Women's Basketball

BGSU, Miami Improve to 2-0

Thursday’s Women’s Basketball Results
Miami 75, Southeast Missouri State 52
Bowling Green 77, Cleveland State 73
Ohio State 103, Central Michigan 36
Purdue 83, Eastern Michigan 73
George Mason 66, Akron 60
Stories Courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments

Bowling Green 77, Cleveland State 73
Box Score
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team got off to a hot start, then fended off multiple comeback attempts by Cleveland State University Thursday night (Nov. 5). The Falcons captured a 77-73 victory in an entertaining non-conference regional battle at the Stroh Center.

Junior Lauren Gerken had a career-high 27 points for the Falcons (2-0), while freshman Carol Silva had 19 points and a team-leading eight rebounds. Another freshman, Sara Caetano, joined that duo in double figures with 14 points, and also had a game-high six steals.

The Vikings (1-1) had five players in double figures, led by Macie Taylor with 16 points. Chloe Oliver scored 15 and Paula Pique added 14. Both Pique (11 rebounds) and Alexa Hocevar (10 points, 14 rebounds) had double-doubles.

BGSU built a 23-10 lead after the first quarter, and the Falcons went ahead by as many as 18 midway through the second period. But, the Vikings reduced the margin to single digits before the half, then tied the game on two occasions in the third quarter.

The Falcons, however, had an answer on each occasion. After Oliver's free throw tied the score at 49-49, Gerken made a pair of free throws, and after Hocevar responded with a layup, freshman Mafalda Monteiro knocked down a three-pointer for a 54-51 BGSU lead.

The Falcons scored the first five points of the final quarter to forge ahead by eight points, and the margin was seven before the visitors went on a 5-0 run to make it a 69-67 game with 4:36 remaining.

Senior Joniyah Bland-Fitzpatrick knocked down a corner three, however, and Caetano put back a teammate's miss two possessions later. Oliver answered each bucket with a pair of free throws, though, cutting the lead back to three.

Then, however, neither team would score for two minutes, until Bland-Fitzpatrick split a pair of charity tosses with 15.4 seconds to go. Hocevar grabbed an offensive rebound, was fouled and hit both resulting shots with 7.4 seconds left, but after the Vikes fouled Caetano before the ensuing inbounds pass, the freshman knocked down two shots at the stripe to make it a two-possession game once again.

Silva had 14 of her points in the first half, while Gerken scored 17 second-half points, including nine in the fourth quarter. The junior went 3-for-4 from three-point range in the final period.

Miami 75, Southeast Missouri State 52
Box Score
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The Miami University women's basketball team (2-0) used a 29-6 run to begin the contest en route to a 75-52 win over Southeast Missouri State University (0-2) on Thursday afternoon. Amber Scalia had a team-high 18 points, while Amber Tretter had 17 points and 11 rebounds. Addison Baxter and Brooke Zartman chipped in with 14 apiece.

How it Happened:
  • Tretter knocked down a three pointer 12 seconds into the contest and following a SEMO bucket, Lucía Martínez López and Baxter combined to make it 8-2 at the first media timeout. Four-straight points from Tretter made it 14-2 with two minutes left in the first and after SEMO scored four-straight of their own, Zartman beat the buzzer from long range to spot Miami a 19-6 lead after 10 minutes of play.
  • Zartman opened the second quarter with her second triple in the span of 15 seconds and moments later Julianna LaMendola broke free for a layup, Scalia pulled up from deep for a triple and Baxter's bucket from inside the paint made it 29-6 early in the second quarter. Miami went to the locker room up 38-22.
  • Zartman drilled back-to-back triples to begin the second half to make it 44-22. SEMO trimmed the deficit to 44-26 before back-to-back buckets from Martínez López and Baxter forced a timeout for the home squad four minutes into the second half. Miami led 57-35 after three quarters of play.
  • Tretter converted a tough bucket to begin the final stanza and moments later the senior knocked down her third triple of the game to put the game out of reach, 62-35.
Game Notes:
  • With 11 rebounds, Amber Tretter moved into fifth in program history with 807 career bounds. She also secured the 32nd double-double of her career with 17 points.
  • Amber Scalia has scored 1,602 career points after posting 18 points in Thursday's win.
  • Addison Baxter secured her second-straight double-digit performance, matching her career-best with 14 points.
  • Freshman Brooke Zartman knocked down four triples in just her second career collegiate game.
  • The RedHawks forced 20 turnovers and held SEMO to 37.3% shooting from the floor.
  • Miami assisted on 18 of 29 made baskets.