Miami 82, Valpo 59
Ohio 87, Morehead State 67
Duquesne 86, Kent State 60
Courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments
Miami 82, Valpo 59
OXFORD, Ohio – Junior forward Hannah McCue scored a career-high 26 points and hit seven of the Miami women’s basketball team’s 14 three-pointers to key a dominant 82-59 over Valparaiso on Wednesday afternoon.
The junior forward also grabbed 15 rebounds for her second double-double of the season to help the RedHawks (2-3) snap a three-game losing skid.
MU scored five quick points on a pair of junior forward Jessica Rupright free throws and a three-pointer by McCue. After missing their first three shots, the Crusaders hit seven of their next 10 field goal attempts as part of a 16-5 run that put them up 16-10 5:48 into the contest. Rupright drained three-pointers on consecutive possessions to cut the deficit to 17-16, but five more Valparaiso points put Miami down 22-16 after the second media timeout.
A 10-4 spurt by the Red and White was capped when freshman guard Jazz Smith picked Jessica Carr’s pocket and found freshman guard Kayla Brown for a transition layup, evening the score at 26 apiece. McCue knocked down two trifectas and Rupright hit a jumper to account for the rest of Miami’s points during that surge. The tie was short lived as Haylee Thompson put back her offensive rebound.
Two possessions later, Brown dialed long distance for a three-pointer that gave the Red and White a 29-28 lead. That began a back-and-forth final 7:44 of the half that featured six lead changes. With Miami on top 36-33, Valparaiso scored seven-straight points with under two minutes remaining to go ahead 40-36, but freshman guard Baleigh Reid canned a trifecta at the buzzer to leave the Red and White trailing by one at the break.
Rupright worked for position and scored down low on the first possession of the second half to put the Red and White back on top 41-40. That started an 8-0 run that also featured threes by senior point guard Courtney Larson and McCue. After Haylee Thompson banked in a turnaround jumper, McCue hit another three, Brown hit a running jumper and redshirt sophomore forward Tamira Ford knocked down two free throws to put the RedHawks on top 54-42 as part of a 15-2 run in the first 3:07 of the second half.
That run expanded to 24-4 with the RedHawks grabbing a 63-44 lead seven minutes into the second half. Miami’s lead grew to 72-48 with 7:31 remaining as it held Valparaiso to just 2-of-15 (13.3 percent) from the floor to that point after the break. That advantage ballooned to as much as 30 with under five minutes remaining and the lead was never less than 20 the rest of the way.
With 15 rebounds, McCue pulled down double-digit boards for the third time this season. She was one of three RedHawks in double figures, joining Rupright (12 points) and freshman guard Ana Richter (11).
Miami shot 38.4 percent from the floor as Valparaiso countered with a 34.4 percent clip. The RedHawks won the game from beyond the arc by nailing 14-of-32 (43.8 percent) three-pointers while holding the Crusaders to 6-of-19 (31.6 percent) from long range. MU had a near-perfect 12-of-13 (92.3 percent) mark at the foul line. The Red and White held a 48-41 advantage on the glass and committed just nine turnovers while forcing 10 Crusader miscues.
The RedHawks are back in action on Saturday when they travel to Evansville. Opening tipoff is at 5 p.m. (EST).
Ohio 87, Morehead State 67
ATHENS, Ohio - The Ohio women’s basketball team remained undefeated (6-0) and continued its dominance at the Convocation Center (4-0) with a 87-67 victory against Morehead State (3-4) Wednesday afternoon. Ohio showed off its offensive firepower once again, scoring at least 80 for the fourth time this season. The team was paced by Kiyanna Black, who scored a team-high 19 points while Lexie Baldwin had a balanced game with 11 points and nine rebounds.
OHIO STARTERS: #2 Mariah Byard, #4 Kiyanna Black, #5 Quiera Lampkins, #10 Lexie Baldwin, #14 Kat Yelle
MOREHEAD STATE STARTERS: #4 Almesha Jones, #23 Maiki Viela, #32 Eriel McKee, #1 Casey Ryans, #14 Shay Steele
How It Happened:
- After a layup by Casey Ryans cut Ohio’s lead to 14-12, the Bobcats countered with threes on three of their next four possessions to increase their lead to 23-14 at the 9:50 mark of the first half. Two of the treys came from Black while Hannah Boesinger also added a triple.
- Boesinger provided a spark for Ohio off the bench, scoring a team-high 10 points in the first half.
- Layups by Boesinger and Baldwin increased Ohio’s lead to 12 with 1:05 left in the first half, but a buzzer-beating three by Jones cut the lead to 40-31 entering halftime.
- After a three in the opening minute of the second half by Black, the Bobcats never allowed the Eagles to get within single digits for the remainder of the game.
- Ohio out rebounded Morehead State by a 44-33 margin and held the Eagles to a paltry 34% shooting percentage.
- The Bobcats had six players in double figures as Black (19), Boesinger (12), Baldwin (11), Kelly Karlis (11), Yelle (10) and Lampkins (12) all made significant contributions offensively.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- With the win, the Bobcats are off to their first 6-0 start since the 1985-86 season. Ohio finished that season 26-3 and earned a Mid-American Conference title.
- Sophomore guard Yamonie Jenkins, who entered the game as the nation’s leader in assist to turnover ratio, continued her excellence with three assists and no turnovers. Jenkins and Yelle combined for nine assists and no turnovers.
- Every player who entered the game for the Bobcats recorded at least two rebounds.
- Black reached double figures in points for the 35th time in her Ohio career.
- Ohio has scored at least 60 points in each of its six games this season.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Bob Boldon:
- “I’m real happy for that group of players that are in the locker room right now because they’ve been through a lot. A coaching change is stressful in it of itself. Just the idea of a new coach coming in. And they’ve put in a lot of work this summer and when kids work hard and you see your kids working hard, you just want to see that pay off.”
- “I think one of the reasons (Yelle and Jenkins) are so effective is because the combination of the two of them. They constantly put pressure on the defense.”
Junior guard Kat Yelle:
- “I think we’ve been playing exceptional in practices and just getting to know our team, moving the ball around. Whereas last year, we had five freshman, so just them having a year to mature and us as a team mature, I think that helps us with moving the ball around and really getting to know the offense.”
COMING UP
Ohio plays the third game in a four game home-stand at the Convocation Center, matching up with East Carolina (6-1) on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Duquesne 86, Kent State 60
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Krista White posted a career-high twenty points for the second straight game, but Kent State (1-6) could not hold on against Duquesne (4-3), eventually falling 86-60 Wednesday afternoon.
The Golden Flashes took some time to get things going out of the gate but gained composure as the opening twenty minutes played out. The Dukes had a ten-point lead at the half despite leading by as much as 15 in that span.
Kent State's success in the first half came in part to White driving to the basket and drawing fouls, where she then made 8-of-9 from the line. Madison Ridout found her rhythm from beyond the arc, sinking two from deep range. White's 17 points in the first half nearly matched her career game-high of twenty set the last time on the court.
Out of the break the Dukes were able to get some momentum back, eventually taking a 31-point lead en route to the 86-60 victory.
The final rebounding margin was close as Duquesne had a 32-30 advantage. Both teams had success at the free throw line with Kent State making 21 of 27 shots (77.8) and the Dukes sinking 28 of 34 (82.4).
The Golden Flashes were out dueled in the paint 34-22, and the Dukes were able to turn twenty Kent State turnovers into 22 points. Duquesne was also successful off the fast break, finishing with 21 points in that fashion.
White's twenty point effort led Kent State. She finished 9-for-11 at the free throw line while also having three assists and two blocks. Melanee Stubbs had her best game of the season with 11 points and five rebounds. Montia Johnson led the team with six rebounds.
Kent State remains close to home as it travels to Cleveland State for its next contest on Sunday at 3:30p.m.
