena against No. 2 seed Eastern Michigan. Game time is slated for 5:30 p.m.

The Bobcats, the tournament's No. 10 seed, end the season with a 13-15 record.

Four Rockets hit double digits in the win, led by freshman Danielle Bishop's 17 points. Bishop also had five assists, while senior Kelly Walker had 15 points and three assists.

"Danielle came out and really set the tone for us," Ehlen said. "I'm happy to see her perform the way I know she is capable of."

Walker also became the 18th player in school history to tally 1,000 career points. The Sterling, MI native came into today's action 12 points shy of the mark. With 3:55 remaining in the first half, Walker drilled a three pointer to join the elite company.

Junior Karin Hoogendam added 14 points and senior Julie Hillis had 13 points and a team-high nine rebounds in 38 minutes of action. Senior Mary Blessing did not register a point, but dished out a team-high six assists.

"I had a lot of confidence in our team coming into tonight's game," Hillis said. "I just felt that we were going to win. It was hard to finish off the regular season on a losing note. We needed this game to put us on the winning track."

The Rockets, who improved to 34-12 all-time in the MAC Tournament with tonight's win, shot 48.9 percent (22-of-45) from the field, including a sizzling 50 percent (8-of-16) from beyond the arc. Toledo is a perfect 7-0 this season when shooting 45 percent or above from the field.

UT jumped out to an early 21-10 lead and forced Ohio into a timeout with 14:14 left. The Rockets hit eight of their first nine shots in building a quick double-digit lead.

The Rockets continued to apply pleasure and when Walker drilled one of her three triples, followed by a layup by sophomore Crystal Young, the lead was again double figures, 33-22, with 5:58 remaining.

Toledo's lead ballooned to a game-high 13 points, 35-22, with 5:19 left, before settling on a 41-31 advantage at the intermission.

Refusing to quit, Ohio opened the final 20 minutes with an 11-4 run to cut the lead to 45-42 with 12:35 remaining.

OU's Lindsay Wight, who finished with 14 points, then buried one of her fourth three-pointers to tie the game for the first time since the opening minutes at 59-59 with 5:07 left.

The two teams then exchanged baskets, before Hillis drained a three-pointer with 3:11 remaining to put UT ahead for good, 64-61.

Hillis then converted a pair of free throws to build a five-point cushion, 66-61.

The Rockets had a chance to put the game away in the final seconds at the charity stripe, but Bishop missed both of her free throw attempts with 32 seconds left.

Ohio's Latreece Bagley, who finished with a game-high 20 points, hit a layup with 22 seconds left. The Bobcats immediately fouled Bishop once again, but the Laingsburg, MI native split the pair to make the lead, 67-63 with 15 seconds left.

Bagley tallied another layup with 11 seconds remaining and again the Bobcats immediately fouled Bishop with five seconds left. Bishop split the pair to make the final, 68-65.

Ohio held a decisive 38-26 rebounding advantage, and the visitors pulled down a whopping 17 offensive boards. That total led to a 19-8 advantage for the Bobcats in second-chance points.

"Obviously, we're excited to go to Cleveland," Toledo Head Coach Ehlen said. "You get there and anything can happen. We're just happy to be one of the teams left."

Marshall Knocks Off Buffalo, 69-45, To Advance To Cleveland For Second Straight Year
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Behind a 17-point effort from sophomore Sikeetha Shepard-Hall (Houston, Texas) and stingy team defense, the Marshall women's basketball team cruised past Buffalo, 69-45, in the first round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament on Saturday at the Cam Henderson Center. Marshall will move on to the quarterfinal round to face East Division adversary Kent State on Wednesday at Gund Arena in Cleveland.

No. 6 Marshall (17-11) powered past the No. 11 Bulls (6-21) in all facets of the game to avenge a 19-point, regular season loss at UB on Jan. 17. Buffalo's 45 points is the lowest total Marshall has allowed versus a conference opponent all season. The Thundering Herd forced the Bulls into 26 turnovers, tying the MU high for a league foe this season, and committed only 13 turnovers themselves. In fact, in two games versus UB the Herd recorded only 24 combined turnovers.

Shepard-Hall posted her seventh straight double-digit game by going 6-of-11 from the field with 15 first-half points in the first women's MAC Tournament game to ever be played at the Henderson Center. The guard opened up the game with a 3-pointer from the wing to give the Herd a lead they would never relinquish. Shepard-Hall added career-highs in assists (7) and steals (5) to go along with four rebounds in 28 minutes of play.

"It's March and it's time to play," Shepard-Hall said. "We knew we had to up our game today."

Shepard-Hall's backcourt mate, freshman Teyonka Hodge (Washington, D.C.), followed up an eight-assist performance in the regular season finale versus Akron with seven helpers on Saturday with zero turnovers in 30 minutes. She scored six points (3-of-4) with five rebounds.

The Herd led 36-24 at intermission and held a 33-point edge at 12:00 of the second half. Head coach Royce Chadwick's bunch erupted from the locker room after the break to score the second half's first 12 points en route to a 23-2 run that all but ended Buffalo's season.

Marshall's bench outscored the Bulls, 29-4. Forward Crystal Champion (Washington, D.C.) gave MU a jolt off the bench by scoring eight points with a pair of rebounds after scoring only nine points in her last nine games combined. The freshman entered the contest with under eight minutes left in the first half and promptly drilled a 3-pointer when the Bulls were down just one at that point. Champion's trey sent Marshall on a 13-0 spurt that left UB staggering.

"It was a good afternoon to be a Herd fan," Chadwick said. "I'm very proud of this team. We've played better basketball lately than we have all year long."

Marshall senior Catie Knable (Floyd Knobs, Ind.) grabbed six boards to become the second most prolific rebounder in Marshall history with 893 career caroms. She jumped past Marshall Hall-of-Famer Karen Pelphrey (1982-86) and can become just the second MU player to amass 900 career boards (Kristina Behnfeldt 1,101) with the Herd's next game versus Kent State. Knable's rebound total places her in the top-15 in MAC history.

UB seniors Kim Kilpela and Jessica Kochendorfer played their last collegiate game with 20 and eight-point efforts, respectively. Kilpela scored 20 points but was 7-of-21 from the floor with three blocks. Kochendorfer, a preseason all-MAC East Division selection, was 3-of-10 shooting with a block and assist each and two steals. Both registered game-highs in rebounds with 11 apiece.

Herd senior Nadia Swanigan (Sylacauga, Ala.) went 4-of-5 from the field (eight points) and tied her season-high with three steals.

For the game, MU was 29-of-70 (41.4 percent) while the Bulls were 15-of-46 (32.6 percent). Marshall is now 2-4 all-time in the MAC Tournament while UB falls to 2-6.

The Herd's Wednesday night showdown with the No. 3 Golden Flashes, who received a first-round bye, is slated to start at 7:30 p.m., or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the previous game. Saturday's win sends Marshall to its second straight quarterfinal appearance.

"We'll have to have a great effort to win that basketball game," Chadwick said. "I'm sure they (Kent State) would've rather of faced Buffalo, but they're not scared of us. They will be ready."

The Flashes and Herd split the season series 1-1, with both teams claiming victories on their respective home courts.