Akron 90, Siena 74
Ball State 85, Murray State 59
Buffalo 68, Illinois State 60
Eastern Michigan 57, Weber State 42
Western Michigan 73, Chicago State 43
South Dakota State 55, Northern Illinois 42
Dartmouth 60, Kent State 49
Loyola Marymount 51, Bowling Green 48
Courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments
Akron 90, Siena 74
DENVER, Colo. – Led by a 28-point, eight-rebound performance from junior Anita Brown (Warren, Ohio), the Akron women's basketball team captured the championship of the Denver Thanksgiving Classic on Saturday with a 90-74 victory over Siena (3-1).
The Zips (6-0) extended their season-opening win streak to six straight with the triumph.
"It was a great win for our kids, Siena is a very good team," Akron head coach Jodi Kest commented. "They killed us on the offensive glass and that was my biggest worry all day. What we talked about was trying to play tempo as much as possible and I thought when we told the kids we were going to have to play more kids today just because of altitude and playing back-to-back and trying to push the ball up the court as much as possible they responded. It was a hard-fought win for us and I was really pleased with the team effort."
Brown finished one point of equaling her career high for the Zips, while senior Sina King (Waterford, Ohio) registered her team-leading fourth double-double of the season with a 23-point, 11-rebound effort. King also dished out five assists.
Garnering nine-, eight- and eight-point efforts for Akron was junior Katie Nunan (Fairmont, W. Va.), sophomore Hannah Plybon (Orrville, Ohio) and freshman Lauren Hung (Waterford, Mich.).
The Zips finished the game shooting 52.7 percent from the field, including 50 percent from beyond the arc, while limiting the Saints to a 36.9 percent shooting mark.
The Zips received 23 points off the bench.
Distributing a game-high seven assists for Akron was junior Megan Barilla (Fairview Park, Ohio).
The Saints jumped out to a 9-4 lead to begin the game before four-straight points from Nunan brought the Zips to within one, 9-8.
The two sides battled back and forth over the next few minutes before a jumper by Noonan evened the affair at 21 at the 9:28 mark.
Siena scored the next four points before baskets from Brown, King and a three-pointer from Hung with 7:45 left in the half capped a 7-0 run to give Akron its first lead in the affair, 28-25.
The Saints answered with four unanswered tallies before the Zips took over the lead for the good on a basket from sophomore Alex Ricketts (Mercer, Pa.) with 6:56 left in the half.
The Zips outscored the Saints 17-9 over the remainder of the period to take a 47-38 lead into the intermission.
Brown scored 17 points in the initial stanza on 6-of-10 shooting, while King chipped in 11 points. Posting six points off the bench was Nunan.
The Zips opened the second half on a 14-3 run to assume control of the game, fueled by a 9-0 scoring spurt.
Akron finished the second half shooting 51.7 percent from the field and 62.5 percent from three-point range.
The Zips return to action hosting Morehead State on Friday. Game time at the James A. Rhodes Arena is set for 7 p.m.
Ball State 85, Murray State 59
MUNCIE, Ind. – Five Ball State players reached double figures in the women’s basketball team’s 85-59 victory over Murray State Saturday in Worthen Arena. The Cardinals will now face Duquesne in the Ball State Federal Credit Union Thanksgiving Classic Championship Game at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
With the win, Ball State improves to 2-2 on the season while Murray State falls to 3-3. The tournament’s third-place game featuring Jackson State and Murray State will be played at noon Sunday.
Nathalie Fontaine, who was recognized at the start of the game for reaching the 1,000-point mark earlier this season, led the Cardinals in scoring with 18 points. Shelbie Justice was the second leading scorer behind Fontaine with 13 points, while adding seven rebounds in the win. Calyn Hosea finished the contest with 12 points, while Jill Morrison and Candyce Ussery added 11 apiece.
For a fourth straight game, the Cardinals managed to out shoot their opponent from the floor. Ball State shot 47.8 percent from the field, while holding Murray State to 32.3 percent. The Cardinals also out-rebounded the Racers 47 to 35.
After Rennee Bennett opened the game with a quick basket, the Cardinals took the early 2-0 lead over Murray State and never looked back. Ball State's defense held the Racers scoreless for over six minutes to jump out to a 28-8 cushion at the 9:19 mark. The Cardinals continued their hot shooting to take a 46-24 lead at the half over the Racers. Ball State had three players in double figures at intermission, Fontaine led the charge with 12, while Morrison had 11 and Calyn Hosea ended the half with 10.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women’s basketball, follow @bsuathletics, @BallStateWBB and BSUCoachBrady on Twitter.
Buffalo 68, Illinois State 60
CORAL GABLES, FL – The State University of New York, Buffalo women's basketball team (3-3) outlasted Illinois State (0-6) to pick up a 68-60 victory Saturday at the Miami (FL) Thanksgiving Tournament at the Bank United Center.
Senior captain Kristen Sharkey, who posted 30 points, nine rebounds and five steals against the Redbirds, was named to the all-tournament team. She was six points shy of her career-high that she tallied on Jan. 27 against Ball State. That was the last time UB had a player drop 30. For the tournament, Sharkey averaged 21.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.0 steals, while shooting 51.9 percent from the floor.
"We'll take an ugly win over a pretty loss, and it was an ugly win," stated head coach Felisha Legette-Jack. "Today we found a way to fight through it.
"Thank God for Sharkey. We decided that the game was going to be played for their teammate Christa (Baccas), who's been itching at the bit to get back out there. And with those two being captains, Sharkey really did a tremendous job of playing for her."
The game was tied five times with the lead changing six times, all of which occurred in the first 12:21 of action. UB held the Redbirds scoreless over the final 3:30 of the first, while scoring nine unanswered for a 40-30 gap at the break.
Illinois State hit a pair of threes helping the Redbirds cut within four early in the second stint. They maintained their pressure and held UB scoreless over a six-minute span to pull within three, 47-44, at 11:09. Malone swished the next six for UB as the Bulls solidified an infinite two-possession game. Sharkey chipped in another six straight Buffalo points capped off by a Rachael Gregory jumper for an 11-point cushion at 3:22. Neither team hit a field goal in the final three minutes the game. The Bulls swished five free throws down the stretch to uphold their lead.
Sophomore Alexus Malone recorded her second double-double in as many days with a 19-point, 11-rebound performance. Sharkey and Malone were a combined 14-of-15 from the line. Junior Karin Moss had three steals and three assists in 24 minutes on the hardwood. Sophomore Camera Miley scored nine points on 3-for-5 shooting.
The Bulls recorded 12 steals and a season-low 11 turnovers. They shot just 32.9 percent (25-of-76) from the field, but made good on 77.3 percent of their free throws (17-of-22). The Redbirds committed 22 turnovers that resulted in 23 UB points.
Led by Colleene Smith with 13, Illinois State marginally outrebounded UB, 51-48. UB had 22 on the offensive end that led to 28 put-back points. The Redbirds' offense was paced by Octavia Crumps' 19 points. Mackenzie Freeman added 11.
"It was a good team win and it's going to be great to get back to Buffalo," Legette-Jack concluded.
The Bulls return to play on Thursday, Dec. 4 traveling to Cornell at 7 pm for their fourth straight road game.
Eastern Michigan 57, Weber State 42
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team capped off the Hotel Encanto Thanksgiving Classic with a 57-42 victory over Weber State University, Saturday, Nov. 29, at the Pan American Center. Leading by just two points with 13 minutes to play, the Eagles' defense clamped down to hold the Wildcats without a field goal the rest of the contest.
Weber State's Brianna Averette's basket with 13:23 left cut thee EMU advantage to 34-32. Eastern Michigan would answer with a 17-2 run over the next seven minutes as sophomore guard Cha Sweeney (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers) poured in seven points during the run. WSU would miss its final 15 shots of the game, as Eastern Michigan would sink 13 of 16 tosses from the free throw line to seal the victory.
The Green and White finished the tournament as the only team without a loss, after yesterday upending Cal State Fullerton, 78-74, in the first game on the New Mexico State campus. With the win, the Eagles have won their last three games and jump to a record of 4-2. Meanwhile, the Wildcats fall to 4-3 after yesterday posting a 100-97 double overtime victory against tournament host NMSU.
The Eagles had a balanced scoring attack as it boasted a pair of players in double-digit scoring figures. Sweeney notched 16 points to go along with three rebounds and three assists. Sophomore Janay Morton (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo) recorded 11 points in the victory, thanks in large part to a nearly flawless 6-of-7 performance from the free throw line. Junior Shannise Heady (Hazel Crest, Ill.-Hillcrest-Seton Hall) dropped in seven points and grabbed six caroms for the Green and White, and junior Rachel Kehoe (St. Clair, Mich.-St. Clair-St. Clair County C.C.) pulled down a career-best 13 rebounds on the afternoon.
The Wildcats, who shot just 17.9 percent (5-of-28) in the second half, were keyed by 12 points from Averette. Jocelyn Adams had eight points and six rebounds for WSU, which did not connect on a shot from beyond the three-point line on the day.
WSU got out to a hot start, taking an early 6-2 edge on a Regina Okoye jumper just a minute into the contest. Unphased, the Eagles used a 14-5 run over the next nine minutes to surge in front 19-11 with more than seven minutes left in the opening period.
Despite committing 12 first half turnovers, the Eagles took a 26-21 lead into the lockeroom.
Following the break, Weber State looked to have the momentum as they on three separate occasions the margin was cut to just two. But the Wildcats' shooting woes proved too much as they went the final 13:23 of the contest without a score from the floor.
Head Coach Tory Verdi and the rest of the Eagles return home Tuesday, Dec. 2, to take on the Vikings of Cleveland State University. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center. All fans who bring a new, unwrapped toy for donation will receive a free general admission ticket. Toys for Tots containers will be placed on the concourse for fans to donate their toys after they redeem their free ticket from the ticket office.
Western Michigan 73, Chicago State 43
CHICAGO- The Western Michigan women’s basketball team posted a 30-point win over Chicago State on the road Saturday to improve its record to 3-1 on the season. Senior A.J. Johnson scored a game-high 20 points in WMU’s 73-43 victory.
The Broncos shot 54.5 percent in the first half to race out to a 45-13 halftime lead. Johnson made three 3-pointers in the period and finished the game 4-for-4 from behind the arc.
Senior Michelle O’Brien helped the Broncos double up Chicago State on the boards, as WMU outrebounded the Cougars 25-12 in the first half. O’Brien pulled down seven rebounds in the opening period and had 11 rebounds total, playing just 19 minutes. O’Brien also dished out a career-high five assists.
Junior Jessica Jessing and freshman Teagan Reeves also had big days. After leaving last Sunday’s game at Michigan early with a hard blow to the mouth, Jessing returned to the floor to score 13 points against Chicago State. Reeves nearly had a triple double, scoring 10 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Junior point guard Alex Morton recorded a career-high five steals and had five assists.
Western Michigan’s defense only allowed four field goals in the first half and held Chicago State to 28.0 percent shooting for the game. Layne Murphy had nine points and seven rebounds for the Cougars, both of which were team highs.
WMU returns to Kalamazoo Tuesday to host Kentucky State at 7 p.m.
South Dakota State 55, Northern Illinois 42
LAS VEGAS - The NIU women’s basketball team held perennial NCAA Tournament participant South Dakota State to a season-low 55 points Saturday but the Huskies fell to the Jackrabbits, 55-42. The NIU bench outscored SDSU, 21-13, and accounted for nine points on second chance efforts as the Huskies grabbed 12 offensive rebounds, two more than the Jacks.
The Huskies held the Jacks leading scorer Megan Waytashek, who entered the game averaging 16.5 points per game, to four points and caused 13 turnovers on SDSU.
“I don’t think we could’ve played any better defensively tonight; South Dakota State is a team that averaged 70-points a game. Physically what our kids just did and how they competed, it was an incredible effort,” said Head Coach Kathi Bennett. “Towards the end, I felt like we found our groove on the offensive end and got some good inside touches. We were very small tonight down low but they did a good job of boxing out and limiting them.”
The Jackrabbits outrebounded the Huskies tonight, 37-34, despite the starting lineup averaging over six feet per player.
Both NIU and South Dakota State had trouble finding the basket in the first half as both teams combined for a shooting percentage of .375 in the period. The Huskies scored by committee in the period as five different players scored in the period, led by Kelly Smith (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) who scored six.
The NIU bench stepped up for the second-straight game as it registered 10 points in the first half against the Jackrabbits as Jenna Thorp (Hinckley, Ill./Hinckley-Big Rock) and Smith carried the load for the Huskies. Ally Lehman (Nineveh, Ind./Indian Creek) registered two assists and six rebounds to compliment her two points in the stanza.
South Dakota State was 3-for-11 behind the three-point line and 4-for-5 at the free throw line in the first, finishing 5-for-20 beyond the arc and 12-for-15 at the charity stripe.
Both teams struggled to find the basket again as the Huskies and Jacks shot below 33-percent from the field, each scoring 24-points in the stanza. NIU made nine field goals in the half compared to SDSU’s seven.
Junior Lacia Gorman (Fort Wayne, Ind./Wayne/Wisconsin) made her first basket as a Huskie, NIU’s lone three-point field goal of the contest. Smith finished the contest with 12-points off the bench, including two from the free throw line. Lehman finished 11 rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal in the game to go along with her four points.
SDSU’s Chynna Stevens and Kerri Young led the Jackrabbits in scoring with 13 and 12 points, respectively. The Jacks turned the ball over nine times in the second period.
NIU will close the Lady Rebel Roundup tomorrow afternoon when it takes on Delaware State in the first game of the day. The game will tip at 2 p.m. Central and can be followed on GameTracker at NIUHuskies.com and on Twitter @NIUscores.
Dartmouth 60, Kent State 49
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Despite a career-high 20-point night from Krista White and a strong defensive effort, Kent State's shooting went cold late as they lost 60-49 to Dartmouth in the Cal Poly/Share SLO Holiday Tournament Saturday night.
The two teams traded baskets back and forth for the opening nine minutes until Kent State was forced to call a timeout after Dartmouth went up by eight after a shot from beyond the arc.
Out of the break, the Golden Flashes worked their way back in, forcing turnovers on the defensive end and bringing the game to a 24-24 tie at the 2:42 media break thanks to a 7-2 run. The Big Green took a slight lead into halftime, 30-28.
To start the second half, Kent State forced a turnover, grabbed an offensive rebound, then Larissa Lurken connected on a jumper to tie the game once again. Another Big Green turnover put the ball back in the Flashes' hands as White sunk a shot to take the two-point lead.
Dartmouth also stepped up its intensity, taking the lead although Kent State kept the game within a field goal until a Big Green three with 1:20 left in the contest to seal the victory.
Kent State was shooting 50% from field goal range in the second half, with a 20-for-40 performance, but finished the game at 37%, 20-for-54, after a scoring drought.
White's twenty points was accompanied by six rebounds and three steals. Lurken was second on the team in scoring with 11. Montia Johnson led the team in rebounds for the second straight night with eight.
The Golden Flashes return east for their next opponent, an 11a.m. matchup at Duquesne on Wednesday.
Loyola Marymount 51, Bowling Green 48
A late rally by host Loyola Marymount University lifted the Lions past the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team, 51-48, Saturday evening (Nov. 29). The game, the championship contest in the DoubleTree LA Westside Thanksgiving Classic, was held at LMU's Gersten Pavilion.
With the win, the Lions improve to 2-3 on the young season, and LMU captures the tournament title. The Falcons drop to 3-2 on the year. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for BGSU.
The Falcons never trailed in the first half, but Sophie Taylor's free throws with 15:46 left gave the hosts a 29-27 advantage. It marked the first time BGSU trailed in the tournament, as the Brown and Orange led from wire to wire in Friday's (Nov. 28) first-round win over UC Irvine.
After falling behind for the first time, however, the Falcons proceeded to score 12-straight points to take a 39-29 lead with 12;09 remaining. Freshman Rachel Myers scored the last five points during that run. BG's lead reached a game-high 11 points, 42-31, midway through the half, but the Lions' Leslie Lopez-Wood scored six-straight points, with four coming at the free-throw line, to make it a five-point game.
BG answered with a bucket, and after the teams traded jumpers, a Lopez-Wood three-pointer with 3:04 to go got the Lions within two points. Junior Miriam Justinger scored for the Falcons, but back-to-back buckets by Taylor Anderson tied the score at 48-48 with 1:44 remaining.
All four of Anderson's points came on the same trip down the floor, as she hit an 'and-one' layup and missed the ensuing free throw, but a teammate's offensive rebound kept the possession alive. Anderson knocked down a left-side jumper to knot the score.
On BGSU's next possession, redshirt junior Erica Donovan's three-point try would not drop, but senior Deborah Hoekstra came up with offensive rebound. Donovan's runner went in and out, the Lions rebounded, and the Falcons were called for a foul at the other end with 50.3 seconds left. Deanna Johnson made two free throws to give LMU a 50-48 advantage.
The next possession saw sophomore Rachel Konieczki's three-point try go long, with Johnson grabbing the rebound. Justinger fouled her with 16.9 seconds left, and the LMU junior missed her first charity toss, but made the second.
As the clock wound down, the Falcons looked to make a game-tying three-pointer, but freshman Haley Puk's shot caromed off the back rim. Donovan grabbed the rebound, but the clock ran out and the Lions had the victory.
Donovan and Myers were named to the all-tournament team. They were joined by Johnson and Lopez-Wood from the host school, with Lopez-Wood being chosen as the tourney's MVP.
UC Irvine's Methlyn Onogomuho and UAB's Janae Smith rounded out the all-tournament team.
Donovan led the Falcons with 14 points and nine rebounds on Saturday. Myers and senior Jasmine Matthews scored eight points apiece, and Justinger added seven. Matthews was second on the team with five rebounds, and led BG with three assists.
Lopez-Wood had a game-high 16 points, while Anderson and Taylor scored 10 apiece for the hosts.
The Falcons now prepare for a rare non-conference home game next weekend. BGSU will face Cincinnati next Sunday (Dec. 7) at the Stroh Center, with tipoff scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
