Toledo 76, Central Michigan 52
Buffalo 79, Ohio 65
Kent State 61, Miami 52
Ball State 64, Western Michigan 56
Akron 72, Bowling Green 70
Northern Illinois 75, Eastern Michigan 65
Stories courtesy of MAC Sports Information Departments
Toledo 76, Central Michigan 52
Boxscore
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The University of Toledo women's basketball team clinched the No. 1 seed in the Mid-American Conference Tournament on Wednesday with its 76-52 win at Central Michigan.
The Rockets (22-4, 16-1 MAC), who hold a three-game lead over Buffalo (19-8, 13-4 MAC) in the MAC standings, also secured at least a share of the MAC Regular Season Championship with Wednesday's win. Toledo's 75-66 win over Buffalo earlier this season helped secure the tiebreaker that handed it the No. 1 seed after defeating CMU.
The 2022 MAC Tournament begins Wednesday, March 9 in Cleveland, Ohio. As the No. 1 seed, the Rockets will play the first game of the tournament at 11:00 a.m. against the No. 8 seed.
Toledo's 16 conference wins ties a program record for most MAC victories in a season with the 1996-97 team that went 16-2 in league play.
"I'm really proud of this team," head coach Tricia Cullop said. "I said at the beginning of the year that this is a special group. They get along extremely well, we have depth, and we have talent. But depth and talent don't mean anything if they can't get along, and this group really loves each other and they work hard for each other."
All 14 players saw the court on Wednesday and four Rockets scored in double figures. Junior Sophia Wiard stuffed the box score, scoring 14 points while dishing out eight assists and grabbing five rebounds. Sophomore Sammi Mikonowicz recorded a double-double, her fourth of the season, with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Junior Quinesha Lockett scored 11 points and senior Jayda Jansen added 12 points off the bench. Sophomore Soleil Barnes added a pair of three-pointers off the bench.
The Rockets had a terrific shooting night, connecting on 50 percent of their shots (28-for-56) while making 11-of-12 free throws. Central Michigan shot 36.4 percent from the floor (20-for-55) and just 4-of-17 from three.
CMU's Jahari Smith scored a team-high 13 points and Lisa Tesson was close behind with nine points.
Next up for the Rockets is a road contest at Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Feb. 26.
Buffalo 79, Ohio 65
Boxscore
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo women's basketball team led for all but two minutes in a dominant 79-65 win over Ohio on Wednesday night at Alumni Arena. With the win, Buffalo's third straight, UB officially clinched a spot in the upcoming Mid-American Conference Tournament. The Bulls are now 19-8 overall and 13-4 in league play.
The Bulls are now 13-1 at home, which is the most wins at Alumni Arena since the 2016-17 season and one off the Division I program record of 14 set during the 1991-92 and 1995-96 seasons.
Freshman Georgia Woolley led all scorers with 27 points to go with eight rebounds and four assists. Junior Dyaisha Fair scored 27 points while adding five rebounds and four assists and graduate forward Summer Hemphill recorded a monster double-double with 19 points and 19 rebounds.
The Bulls' defense was locked in from the tip as they held Ohio scoreless for a four-minute stretch early in the game and the offense capitalized as they used a 12-3 run, capped by four straight layups from Hemphill and Fair, to take a 14-5 lead at the 2:45 mark. UB continued to attack as Fair knocked down a deep three, Woolley sliced to the basket for two and Adebola Adeyeye powered up for an offensive rebound putback at the buzzer to give Buffalo a 25-11 lead at the end of the first. The Bulls scored 18 of their 25 first quarter points in the paint and shot 50% from the floor.
Buffalo stayed aggressive to start the second quarter as they used a 7-0 run, capped by a Woolley mid-range jumper through contact and a layup by Adeyeye off the feed from Dominique Camp, to take a 32-14 lead at the 6:48 mark but the Bobcats scored on three straight possessions to trim the UB lead to 32-21 at the 4:51 mark. Fair knocked down a deep triple and Hemphill and Loren Christie followed with big layups to complete a 7-0 run and give the Bulls their largest lead of the half, 41-19, with just over a minute to go and they would lead 43-25 at the break. The Bulls held Ohio to just 24% shooting while the UB offense shot 42% from the floor in the opening half.
Buffalo picked up where they left off as Hemphill scored on three possessions early in the third quarter and Christie knocked down a mid-range jumper to give UB a 20-point lead at the 7:49 mark. Later, Camp threw a beautiful lob pass to Christie who went up top to grab it and finished off glass through contact to put the Bulls up 52-33 at the media timeout. Woolley went into attack mode out of the timeout as she got to the charity stripe and converted four straight and then hit Hemphill with a beautiful pass who converted the easy layup as the Bulls took a 61-39 lead after three quarters of play.
The Bobcats opened the fourth quarter on a 9-0 run to cut the Buffalo lead to 61-48 and force a UB timeout at the 7:33 mark. Fair ended a four-minute UB scoring drought with a runner in the lane as the Bulls maintained a 63-52 lead at the final media timeout. Madi Mace hit a three to cut the UB lead to seven with just over three minutes to play but they would get no closer as Fair and Woolley answered with back-to-back triples to put UB back up by double digits and secure the victory.
"What a great team win," said head coach Felisha Legette-Jack. "You look at Summer with 19 and 19, Dyaisha with her 21 points and Georgia with her 27 and eight but then you add in Dominique with seven rebounds and six assists and a +/ of 19 and that's just special. This is a team win and if we stay locked in the foxhole, we have a pretty good chance of playing deep into March."
Christie and Adeyeye gave Buffalo solid minutes as they combined for 10 points and 13 rebounds. The Bulls dominated the glass as they pulled down a season-high 56 boards, while holding Ohio to 31, including 17 offensive rebounds which UB turned into 16 second chance points, while also doubling up the Bobcats in the paint, scoring 42 points inside. Buffalo also scored 14 points off Ohio turnovers and 10 fastbreak points.
Buffalo returns to action on Saturday, February 26 as they travel to Kent, Ohio for a pivotal matchup against the Kent State Golden Flashes. Tipoff from the M.A.C. Center is set for 1pm.
Kent State 61, Miami 52
Boxscore
OXFORD, Ohio — Kent State held host Miami to its lowest scoring game of the season and led by as many as 21 points Wednesday night inside of Millett Hall to earn a 61-52 victory and sweep of the season series.
The Golden Flashes (17-9, 9-8 MAC) did not allow any second chance points and blocked a season-high seven shots while holding the RedHawks to 22-of-67 (32.8%) shooting from the field. Senior Lindsey Thall and freshman Bridget Dunn swatted three shots each and seven players grabbed at least four rebounds on the defensive end. Kent State held a dominant 48-31 rebounding advantage overall. Junior Nila Blackford led the way with a game-high 11 boards, while senior Hannah Young and junior Katie Shumate added eight rebounds and seven rebounds, respectively.
The defense set the tone from the opening tip, allowing Miami to make just one of its first seven shots, as Shumate put the Flashes ahead 11-2 with a three-pointer with 4:59 to play in the first quarter. Kent State shot just 1-of-8 the rest of the period, however, and led 14-9 after 10 minutes of action.
The Flashes held their host to only two points over the first five minutes of the second period and senior Mariah Modkins' three-pointer at the 4:59 mark made it 22-11. Dunn and Thall also knocked down triples in the period to help extend it to 30-18 at halftime.
Thall came out of the break with a personal 5-2 run to push the lead to 14 less than two minutes into the third quarter. A 14-5 run over the final 6:36 gave Kent State a 21-point lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
Miami scored the first nine points in the fourth, but the Flashes pushed their lead back to 21 on a free throw from Blackford with 2:25 to play. Kent State removed its starters shortly after, and the RedHawks used full court pressure to close on a 13-1 run.
Thall led the offense with 18 points and recorded a team-high four assists. Modkins reached double-figures for the second time this season and finished with 10 points. Blackford and Shumate were right behind with nine points apiece.
The Flashes will celebrate Senior Day on Saturday, Feb. 26. when they host Buffalo in a 1 p.m. contest at the M.A.C. Center.
Ball State 64, Western Michigan 56
Boxscore
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Behind junior Annie Rauch's career-best 22 points the Ball State women's basketball team managed to complete the two-game series sweep with a 64-56 victory at Western Michigan Wednesday night in University Arena.
The Cardinals (16-10, 9-7 MAC) performed at a high intensity level yet again over the Broncos (14-12, 8-9 MAC), especially in the second half as Ball State shot over 50 percent from the field in both the third and fourth quarters.
Much like the other night against the Broncos, Ball State was able to outrebounded Western Michigan for the second-straight contest, 45-32.
Rauch played out of her mind leading the Cardinals with 22 points off a perfect 10-for-10 from the field. Not far behind Rauch was junior Sydney Freeman who chipped in 18 points. Defensively, freshman Ally Becki led Ball State with nine rebounds, and she also dished out five assists.
The game was neck and neck throughout the first three quarters of play with seven ties and 12 lead changes. Much like the other night when these two teams met, it was pretty much all Ball State regardless of how close the score might have been.
The Cardinals led almost the entire game for 30:40 to be exact out of the 40 minutes of play. It was not until the fourth quarter that the Cardinals were able to pull away from the Broncos.
Ball State outscored Western Michigan 25-19 which ultimately led to the Cardinals victory tonight along with key baskets from Rauch and Freeman.
The twosome kept BSU in control when it mattered, as did their teammates, to lift BSU past WMU in a time where wins are crucial heading into eventual Mid-American Conference Tournament play which begins exactly two weeks from today on March 9 in Cleveland.
The Ball State women's basketball team returns home Saturday when it hosts Northern Illinois at 1 p.m. ET in Worthen Arena. The Cardinals game day sponsor against the Huskies is LifeStream Services. It will also be Ball State's annual "Think Pink" game where fans are encouraged to wear pink for breast cancer awareness.
Akron 72, Bowling Green 70
Boxscore
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio- Propelled by Redshirt senior Jordyn Dawson's (Huntington, W Va.) 12th double-double and last-second shot, the Akron women's basketball team downed Bowling Green, 72-70 on Wednesday night at the Stroh Center to secure the season sweep.
After a three-pointer from junior Rachel Martindale (Pittsburgh, Pa.) clanked off the side-iron, the ball fell into Dawson's hands for the put-back with 1.2 seconds remaining, securing the victory.
Dawson, one of the top candidates for MAC Player of the Year recorded her 12th double-double of the season with a game-high 30 points, 12 rebounds, while also dishing out seven assists. Martindale added 12 points all coming from three-pointers as she went 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.
While up 34-29 with 5:38 remaining in the second quarter, the Zips never allowed the Falcons to get closer than three points for the remainder of the half. Akron dominated in the paint outscoring BG 16-8 and was red-hot shooting over 53 percent from the floor and 50-percent from beyond the arc.
The second half was a different story. The 9-point lead the Zips built midway through the second quarter was turned into a 1-point deficit in the third quarter as Akron faced a determined Bowling Green comeback and responded in style to dispatch the Falcons.
The final quarter saw seven ties and four lead changes as Akron took a 64-62 lead with 4:15 remaining as the Zips and Falcons traded baskets over six possessions. A 7-2 run fueled by Martindale's fourth three-pointer of the game put Akron ahead 69-64 before BG converted two free throws to make it a two-point game with 1:22 left to play.
Redshirt Sophomore Layne Ferrell (Franklin, Ohio) converted one-of-two free throws with 15.7 seconds left to put the Zips ahead, 70-68. BG's Amy Velasco went coast-to-coast for the tying layup with 10.5 seconds left, but 10.5 seconds was all the Zips needed to clinch the victory.
Akron will hit the road on Saturday, Feb. 26 as the Zips face Ohio for a re-match at the Convocation Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. Fans can listen to the game on 640 WHLO AM and watch the action on ESPN3.
Northern Illinois 75, Eastern Michigan 65
Boxscore
DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team led by as much as 17 points over the Eastern Michigan Eagles Wednesday night at the NIU Convocation Center but needed a 9-2 run late in the game for a 72-65 win.
"I loved the way we came out of the locker room and played really good basketball in the first half," said head coach Lisa Carlsen. "You would figure Eastern was going to have a run in them. I thought we weathered the storm and did what we needed to do to make sure that we had a victory at the end."
Nia Ahart (Detroit, Mich./Colgate) led four NIU Huskies in double figure scoring with a career-high 20 points. The graduate student guard was 6-for-10 from the three-point line. Janae Poisson (Matteson, Ill./Marian Catholic) made 5-of-9 threes for 17 points. A'Jah Davis posted her 20th double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds, adding a career-high seven assists. Jayden Marable (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) scored in double figures for the fourth straight game with 12 points while dishing out four assists.
NIU (12-13, 9-8 MAC) shot 50 percent from the field in the first half to take a 38-26 halftime lead. Eastern Michigan scored the final four points of the half and rolled that into a 9-2 run as a Ce'Nara Skanes three-point play at the 8:38 mark of the third quarter put the score at 40-31. The Eagles got within seven after five straight points from ZaNiya Nelson made the score 43-36. The Huskies went back up 12, 48-36, at the 6:02 mark following a Davis layup and Poisson three. Eastern Michigan got within seven once again, but a pair of Ahart threes put the lead back up to 10 for the Huskies, 54-44, at the 3:45 mark. The Eagles closed the quarter on an 8-2 run to get within four, 56-52, heading into the fourth.
Sparked by a Lachelle Austin layup, Eastern Michigan (7-17, 4-13 MAC) went on an 8-3 run early in the final quarter to get within one points, 61-60, with 4:59 to play. Davis put in a layup with 4:01 left to give NIU a 63-60 lead but the Eagles' Danielle Rainey knocked down a three to tie the game with 3:38 to go. Poisson broke the tie with a three-pointer at the 2:31 mark, then made another triple to give NIU a six-point lead, 69-63, with 1:36 left. Austin put in another layup with 0:45 to get Eastern Michigan within four, but Ahart made her sixth three with 0:31 remaining to make the final score 72-65.
"I love it when I can see the ball go in the rim," Ahart said. "My teammates kept telling me to keep shooting and be confident. It helps me keep going, especially when we get stops."
The Huskies opened the game with a 10-2 run over the first 4:10. Davis and Marable scored eight of those 10 points. Ahart put NIU up by 10 with back-to-back threes, giving the home team an 18-8 lead with 3:12 left in the opening quarter. Her third three of the game gave NIU a 21-10 lead with under 2:00 to go in the first. Back-to-back Emily Meinert (Galesburg, Ill./Parkland College) layups sparked a 9-1 run in the second quarter that gave NIU its largest lead of the game. Poisson capped the run with her first three of the night, making the score 30-13 with 6:05 left until halftime.
The victory was NIU's sixth in its last seven games at the Convocation Center. NIU shot 44.6 percent from the field and was 11-for-23 from the three-point line. The Huskies outrebounded the Eagles 42-35, turning 11 offensive rebounds into 12 second chance points. Austin led Eastern Michigan with 18 points off the bench.
