Saturday's Women's Basketball Results
Ball State 51, Northern Illinois 50
Central Michigan 63, Western Michigan 51
Kent State 62, Bowling Green 58
Miami 78, Buffalo 68
Ohio 71, Akron 55
Toledo 81, Eastern Michigan 72
Courtesy of home MAC Athletic Communications Departments
Ball State 51, Northern Illinois 50
DeKALB - Trailing 51-43 with 1:26 left, the NIU Huskies (10-14, 6-9 MAC) went on a 7-0 run with 0.3 left in regulation versus Mid-American Conference West Division leader Ball State (15-10, 11-3 MAC) and had one last crack at a game-wining shot. Amanda Corral (Hobart, Ind./Hobart), who finished with 16 points, hit the final shot off a perfectly run inbounds play but the shot came after time expired, leading BSU past the Huskies, 51-50.
“We played extremely hard and extremely well together tonight and I thought we made some incredible plays down the stretch. I thought we deserved to win this game tonight and it just didn’t fall our way,” said Head Coach Kathi Bennett. “We knew the situation at the end of the game and we played well enough at the end of the game. The plays that we made down the stretch, makes it (harder to cope with) because it really felt like we were going to pull it off.
“We stayed in the moment and this really hurts right now because we won (in Muncie) and we knew they’d come with a little extra fire this time around and we did everything we could to win tonight’s game,” Bennett added.
Corral totaled 16 points, three assists and a career-high four steals while Lacia Gorman (Fort Wayne, Ind./Wayne) and Kelly Smith (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) totaled 11 and 13 points, respectively.
The Huskies and the Cardinals were deadlocked in the first half as they finished the period tied, 23-23. It was the first time since Jan. 13, 2013 versus Ball State at the NIU Convocation Center that NIU had been tied with a foe at halftime. The Huskies lost that matchup, 57-51.
Corral was the Huskies main line of attack in the half as she closed the period with 13 points, shooting 6-for-12 from the field. NIU was 10-for-28 in the half (.357), outshooting Ball State in the period by two percent (.333). The teams were even on the boards as well with the teams each grabbing five offensive rebounds and 13 defensive rebounds a piece.
The Huskies and Cardinals continued to play neck-and-neck in the second half as they traded leads three times and found themselves tied three times in the period.
Ball State accrued their biggest lead of the second half with 1:26 left, thanks in part to an 8-2 run, as it led NIU, 51-43, after a jump shot by Renee Bennett.
Smith responded with a layup with 1:02 left to cut the lead to six points, 51-45. Three-straight Huskie fouls put Ball State in the bonus to force a one-and-one with Calyn Hosea at the line. Missing her first, NIU grabbed the rebound and Jenna Thorp (Hinckley, Ill./Hinckley-Big Rock) sunk a layup with 44 seconds left to put NIU within four points, 51-47.
Rinse, wash, repeat, the Huskies fouled the Cardinals again to force another one-and-one, this time with Candyce Ussery at the stripe. Usury missed her first to give NIU the ball back with 40 seconds left. Only four seconds later, Gorman hit her third three-pointer of the game to bring NIU with one point with 34.1 seconds left, 51-50.
Cardinal Jill Morrison would miss the Cardinals third-straight one-and-one to give NIU the ball back with 27 seconds left.
After grabbing an offensive rebound on a missed trey by Smith, Gorman would pull the trigger quickly with three seconds left on one more three-pointer “to give ourselves a chance at a putback or one last shot” as she said in the postgame press conference.
The ball would bounce off the rim and out of bounds, and after an official review, possession was given to the Huskies with 0.3 seconds left.
Ally Lehman (Nineveh, Ind./Indian Creek) tossed a perfect lob pass to an unguarded Corral in the key, who caught the ball and tipped it back into the Huskies basket. However, the shot was deemed no good as time had expired, sealing the Cardinals victory, 51-50.
Lehman led the game with five assists, while adding four points and five rebounds. Smith was two rebounds shy of double-double against BSU, grabbing eight boards to compliment her 13 points. Gorman set career-highs in field goals (4) three-point field goals (3) and points (11). She also dished three assists.
Bennett led the Cardinals with 14 points in the game. NIU forced 14 Ball State turnovers, while only committing 10.
The Huskies will return to action Wednesday night when they host Central Michigan at the NIU Convocation Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
Central Michigan 63, Western Michigan 51
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Junior Da'Jourie Turner scored a career-high 23 points to lead the Central Michigan women's basketball team to a win over Western Michigan on Saturday, 63-51.
The victory snapped CMU's four-game losing streak, and improved its record to 12-13, 7-7 in the Mid-American Conference. Western is 16-9, 9-5.
The Chippewas were down eight points -- the largest deficit they faced in the game -- 41-33 at the 16-minute, 49-second mark of the second half.
But a 12-4 run by CMU tied the game at 45-45 with 9:27. From that point, the Chippewas finished the game with an 18-6 run to seal their first victory in over two weeks.
"It's been a minute since we ended a game with a smile," CMU coach Sue Guevara said. "I've been asking the team every game since the Eastern Michigan game to keep getting better. Keep the vision, focus on the process and let's get better every game.
"I thought we got better against Ball State (on Wednesday) and we lost. I thought we got better (Saturday) and we won." Senior Crystal Bradford played for the first time after missing three consecutive games with a knee injury. Her minutes were limited (22 overall) but she finished with eight crucial points late in the second half. She was 4-for-13 shooting overall.
"It was nice to have Crystal back on the floor, but understand that she only had eight points," Guevara said. "So it was nice to see other people that were able to finish."
The Chippewas shot 40.4 percent overall in the game and held the Broncos to 36.7 percent from the floor.
Senior Kerby Tamm notched a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Tamm's double-double was the second of her career.
"I think we have been having really good practices," Tamm said. "We were able to finally put everything together and come out with a win.
"I think the ball bounced my way a bit today, but I wanted to make sure I made good early rebounding positioning. Western is a really physical team, so I just had to focus on my positioning and controlling the boards as soon as I could."
"I could hear coach (Guevara's) voice throughout the game: `Attack! Attack!'" Turner said. "Just hearing that helped me today. I know that's one of my strengths, so that's what I did. I took open looks and finished."
Guevara said the play from her two guards, Turner and freshman Amani Corley, was a major factor in the win. The two combined to shoot 10-of-22 from the field and totaled 27 points.
"I have to give some props to my assistant coach Kristin Haynie, who has been working with (Turner and Corley) at the point guard position," Guevara said. "Haynie has been working with them day in and day out on attacking, using a screen and understanding change of speed and direction.
"I thought (Turner) came in and did all of that. Amani came in and was a little tentative but she ended on the attack. She ended with five shots, but for her, that's pretty good. If we can get that number to 10, it would be even better.
"It was a good win for us at a critical time that we have to be playing our best basketball in March. This is progress. We're trying not to get caught up in the outcome, but in the process instead."
CMU outrebounded Western, 45-35. Seniors Jas'Mine Bracey and Lorreal Jones notched eight boards apiece to lead the Chippewas. Bracey also had nine points on 4-for-6 shooting.
Junior Miracle Woods led the Broncos in scoring with 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting.
Next up, the Chippewas travel to Dekalb, Ill. to face Northern Illinois on Wednesday. CMU topped the Huskies in their previous matchup this season in Mount Pleasant, 56-43.
Kent State 62, Bowling Green 58
A furious comeback bid by the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team fell just short, as visiting Kent State University escaped the Stroh Center with a 62-58 win Saturday evening (Feb. 21).
The Golden Flashes (5-20, 3-11 Mid-American Conference) led by as many as 16 points early in the second half, but the Falcons (9-16, 2-12) battled back to within one possession in the final minutes. But, BGSU could not convert on three consecutive trips down the floor, and the visitors -- despite making just 2-of-6 free-throw attempts in the final 30 seconds of the game, got a Mikell Chinn charity toss with just 6.9 seconds to go to extend the margin to four points.
Junior Miriam Justinger led all players with 19 points, while redshirt freshman Kennedy Kirkpatrick added 13 points off the bench for the Falcons. Larissa Lurken paced three double-digit scorers with 16 points for the Flashes, including four three-point field goals.
KSU led by five points at the half, but a 10-0 run early in the second period put the visitors in front by 15 points, 46-31. That lead reached a game-high 16 points when McKenna Stephens hit a jumper with 12:35 to go, giving the Flashes a 52-36 advantage. But, the Falcons would come roaring back.
After CiCi Shannon's layup with 5:42 remaining put the Flashes ahead by a 60-46 count, Kent State would not make another field goal. A Kirkpatrick layup began a 12-0 run for the Falcons. That driving layup came with 5:29 on the clock, and moments later, a steal by senior Deborah Hoekstra began a BG possession that resulted in a Hoekstra banker from close range. KSU's lead was 10 points, 60-50, with just under four minutes remaining.
Out of the game's final media timeout, BG fouled Melanee Stubbs, who missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity. Justinger knocked down a three-point try on the next possession, and suddenly, the Falcons were within seven points.
Lurken missed a corner three, and freshman Sarah Baer battled the much taller Shannon for the rebound. A jump ball was called, with BG awarded the ball on alternating possession with 3:03 remaining.
Hoekstra was fouled on a drive, and knocked down two free-throw tries with 2:39 left, cutting her team's deficit to five points. On KSU's next possession, Baer altered a Chinn shot from close range, and the BG freshman was fouled as she grabbed the rebound. Baer split a pair of charity tosses to cut the Flashes' lead to 60-56.
Chinn was called for traveling with 1:44 remaining, and on BG's next possession, an inbounds pass by freshman Rachel Myers found Justinger wide open under the basket. Justinger's layup was good, and the Falcons trailed by only two points with 1:18 to go.
Kent State used nearly all of the shot clock on the next trip down the floor, but Jordan Korinek's jumper was no good, and Hoekstra's rebound gave the ball back to the Brown and Orange. After Kirkpatrick kicked the ball out to Hoekstra on the next possession, though, the BG senior was called for a traveling violation just before she attempted a three-point try.
The ball went back to KSU with 29.7 seconds left, and a long inbounds pass found Stephens ahead of the pack. Hoekstra fouled Stephens before she could shoot a layup, however, and Stephens then missed two-straight free-throw tries, with Hoekstra rebounding the second miss.
The next possession saw Hoekstra find Baer with an entry pass, but the freshman's shot would not drop, and Stephens rebounded the miss. Hoekstra fouled Stephens, sending her back to the line with 13.7 seconds on the clock. Stephens missed her first shot from the stripe, but she made her second try to give KSU a three-point lead.
The Falcons raced downcourt, but as sophomore Rachel Konieczki crossed midcourt, the ball was deflected out of bounds, with BG the last to touch it. KSU inbounded the ball with 8.0 seconds left, and Konieczki fouled Chinn with 6.9 ticks on the clock. Chinn missed her first shot at the line, but hit the second to give the Flashes a four-point lead.
Shannon had 10 points for the Flashes, adding a game-high eight rebounds as KSU had a narrow 25-23 advantage on the glass. Chinn had seven points and a Stroh Center-record 10 assists for the visitors.
Hoekstra and Konieczki scored eight points apiece for the Falcons, with Hoekstra pulling down a team-leading seven rebounds.
Kent State shot 52.4 percent from the field in the second half and an even 50% for the game. BG shot 50% after halftime, making 9-of-18 shots in the second period, en route to a 44.7% rate on the evening.
The Falcons hit seven three-point tries, with Justinger, Kirkpatrick and Konieczki making two long-range shots apiece. Lurken had four triples to pace KSU's 5-of-10 long-distance effort.
BGSU hit 17-of-21 free-throw tries (81.0%), while the Flashes were 11-of-17 from the line.
Lurken scored the game's first six points, hitting a pair of three-pointers before Konieczki got the Falcons on the board with a triple at the 17:28 mark. The Flashes extended the lead to 10-3, but Kirkpatrick's trey -- which was originally ruled a two-pointer -- cut the margin to four points. After Stubbs hit a long two-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer, Justinger answered with a three-ball.
But, KSU scored the next four points, taking a 16-9 lead, before Kirkpatrick's driving layup resulted in a three-point play that bridged the under-12-minute media timeout. Naddiyah Cross connected from long distance, before Kirkpatrick made another layup midway through the period.
After a Chinn jumper, Myers scored four-straight points, getting fouled on a jumper and knocking down two shots from the line before knocking down a right-side floater. The Flashes' lead was down to three points, at 21-18.
Shannon scored inside after grabbing an offensive rebound, but moments later, a Justinger three-pointer cut KSU's lead to 23-22. The Flashes went on a 5-0 run, but Kirkpatrick cut her team's six-point deficit in half with a three-ball at the 1:29 mark. KSU, however, got a late bucket from Chinn to take a 32-27 lead into the half.
Justinger began the second period by draining a foul and hitting two free throws, before Korinek answered with a jumper. Shannon hit a layup just over a minute later, and Justinger responded with a short jumper to cut KSU's lead to 36-31. But, Lurken scored eight-straight points, beginning with two shots from outside the arc, giving the visitors a 13-point lead.
Shannon made it a 10-0 run with a layup at the 15:11 mark, before freshman Haley Puk's three-point try was on target, cutting the KSU lead to 46-34. That lead dropped to 10 points as Myers hit two tosses, but Korinek's easy layup began a quick 6-0 run, capped by the Stephens bucket that gave the visitors that game-high 16-point lead.
BG answered with a six-point run, as Justinger banked home a shot, Hoekstra hit a jumper and Justinger converted a driving layup with 9:16 to go. A Stephens shot made it a 54-42 lead, and after Hoekstra scored twice from the stripe, the visitors' Krista White scored four-straight points.
Justinger got to the line and made a pair of shots with 5:50 left, but Shannon came right back with the layup that gave her team a 60-46 lead and set up the frantic finish.
Justinger scored 15 of her 19 points in the second half, going a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and 4-for-4 from the line after halftime. Hoekstra had eight second-half points for the home team, but Chinn dished out seven of her 10 assists in that second period.
The Falcons hit the road for a pair of games next week, beginning with a Wednesday (Feb. 25) matchup with Miami. That game will begin at 7:00 p.m. at MU's Millett Hall. Then, following a Saturday (Feb. 28) game at Ohio, the Brown and Orange will return home for games vs. Buffalo (March 4) and Akron (March 7) to end the regular season. The MAC Tournament begins on Monday, March 9.
Miami 78, Buffalo 68
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo, State University of New York women's basketball team suffered a 78-68 setback to Miami (OH) Saturday afternoon at Alumni Arena during its Play 4 Kay game.
The Bulls (15-10, 8-6 MAC) battled from a late 15-point deficit to cut within four of the RedHawks (5-20, 2-12 MAC) with 51 seconds on the clock, but Miami was perfect at the line down the stretch to secure the victory.
Miami, who had four players score 16 or more points, shot 80.0 percent from the arc for the game, highlighted by a 5-for-5 second-half performance. The RedHawks managed their second-highest scoring output of the year on a season-best 52.0 percent shooting. They posted 82 against Valparaiso on Dec. 3 when they hit a season-high 14 threes. Miami entered today's game averaging just 53.8 points.
UB's largest lead of the game was a four-point edge in the first frame. After six ties in 15 minutes of play, Miami drained 10 unanswered to take a 33-23 gap at 2:18. The teams exchanged buckets, before a Mackenzie Loesing steal and fast-break layup at the buzzer made it a 35-27 game at the half.
The Bulls forced Miami to commit 14 of their 22 turnovers in the latter 20. Trailing 68-53 with 3:15 left in the game, UB's full-court press resulted in four consecutive failed Miami possessions and a 10-0 run for the Bulls. UB snuck within four on an Alexus Malone layup, but the RedHawks went 8-for-8 at the line to clinch the win.
Senior Christa Baccas scored 12 and added 11 boards for her fourth double-double of the year. With her performance, she became just the fifth Bull in program history to tally 800 points (802) and rebounds (844). She also swatted away four blocks and snagged three steals.
Loesing led the game with 25 points, her third 20-point showing of the season, and chipped in a game- and season-best four steals. Rookie Stephanie Reid scored nine to go with a game-high five assists. Senior Kristen Sharkey recorded eight points, eight rebounds and four assists. UB shot better than 40 percent from the floor for the 10th time this season, with a 41.7 percent outing.
Kayla Brown and Baleigh Reid each scored 18 for Miami. Ana Richter added 17 and a team-high eight boards, while Courtney Larson chipped in 16. Hannah McCue had four steals and three RedHawks tallied a trio of assists.
Miami, who leads the series 19-13, snapped UB's four-game steak against the RedHawks.
The Bulls, who have won six of their last eight, return to action on Wednesday with a 7 pm game at Ohio.
Ohio 71, Akron 55
AKRON, Ohio - In a showdown between the top two teams in the Mid-American Conference's Eastern Division, it was Ohio (21-4, 12-2 MAC) who came into James A. Rhodes Arena and limited Akron (19-6, 9-5 MAC) to its lowest-point output of the season en route to a 71-55 triumph past the Zips on Saturday, Feb. 21.
Senior Sina King (Waterford, Ohio) led the way for Akron recording her team-leading 12th double-double of the season with a 16-point, 12-rebound performance.
Junior Anita Brown (Warren, Ohio) contributed 14 points, six rebounds and two steals for the Zips, while freshman Kerri McMahan (Novi, Mich.) added nine points, and an assist.
The Zips struggled offensively from the floor shooting 37.3 percent (19-of-51) and only 22.2 percent from long range. Ohio finished the game shooting 39.1 (25-for-64) percent as a team and at a 26.9 percent (7-for-26) clip from beyond the arc.
Kiyanna Black scored a game-high 31 points to go with three rebounds and two steals to lead the Bobcats.
The Zips won the rebounding battle on the evening, 38-32, including 30-22 on the defensive glass. Akron was sparked by 12, six, and six rebounds from King, Brown and junior DiAndra Gibson (Ravenna, Ohio).
The Zips came out and applied defensive pressure on the Bobcats to start the contest and the execution was effective as Ohio missed its first four shots and turned the ball over twice in the initial three and half minutes of the game. Offensively, Akron opened the tilt with an early 6-2 lead with a pair of lay-ups from King and McMahan and a pair of free throws courtesy of Brown.
Ohio answered finding its own offensive rhythm en route to going on a 16-4 run to take a 21-11 lead at the 10:03 mark after Black converted a pair of free throws following an assessed technical foul on the Zips.
Akron cut the deficit to four points with 4:45 to play in the first half with the help of an 8-2 scoring run. Brown capped off the Zips' run by hitting a free throw.
The Zips were not able to record a field goal and committed three turnovers over the final three minutes of the half as they entered the intermission trailing 33-22. Over the same span, Ohio scored seven-straight points to take an 11-point lead at halftime.
The final 20 minutes started off with the Zips and Bobcats exchanging baskets. Ohio increased its lead to 12, 37-25, after a Quiera Lampkins' lay-up with 17:13 left to play.
Akron answered back with four-straight points of its own capped off when Plybon found King under the basket for two.
The Akron offense struggled early in the second half as the Zips scored only two points courtesy of a pair of free throws from King during a six-minute span. In those six minutes the Bobcats scored eight points to give them a 45-31 lead at the 11:45 mark.
Midway through the second half the Bobcats continued to extend their advantage as Ohio's lead didn't drop below 12 points over the final 10 minutes of the game.
Turnovers again plagued the Zips as Akron committed 23 turnovers in the setback.
The Zips return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 25, as the second installment of the PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge takes place when the Zips travel to face Kent State. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
Toledo 81, Eastern Michigan 72
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team held a 12-point lead with 8:20 left in the second half, but could not hold on as the University of Toledo defeated the Eagles by a final score of 81-72 at the Convocation Center Saturday, Feb. 21. The Rockets closed the contest on a 30-9 run as foul trouble and rebounding woes plagued the Green and White in the Mid-American Conference West Division battle.
With the loss, the Eagles fall to 14-11 (7-7 MAC), while Toledo improves to 15-10 (8-6 MAC).
Eastern was led by Cha Sweeney (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers) with 21 points while dishing out three assists and nabbing four steals. Also breaking the 20-point plateau was Janay Morton (Brooklyn Park, Minn.-Owosso) with an even 20 points, earning 14 of them in the first half alone.
The Eagles shot 40.9 percent from the field on 27-of-66 shooting, and drained 7-of-20 from three-point range. After a performance behind the charity stripe for the record books against Ohio, Feb. 18, Eastern struggled to make free throws shooting just 11-of-17 for a 64.7 percent clip. The team was also heavily out-rebounded by Toledo, with the Rockets crashing the boards for 57 caroms while the Green and White came away with just 22 in the contest. Toledo's 57 rebounds are tied for the ninth-most boards in Convocation Center history.
Toledo also held the edge in the paint, 42-28, fueled by the inside presence of Sophie Reecher's 22 points and 11 rebounds. Inma Zanoguera also held a double-double, putting up 16 points and grabbing 12 boards. However, Eastern did have the advantage in steals, nabbing 14 out of the hands of the Rockets and forcing an additional 10 turnovers while giving up just eight miscues of its own.
The Rockets started the game hot on the offensive end, making their first four shots and building their lead out to 9-5 at the 17:56 mark. Jamaica Bucknor (Brooklyn, N.Y.-Weaver (ASA College)) checked into the contest and knocked down her first shot of the contest, a triple from the corner, to pull the Eagles within three at 11-8 with just over 17 minutes on the clock. Bucknor's three-pointer started a run of 11 straight points for the Green and White to make the score 16-11 in the home team's favor. Morton capped the run with her first long ball of the afternoon with 14 minutes left in the opening half.
Toledo regained the lead, 26-24, for a shot period with a three-point play by Reecher at the 6:23 marker. EMU answered back and gained control of the lead again after Morton and freshman Sasha Dailey (Toledo, Ohio-Rogers) knocked down jumpers on consecutive possessions to put the home team up 29-26 with 4:37 showing on the game clock. The lead changed multiple times in the final minutes of the opening half. Morton's pair from the free throw line with 12 seconds left gave the Eagles a 35-32 lead heading into the halftime break.
Morton led the offensive charge in the opening 20 minutes for the Green and White, scoring 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor, including a 2-for-3 mark from behind the arc and a perfect 2-for-2 from the charity stripe. Sweeney chipped-in with seven points while Dailey netted six points in the opening frame.
EMU shot 41.9 percent (13-of-31) from the field in the first half, compared to 38.9 percent (14-of-36) for the Rockets. Eastern Michigan won the turnover battle, 11-6, but Toledo was able to turn those six Eagle turnovers into 12 points. The Rockets held the advantage down low, scoring 20 points in the paint and grabbing 26 rebounds, including 13 on the offensive end.
A string of seven straight points from Sweeney early in the second half gave the Eagles a 45-38 lead with 15:39 on the game clock. Morton's third triple gave EMU a double-digit lead at 61-51. A Sweeney steal and transition layup on the ensuing Rocket possession opened up the Eagles' largest lead of the game at 12-points (63-51) with 8:20 to play in the second half.
Toledo answered with a 12-1 run over the next 2:35 to pull within one point at 63-62. The Rockets took the lead, 68-66, on a Janice Monakana layup with 4:45 on the clock, marking the first lead for the visitors since the first half. Sera Ozelci (Ankara, Turkey-TED Ankara College (Odessa College)) stepped up with a big triple to give the Eagles the lead back, 69-66, with just over four minutes remaining in the second half.
The teams traded points over the next couple of minutes, until Morton split a pair of free throws to knot the game at 72-72 with 2:27 showing on the game clock. The free throw was the final point for the Green and White as the Rockets scored the game's last nine points to claim the 81-72 road victory.
EMU hits the road for its next contest, traveling to Muncie, Ind. for a matchup with the Ball State University Cardinals Wednesday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m. The Eagles look to avenge a 72-62 loss to the Cardinals at the Convocation Center on Feb. 11.
