Akron 102, Toledo 101
Ball State 85, Kent State 47
Bowling Green 65, Northern Illinois 59
Central Michigan 60, Miami 54
Ohio 82, Eastern Michigan 59
Courtesy of home MAC Athletic Communications Departments
Akron 102, Toledo 101
TOLEDO, OH – Toledo dropped a thrilling 102-101 decision to Akron on Wednesday in Mid-American Conference action in Savage Arena. With the loss, UT falls to 9-6 overall, 2-2 in the league.
Senior Inma Zanoguera led a season-high five Rockets in double figures with a career-best 28 points and a collegiate-high 13 assists to post her 16th career-double-double, followed by junior Brenae Harris with 21 points and a collegiate-high seven helpers. Tonight marked the first time that Toledo had two players with at least 20 points in a game this season.
UT also received 17 points from sophomore Janice Monakana, 16 by junior Ana Capotosto and 10 from sophomore Sophie Reecher to surpass the century mark for the first time Feb. 3, 1999. This also signified the Rockets’ first loss in school history when scoring at least 100 points (17-1 record).
As a team, Toledo shot a season-high 50.0 percent (36-of-72) from the field, including a season-best 57.1 percent (16-of-28) from three-point range, and 86.7 percent (13-of-15) from the charity stripe to top its previous high mark by an impressive 21 points.
The Rockets buried a season-best 16 triples, five more than their previous high total, and dished out a season-high 26 dimes, a head scatching 10 more than their previous best mark on two occasions.
Anita Brown paced the reigning MAC Tournament champion Zips (13-2, 3-1 MAC) with a game-high and career-best 36 points, while Sina King had 29 and Hannah Plybon chipped in with 26, respectively.
The MAC’s most-potent offense connected on 54.5 percent (36-of-66) from the floor, including 36.4 percent (8-of-22) from beyond the arc, and 86.7 percent (22-of-34) from the free throw line to claim their third-straight triumph against the Rockets.
In a MAC cross-division match-up that Toledo led for more than 29 minutes, the Midnight Blue & Gold had a chance to win at the end of regulation. The Rockets had the ball underneath UA’s basket with 2.5 seconds on the clock, but Reecher’s baseline jumper was off the mark as the final horn sounded.
Toledo came ready to play and raced out to a 13-6 lead at the 16:02 mark. The Rockets knocked down three of their first five three-point field goal attempts to claim the early seven-point advantage. Zanoguera converted two of the three triples to spark the strong play, while Capotosto had the other in the opening three-plus minutes.
UT remained red-hot shooting the ball from the perimeter as the first half wore, taking advantage of treys from Zanoguera, Harris and Monakana to set the score at 26-12 at 12:54. The home team drained six of its first eight shots from beyond the arc to build a double-digit bulge.
The Rockets continued to pour it on offensively and benefitted from eight consecutive points from Harris to extend the margin to 38-24 with 8:25 left in the opening period. The Marion, OH native drilled a pair of triples and converted a layup to keep it a double-digit lead.
Akron then really started to heat up offensively in the waning moments of the opening stanza to cut the difference to 53-50 at the intermission. The Zips took advantage of a 16-7 burst over the final four-plus minutes to make it a three-point contest at the break. UA’s Brown fueled the late surge with 10 points to close the gap to one possession.
Harris was simply brilliant for the Rockets in the first half and totaled 19 points, while Monakana and Zanoguera had 10 each. Toledo shot a sparkling 60.0 percent (21-of-35) from the field in the opening stanza, including 62.5 percent (10-of-16) from three-point range, to surpass its previous best effort of 47 points against Idaho in the second half of the Glass City Classic on Saturday, Dec. 13.
Toledo did not skip a beat to start the second period and scored the first seven points to extend the margin to 60-50 at 18:49, forcing Akron into a timeout. Capotosto began the final 20 minutes with the third of her four three-point field goals, while Zanoguera and Reecher each tallied layups to once again give the home team a double-digit cushion.
Toledo stayed aggressive and utilized a 7-0 run to push the margin to 69-56 with 13:45 remaining in regulation, prompting Akron to call another timeout. Capotosto started the burst once again with a triple, followed by a pair of charity tosses from Zanoguera and a layup from Reecher to bring the UT fans to their feet.
The Zips responded well following the stoppage and used a 15-2 burst to knot the score at 71-71 at the 10:36 mark, forcing Toledo to signal a timeout. UA’s Brown spearheaded the run once again with 10 points to draw the teams even for the first time.
Moments later, UA claimed its first lead on a deep triple by Plybon from the wing with 9:16 showing on the clock. It proved to be a lead the Zips would not relinquish.
Plybon then added a layup and King followed with a basket in the paint to give the visitors a six-point advantage, 83-77, at the 7:00 mark.
Toledo proved to be a resilient group, though, and countered with a mini 8-3 run to pull within one point, 86-85, with 4:35 left in the second half. Freshman Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott knocked down a three-point field goal to start the rally, before Zanoguera had a traditional three-point play and two free throws by Monakana cut the margin to a single point.
In a game of runs, Akron fought back with back-to-back huge treys from Plybon and King to set the deficit at 92-85 at 3:08 mark, prompting Toledo to take another timeout.
UA then made 10 free throws over the final 1:32 to preserve the victory, but the Rockets would not go done without a fight. UT took advantage of two triples in the final 46 seconds from Zanougera to give themselves a chance, but the gallant effort fell just short when Reecher’s shot missed its mark at the final buzzer.
The Rockets return to action on Saturday, Jan. 17 when they travel to MAC West Division rival Western Michigan. The opening tip versus the Broncos is slated for 2:00 p.m. in University Arena.
Ball State 85, Kent State 47
MUNCIE, Ind. - Ball State guard Candyce Ussery found herself wide open at the 3-point line on the left side of the court midway through the second half of Wednesday’s women’s basketball game in Worthen Arena.
At that point of the game, Ussery had hit 4-of-5 shots from the arc and couldn’t have been faulted for lofting another one.
Instead, with a Kent State defensive player scrambling to make a late pressure, Ussery gave up her good look at the basket and dished the ball to teammate Shelbie Justice for a 3-point shot.
Justice missed the attempt, but the play was evident of the crisp ball movement displayed by the Cardinals throughout the game as they enjoyed one of their best shooting performances of the season while trouncing Kent State 85-47 in Mid-American Conference action.
“I liked the energy and effort our team played with, and right now that seems to be a pretty good equation for us,” Cardinals coach Brady Sallee said.
The effort on both ends of the court was strong.
The Cardinals had a season-high 24 assists on 31 field goals, indicating how proficiently they moved the ball on the fastbreak (16-2 scoring edge), off Kent State turnovers (28-9 scoring advantage) and in their half-court offense.
“We were crisp with our ball movement,” Sallee said. “The other part of it was, these two (Ussery and Moriah Monaco) especially, were hunting their shots.
“It wasn’t in (Ussery’s) hands very long and the ball was up. That tells you they were feeling it and in rhythm. Moriah the same way.”
Ussery and Monaco led the Cardinals (8-7, 4-0 MAC) to 54.4 percent shooting from the field, a mark bettered only by .563 against Louisville in a November loss. Ball State made 10-of-20 shots from the 3-point line against the Golden Flashes, the first time this year it made at least half of its attempts from the arc.
Ussery, a junior, scored a career-high 16 points while making 6-of-7 shots overall and 4-of-5 3-pointers.
“It felt like we clicked very well; it was a good shooting night for everyone,” she said. “I’ve been struggling with my shooting up to this game, and I’ve been putting in a lot of work in the gym. It finally paid off today.”
Monaco, a freshman, also had a career high with 19 points. She made 8-of-10 shots and 2-of-3 from the arc.
“I feel like we had flow in the offense and had the ball moving a lot,” she said. “My teammates got me off screens really well, and they were (looking) for us outside shooters.”
Nathalie Fontaine added a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds for Ball State, which led 40-22 at halftime.
Defensively, the Cardinals forced Kent State (3-12, 1-3 MAC) into 23 turnovers as Shelbie Justice and Renee Bennett each had three steals. Ball State opponents are averaging 22 turnovers in the past five games.
“The defensive effort again was there,” Sallee said.
Ball State ran into a brief obstacle in the first three minutes of the second half when it had difficulty breaking Kent State’s three-quarter court press. Sallee called a quick timeout for a one-sided conversation on the bench.
“Sometimes you have to snap them a little bit, and they handled it well,” he said. “From that point on we were really crisp with the press break. … Eventually (Kent State) had to say ‘No mas’ and play us in the half court.”
The Cardinals, tied with Central Michigan as the only 4-0 teams in the MAC, will play three of their next four games on the road. The stretch starts with a contest at 1 p.m. Saturday at Buffalo.
Bowling Green 65, Northern Illinois 59
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team hit five three-point field goals in the second half, building a 20-point lead en route to a win over Northern Illinois University Wednesday night (Jan. 14). The Falcons held off an NIU comeback bid, downing the Huskies, 65-59, in Mid-American Conference action at the Stroh Center.
With the win, the Falcons improve to 8-7 overall, and BGSU is now 1-3 in the MAC. The Huskies drop to 5-8 and 1-2, respectively.
Leading by seven at the half, the Falcons hit four three-pointers in a span of under five minutes to build a 15-point lead just over midway through the second half, and a fifth trey gave the home team a 55-35 lead with 6:44 remaining. BGSU went 5-of-6 from three-point range during that eight-minute stretch. The Brown and Orange shot 60 percent overall (12-of-20) and 50% from long distance in the second half.
Senior Deborah Hoekstra had her second double-double in as many Wednesdays, tying for game honors with 14 points and leading all players with 10 rebounds in the win. Junior Miriam Justinger scored 13 points, including nine in the first half, while freshman Rachel Myers joined that duo in double digits with a 10-point game. Myers and senior Jasmine Matthews hit two three-pointers apiece, as six different Falcons connected from long distance in the win.
For NIU, all five starters scored in double figures, led by Amanda Corral's 14 points. Ally Lehman had 12 points for the Huskies, while Danny Pulliam, Renee Sladek and Jenna Thorp all had 10 points on the night. Sladek had eight rebounds and Lehman seven as the teams battled to a 32-32 draw on the glass.
BGSU has won 13 consecutive games vs. NIU. The Huskies' last win over the Falcons was a four-overtime affair at Anderson Arena in 2004.
Wednesday's game was scoreless for over three minutes, before Pulliam's three-point play gave the visitors the lead at the 16:35 mark. Justinger, who scored the Falcons' first seven points of the game, countered by taking a Myers pass and banking home a shot a minute later, and the junior corralled a defensive rebound and went coast to coast, hitting a floater in the paint for a 4-3 BG lead.
Corral gave the visitors the lead once again, hitting a three-pointer, but Justinger connected from long range just 21 seconds later, and the hosts took a 7-6 lead seven minutes into the contest.
The Huskies got a pair of jumpers to regain the lead, but Hoekstra knocked down a triple try from the right side, tying the contest at 10-10 with 9:23 left in the period. Corral knocked down a pair of free throws to give the Huskies a two-point advantage, but the hosts then proceeded to go on a 9-0 run, holding NIU scoreless for nearly five minutes.
That nine-point run began when Justinger got to the line and hit two charity tosses, and after a steal by Hoekstra, freshman Haley Puk drove the lane and hit a nifty 'and-one' shot, finishing the three-point play to give BG a 15-12 lead. Myers hit a long two-pointer at the 5:39 mark, and the Huskies used a timeout.
But, after the Falcons forced a miss, Puk got the rebound and was fouled by the Huskies. The freshman went to the line and made a pair of shots for a 19-12 advantage.
Back came the visitors, as Corral connected from three-point range. Hoekstra hit two tosses, however, and Matthews drilled a long three-point try with the shot clock winding down, giving the Brown and Orange a 24-15 lead. Corral's jumper closed the first-half scoring.
The Falcons now return to the road for the next two games, beginning with a short trip north on Saturday (Jan. 17). BGSU will head to Ypsilanti, Mich., to face Eastern Michigan University, with tipoff set for 2:30 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
Central Michigan 60, Miami 54
OXFORD, Ohio – Senior guard Courtney Larson and freshman guard Kayla Brown had career nights and the Miami women’s basketball team held Central Michigan to just 36.8 percent shooting, but could not finish off a comeback bid in a 60-54 loss on Wednesday night.
The RedHawks fall to 3-12 (0-4 Mid-American) with the setback.
Both teams traded buckets over the first few minutes as the score was tied at four apiece after freshman guard Baleigh Reid’s jumper 4:09 into the contest. CMU (9-6, 4-0 MAC) edged in front 9-5, but Brown canned a three-pointer to pull the Red and White within one with 11:10 to go in the opening stanza. That trifecta seemed to spur on the outside shooting as CMU’s Kerby Tamm answered with a trey of her own on the next possession, though Larson answered for MU immediately after.
A Crystal Bradford layup pushed the Chippewas’ lead to 14-11. The RedHawks persevered and poured in the next four points to grab their first lead of the night, 15-14, with freshman guard Ana Richter hitting a layup and two free throws with 8:24 to go in the first half.
Central Michigan countered with six-straight points to go up 20-15 with 3:44 to go, but Miami continued battling valiantly down the stretch of the first half. Freshman guard Jazz Smith’s three-pointer spurred a 6-0 MU run that also featured a Reid free throw and two makes by junior forward Hannah McCue from the charity stripe gave the Red and White a 21-20 advantage with a minute and a half remaining. Bradford made a running jumper to put CMU back on top, but Reid evened the score with a free throw with 35 seconds to go. That tie was snapped when Tamm hit a three-pointer to send the RedHawks into the locker room trailing 25-22 at the half.
Larson opened the second half with a three-pointer to even the score at 25 apiece. After a Bradford layup put MU down two, Larson again dialed long distance to give the Red and White a 28-27 lead. Bradford again hit a layup to put CMU back on top, though Reid countered with a baseline jumper to make it a 30-29 MU advantage with 17:24 remaining.
The Chippewas answered with a 9-0 run to go up 38-30 with 14:28 remaining. Two Brown three-pointers were sandwiched around a Da’Jourie Turner basket by CMU, leaving the RedHawks down 40-36 with 13:10 showing on the clock. The next run went to CMU as it scored six-straight points to open up its largest lead of the night at 46-36 midway through the final frame.
CMU’s lead got as large as 11 at 47-36, but MU grinded away to keep within striking distance. Trailing 53-45 with under four minutes remaining, Larson drained three-pointers on consecutive possessions to pull the RedHawks to within two points at 53-51 with 1:50 to go. Bradford immediately answered with a running jumper to up the Chippewas’ lead to four. A Miami turnover on the next possession was followed by a Jasmine Bracey layup that dug it into a 57-51 hole in the final minute. McCue had a good look for a three-pointer on the ensuing possession, but it rimmed out and the Chippewas gathered the rebound before putting the game away at the foul line.
Larson (18 points) and Brown (17 points) combined for 35 points on 11-of-25 shooting, but the rest of the team only hit 5-of-34 shots from the floor. Overall, CMU hit 36.8 percent of its shots to MU’s 27.1 percent. The RedHawks’ long-range shooting kept them close as they connected on 12-of-32 (37.5 percent) of their three-pointers while holding the Chippewas to 4-of-16 from beyond the arc. CMU controlled the glass with a 49-38 edge in rebounding, including 30-14 in the second half. Miami hit 14-of-21 (66.7 percent) free throws compared to Central Michigan’s 10-of-17 (58.8 percent) figure.
Miami returns to the court on Saturday when it hosts Akron at 2 p.m. That contest is the second Dollar Days game of the season. Admission is only $1 with select concession items only $2.
Ohio 82, Eastern Michigan 59
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Returning to the home floor of the Convocation Center for the first time in over two weeks, the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team dropped its third-straight contest to open up Mid-American Conference play, falling 82-59 to Ohio University Wednesday night, Jan. 14. The Bobcats (12-3, 3-1 MAC) got out to a 22-2 advantage in the first six minutes of the game, causing the Eagles (7-7, 0-3 MAC) to play from behind for the remaining minutes and were unable to recover.
Eastern's shooting woes continued as the Green and White made just 30.6 percent of its attempts (19-of-62). After struggling from beyond the arc in the first half, the Eagles improved in the final 20 minutes by sinking 5-of-11 from long range. EMU made 14-of-18 from the foul line for an impressive 77.8 percent clip. Jamaica Bucknor (Brooklyn, N.Y.-Weaver-ASA College) paced the Eagles with 13 points, while Janay Morton (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Osseo) chipped in with 12. On the defensive side of the floor, EMU forced 16 Ohio turnovers while only committing 11 miscues on the offensive, well under its season average.
Hannah Boesinger scored 18 points off the bench to lead all scorers in the ball game, going 6-of-7 from the field. Three other Bobcats reached double figures as Mariah Byard recorded 16, while Lexie Baldwin and Quiera Lampkins each tallied 12 points apiece. As a team, OU made over half of its attempts by shooting 29-of-57 for 50.9 percent. Having an offense that relies on the three, the Bobcats were deadly from beyond the arc with 13 triples on 27 chances. Ohio had success in the paint, outscoring EMU 32-12 as well as holding the rebounding advantage, 46-35.
Ohio started on fire, knocking down seven of its first eight attempts, while the Eagles made just one of their first 14. Scoring 19-straight points, the Bobcats opened up a 22-2 advantage. OU, a team ranked in the top five nationally in three pointers made per game, lived up to its national ranking by drilling 6-of-7 triples in the first nine minutes of the contest.
Bucknor cut into the lead, hitting Eastern's first three of the game, and after back-to-back stops, Morton added a long range jumper of her own to put the Eagles into double-digits. EMU's defense tried to get back the home squad back into the contest, coming out with five stops on six possessions that saw the Bobcats turn the ball over on four occasions.
After falling behind by 20 in the first six minutes of the contest, the Eagles outscored the Bobcats for the remainder of the first half but still found themselves trailing by a 44-25 margin at the break. The Green and White defense forced 10 OU turnovers, converting them into seven points. Eastern made just 9-of-32 from the floor, including 2-of-12 from beyond the arc, for a 28.1 percent clip. Morton led the way with nine points, while Bucknor added seven first half points. On the offensive side of the floor, EMU found success at the charity stripe by sinking 5-of-6 attempts.
The sharpshooting Bobcats were 56.7 percent from the field on 17-of-30 buckets. OU reached its average three pointers made per contest in the first half alone, going 9-of-16 from three-point land. Byard went 4-of-7 from long range for a team-high 12 points, and Black contributed 10 points as well. Off the bench, Boesinger went 3-of-3 from the floor in the opening 20 minutes for 7 points. Ohio also controlled the boards, 24-14, which helped to 10 second chance points.
Following a pair of OU triples to start the second half, Eastern Michigan responded with an 8-0 run that included two threes by Bucknor, causing Ohio to take a timeout to talk things over. Scoring 15 of the first 19 points of the second half, the Eagles decreased the deficit to 14, 54-40, for the lowest margin since the start of the contest.
The game remained a 14-point difference before Ohio opened up a 9-2 run to increase its advantage. However, Sera Ozelci (Anakara, Turkey-TED Ankara College-Odessa) entered the contest and drilled back-to-back three-balls as the Eagles continued to fight. Nonetheless, the large hole dug at the start of the contest proved to be too much for EMU to overcome as Ohio took the game wire-to-wire, 82-59.
EMU remains home to host Bowling Green State University Saturday, Jan. 17, at the Convocation Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. The game is the second part of a doubleheader at the Convo with the EMU men's team hosting Northern Illinois University at noon.
