Ball State 72, Miami 55
Central Michigan 65, Kent State 63
Northern Illinois 67, Bowling Green 50
Ohio 72, Akron 60
Western Michigan 83, Eastern Michigan 56
Courtesy of home MAC Athletic Communications Departments
Ball State 72, Miami 55
OXFORD, Ohio – A hot shooting first half helped Ball State jump to an early lead, and it held on for a 72-55 victory over the Miami University women’s basketball team on Wednesday evening. Miami falls to 3-16 on the season and 0-8 in the Mid-American Conference. The Cardinals improve to 10-9 overall and 6-2 in the MAC.
The RedHawks were led by freshman guard Baleigh Reid with 14 points. Miami shot 51.9 percent (14-for-27) from the field in the second half, but could not overcome a 4-for-24 (16.7 percent) performance in the first half.
A pair of free throws by junior forward Hannah McCue and a jumper from Reid gave Miami a 4-2 lead at the 17:39 mark. Ball State got hot from the field as it went on a 12-0 run to take a 14-4 advantage. McCue ended the drought with a pair of free throws, while a jumper from junior forward Jessica Rupright made it 14-8 with 12:28 left in the half.
Ball State answered with a 20-5 run to push its lead to 21 at 34-13. Redshirt sophomore Tamira Ford hit a layup after a nice pass from senior point guard Courtney Larson, but the Cardinals closed on a 10-2 run to take a 44-17 lead into the break.
Three-pointers from freshman guard Kayla Brown and Larson helped get the Miami offense going to begin the second half. A layup from Reid made it 48-24 at the 18:08 mark. The RedHawks’ shot went cold again as an 11-5 run by Ball State over the next five minutes gave it its largest lead at 59-29 with 13:02 to go.
Reid and Larson each hit jumpers as the offense answered with a run of its own. A jumper by freshman guard Jazz Smith, followed by a three-pointer from Smith was part of a 22-9 run that cut the deficit to 17 at 68-51. Smith and freshman guard Ana Richter each hit shots, but Miami was unable to get any closer as the Cardinals finished off a 72-55 victory.
In addition to Reid’s 14, Larson had 10, McCue had nine and Smith scored seven. McCue led the RedHawks with seven rebounds, while Brown had a career-high six assists. Freshman forward Molly McDonagh had a career-high five steals. Miami won the rebounding battle, 37-33. Ball State was led by guard Jill Morrison with 18 points.
The RedHawks return to action on Saturday when they host Western Michigan at 1 p.m. It is part of a doubleheader that will see the men’s basketball team take on Ball State at 3:30 p.m. Fans should be sure to arrive early as the annual KidsFest will take place on the concourse beginning at noon. This family friendly event features a free sports clinic from a variety of Miami varsity and club teams. Teams currently scheduled to participate are volleyball, soccer, golf, football, baseball, rugby, the juggling club, the dance team and the Miami ROTC. Kids will have the opportunity to interact with student athletes and club members and engage in different activities.
Central Michigan 65, Kent State 63
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - It was a little too close for comfort, but the Chippewas finally got back in the win column.
The Central Michigan women's basketball team topped Kent State, 65-63, Wednesday night, snapping a two-game skid in Mid-American Conference play. The win improved the Chippewas' record to 10-8 overall, 5-2 in the MAC. CMU trails Western Michigan and Ball State by one-half game in the West Division.
Next up, the Chippewas will host Ohio in another MAC matchup on Saturday, Jan. 31. Ohio topped CMU, 71-51, in their first meeting in Athens, Ohio on Jan. 17. The Bobcats are 16-3 and lead the MAC East at 7-1. A 72-60 victory Wednesday over Akron was their sixth straight win.
It was the Chippewas' second encounter with Kent State this season. CMU defeated the Golden Flashes on Jan. 3 in Kent, Ohio in more convincing fashion, 83-62. Kent State is 3-15, 1-6.
But Kent State kept it competitive throughout Wednesday night's game by disallowing the Chippewas to penetrate on offense and force them to take shots from the outside, CMU coach Sue Guevara said.
"(Kent State) did a good job shutting down what has been working for us, and that's going inside," Guevara said. "I thought Kerby (Tamm) was on track. This is the second game in a row that she has been on track from the three.
"I think Crystal (Bradford) really started attacking the basket and using the backboard. I don't blame (Kent State) for stopping her from penetrating, because she was 7-of-39 (shooting) in the last two games with the exact same shots. And today, they fell for her."
Tamm and Bradford combined for 48 of the Chippewas' 65 points. Both were on the court for the entire 40 minutes.
Bradford was 11-for-19 shooting and led all scorers with 31, her second-highest scoring game this season and the seventh time in her career that she has scored 30 or more. Tamm was 5-for-15 from three-point range and finished with 17 points, another sign that her mid-season shooting slump is behind her. Over her past two games, Tamm has made 11 of her 24 triple tries after a four-game stretch during which she was 9 for 29. She tied her career-high with 20 points Saturday in a two-point loss to Akron.
Freshman point guard Amani Corley recorded a career-high 23 minutes and totaled four points and three assists.
"I thought Amani was more aggressive" than starting point guard Da'Jourie Turner, Guevara said. "I didn't think Turner was being aggressive enough. She wasn't looking to shoot and she wasn't looking to penetrate.
"Amani got in and did a nice job of pushing the ball, seeing some open people. Defensively, I thought she did a good job.
"That point guard position, right now, is one that we need to get going quicker. We need an aggressive point guard that will distribute but then also will look to score."
CMU senior Jas'Mine Bracey had a career-high six blocks on the night, surpassing her previous game-high of four. She finished with six points and led the Chippewas with eight rebounds.
Larissa Lurken led the Golden Flashes with 18 points, while Jordan Korinek was 7-for-10 (70 percent) from the floor and finished with 14 points.
The Chippewas led by as many as 11 points early in the second half, but the Golden Flashes stubbornly hung in and whittled their deficit down to 1, 63-62, with under 30 seconds to play.
Bradford scored on a drive with 24 seconds to go to up CMU's lead to 65-62. With 1.5 seconds left, Lurken was fouled on a three-point attempt.
At the line with a chance to tie by making all three foul shots, Lurken made the first but missed the second. Kent State's Naddiyah Cross hustled down the rebound. Madion Ridout's potential game-winning triple try from the corner hit the rim and bounced off as the buzzer sounded.
Northern Illinois 67, Bowling Green 50
DeKALB - For the first time since 2004, the NIU women's basketball team (7-10, 3-4 MAC) defeated Mid-American Conference perennial power Bowling Green (9-10, 2-6 MAC) with a complete performance on both ends of the floor as the Huskies defeated the Falcons, 67-50. The Huskies are now 5-1 at home this season.
Amanda Corral (Hobart, Ind./Hobart) finished the game 30 points on 12-of-15 shooting (.800) to tie her career-high in scoring. Freshman Kelly Smith (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) recorded her first career double-double as she scored 15 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, including seven on the offense glass, to set new season-best marks.
"We had some special performances from Amanda (Corral) and Kelly (Smith) tonight but I thought as a team I'm proud of how we responded when (Bowling Green) made a run there at the end. I thought we did a great job of executing our game plan tonight. They killed us on offensive rebounds the last time we played them and I thought we did a great job of limiting them on that side tonight," said Head Coach Kathi Bennett.
The Huskies started the game with an aggressive tone as it entered the first media timeout with a 9-2 lead and followed that up with a 15-5 scoring streak which led to 36-21 halftime advantage. NIU out rebounded the Falcons at halftime, 24-8, and finished the game with a 45-20 difference, including a 12-2 advantage on the offensive glass.
While the Huskie offense shot over 55 percent in the first half (16-of-29), the defense only allowed BGSU to shoot 28 percent in the period as it only shot 7-of-25 in the first half. Corral was 7-of-9 shooting in the first half to close the period with 16 points, including a perfect 2-for-2 behind the three-point line.
Both NIU's and BGSU's offense surged in the second half as the Huskies built a 22-point lead with 13:52 left in the game, but it was the Huskies defense that made the difference in the game.
The Falcons climbed back to within five points with 7:03 left thanks to a 17-0 run but it was six straight stops by the Huskie defense that allowed NIU to go on an 11-0 run to extend the lead to 16 points with 3:35 left, 61-45. Corral broke NIU's six-plus minute scoreless drought and Smith followed that up with a putback and a three-pointer to start the run.
"We've talked a great deal in the past when (runs like) this has happened before that we needed to rely on the potential of our unit, not on individuality. We really stayed with it and executed our offense. I'm just so proud of the way we stayed together at the end," closed Bennett.
The win resulted in the Huskies first over the Falcons since a four-overtime thriller at Bowling Green in 2004. It was also the first in DeKalb since 2003. The victory improved the Huskies to 5-1 in the NIU Convocation Center this season.
The strong NIU performance was also supported by Ally Lehman (Nineveh, Ind./Indian Creek) and Renee Sladek (Merrill, Wis./Merrill) who both finished with eight points and eight rebounds. The two combined for nine assists in the game as Lehman finished with five and Sladek dished for a career-best four.
Corral's 12 field goals in the game set a new standard in her time at NIU, surpassing her 11 field goal afternoon at Eastern Illinois on Nov. 26. It also tied the NIU Convocation Center record. Her 30 point performance was the second of her career.
NIU returns to action Saturday afternoon in Muncie, Ind. as the Huskies take on Ball State at Worthen Arena. The Cardinals (10-9, 6-2 MAC) and the Huskies will tipoff at 1 p.m. Central.
Ohio 72, Akron 60
Athens, Ohio - The Ohio women's basketball team (16-3, 7-1 MAC) extended its winning streak to six games with a 72-60 win against Akron (15-4, 5-3 MAC) Wednesday evening, defeating the Zips for the first time since 2012.
OHIO STARTERS: #2 Mariah Byard, #4 Kiyanna Black, #5 Quiera Lampkins, #10 Lexie Baldwin, #14 Kat Yelle
AKRON STARTERS: #5 Kerri McMahan, #15 Anita Brown, #22 Hannah Plybon, #23 DiAndra Gibson, #42 Sina King
How It Happened:
- The Bobcats jumped out to an early 21-6 lead at the 15:10 mark due in large part to the three-ball, hitting five of their first seven attempts from behind the arc.
- Ohio would finish the half shooting 6-of-15 (40 percent) from the perimeter.
- Akron would trim the lead to 32-23 at the break, holding the Bobcats without a basket for the final 5:35 of the first half.
- Quiera Lampkins led all players with 10 points at the half while also adding four rebounds.
- Sina King was the Zips' high scorer in the first stanza, scoring nine points with four boards.
- Akron opened the second half on a 14-5 run, tying the game at 37 with 16:05 left in the game.
- Ohio shot 22-of-61 (36.1 percent) for the game.
- Lampkins would lead Ohio with a team-high 18 points to go along with five rebounds and three steals.
- King led all scorers with 27 points.
- Kiyanna Black and Jasmine Weatherspoon led Ohio with six rebounds each.
- The Bobcats won the turnover battle against the Zips 21-15
- Black scored 15 points and added two assists.
- Yamonie Jenkins scored 10 points, eclipsing her previous season-high of seven.
- Mariah Byard scored 10 points to go with four rebounds and two assists.
- Ohio never trailed at any point during the game.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Ohio reached the 16 win mark for the first time since 2007-08.
- The win improved the Bobcats' record to 7-1 in the MAC and extended their lead to two games in the East Division.
- Black reached a double-digit point total for the 17th time this season and the 48th time in her Ohio career.
- Ohio has scored at least 60 points in 17 of its 19 games this season.
- With her 187th career three-pointer, Byard is now second all-time for Ohio in three-pointers made.
- The Bobcats defeated Akron for the first time since Jan. 19, 2012.
QUOTABLE
Head Coach Bob Boldon:
"We're a contender. We're not good enough to win the tournament yet, but I think we're a contender. I think we're getting there. We played some pretty good defense on a very good team for most of the game."
Sophomore guard Yamonie Jenkins:
"I think we just come out ready to play. We know that every game is a big game, so we come out ready to put the opponent away early so that we have a cushion to work with instead of having it be a close game the whole game."
Sophomore guard Quiera Lampkins:
"The approach is pretty much the same as last year. It's just that, I think as a team and the players, we're just more focused. Last year I don't think we were as focused as we are now."
COMING UP
The Bobcats hit the road for their next matchup, traveling to Mt. Pleasant, Mich. for a game against the Central Michigan Chippewas on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 1 p.m.
Western Michigan 83, Eastern Michigan 56
KALAMAZOO, Mich.- The Western Michigan women’s basketball team improved to 6-2 in the Mid-American Conference with an 83-56 over visiting Eastern Michigan Wednesday night. The Broncos are currently tied with Ball State for first place in the West Division.
With a 13-6 overall record, and 10 games remaining in the regular season, Western Michigan has matched its win total from last season.
Emotions were high before the game as the Eagles were taking the court for the first time since the loss of their teammate, junior Shannise Heady, who along with fellow EMU student Jordan Hopkins passed away in an automobile accident this past Sunday. A moment of silence was held in Heady’s honor before the game and the teams joined together for the national anthem. Both schools and members of the crowd also wore #32 patches in her memory.
Once the ball was in the air the rivalry took its course and it was a back and forth battle between the Broncos and the Eagles until Western Michigan pulled away in the second half. The lead changed hands six times and was tied twice in the first half.
The Eagles led 31-30 with 4:32 left in the first but the Broncos went on a 12-2 run to take a nine-point lead, 42-33, into the break. Senior guard Jazmine Windham started the push with a three-pointer and scored 11 of her 13 points in the game in the first half, shooting 3-for-4 from behind the arc.
The entire Bronco squad had an impressive night shooting, firing in 63.0 percent of their shots in the first half and shooting 57.1 percent as a team for the game, a season high. WMU also made a season-high nine three-pointers.
While Windham was going to work on the outside, junior post Miracle Woods was getting the job done down low. Woods had nine points and eight rebounds at the half and finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds for her third double-double in the last four games. Woods made 6 of 9 field goal attempts and was a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line.
Senior A.J. Johnson was the Broncos’ second-highest scorer behind Woods with 16 points. Johnson downed two three’s and also found herself scoring several easy layups, racing ahead of EMU’s press for fast break points. She finished 7-for-11 from the floor.
Freshman guard Sasha Dailey led the Eagles with 15 points, while Janay Morton scored nine and Cha Sweeney chipped in eight. Eastern Michigan shot 31.9 percent in the contest and forced WMU into 20 turnovers. Eastern Michigan’s record dipped to 10-8 overall and 3-4 in the MAC.
The Broncos head to Miami Saturday for a 1 p.m. tip-off against the RedHawks. Miami fell to Ball State Wednesday, 72-55, and is still in search for its first MAC win. The RedHawks are 3-16 this season and 0-8 in conference play.
