Women's Basketball

Miami Wins Third Straight to Remain in First; Bobcats Secure Tournament Spot

Wednesday’s Women’s Basketball Results
UMass 66, Kent State 56
Western Michigan 58, Buffalo 43
Miami 78, Eastern Michigan 60
Ball State 88, Akron 55
Central Michigan 68, Toledo 64
Bowling Green 60, Ohio 56 (OT)
Stories Courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments

UMass 66, Kent State 56
Box Score

AMHERST, Mass. – Massachusetts women's basketball (20-6, 12-3 MAC) defeated Kent State (13-14, 7-8), 66-56, on a Saturday afternoon tilt at Mullins Center. The Minutewomen used a strong finish and two players with double-digit rebounds to secure a gritty victory.  

Junior center Chinenye Odenigbo and senior Lilly Ferguson each had 10 rebounds in the contest, with Odenigbo securing her first career double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Megan Olbrys chipped in 10 points and nine rebounds, narrowling securing her third straight double-double.  

Yahmani McKayle tallied the most points for the Minutewomen with 17 points. McKayle also had seven assists and a steal.  

The Minutwomen held Kent State to just 25.8 percent from the field, the second-lowest field goal percentage for the Gold Flashes this season. The total is also the lowest the Minutewomen have allowed this season.  

Breaking Down the Action     
  • Allie Palmieri netted the first points for the Minutewomen, knocking down a triple to give UMass an early 3-0 lead at 9:30.  
  • Yahmani McKayle finished at the rim and Megan Olbrys converted a pair of free throws at 8:11 to extend the UMass lead to 7-3 in favor of Massachusetts.  
  • Palmieri turned defense into instant offense, going coast-to-coast and finishing off a layup to give the Minutewomen an 11-5 lead at 6:26.  
  • Kent State rattled off a 6-1 run off a three, layup and free throw to cut the game to a 12-11 UMass lead at 5:13.  
  • Lilly Ferguson collected a missed UMass shot and kicked out to Aiyanna Perkins who buried a three from the left wing to make the score 17-11 at 2:46.  
  • The Golden Flashes tied the game at 17 all with a 4-0 run to open the second quarter, before Ferguson finished off a layup at 7:46 to regain the lead for UMass, 19-17.  
  • McKayle snapped a near three-minute stalemate between the programs with a jumper at 4:09 to extend the UMass lead to 23-17.  
  • Odenigbo connected on a pair of free throws at 1:19 pushing the Massachusetts lead to 27-21.  
  • Kent State recorded four points to end the first half, cutting the deficit to 27-25 in favor of the Minutewomen at the break. 
  • The Golden Flashes tied the game at 27 to open the second half with a layup at 9:48. 
  • The Minutewomen worked a 6-2 run from 8:53 to 8:03 in the third quarter, highlighted by an Olbrys layup and steal on the ensuing possession to extend the Massachusetts lead to 33-29.  
  • McKayle slithered through the lane and finished at the rim at 3:43 in the third to put UMass ahead 38-35.  
  • The Minutewomen worked two offensive rebounds, one from Ferguson and another from Franks, with Franks getting to the line and making both free throws to put UMass ahead, 44-37 at 1:29 in the third. 
  • An Olbrys screen allowed for a wide open McKayle layup at 9:31 in the final quarter to push Massachusetts ahead 47-41.  
  • Franks scored on consecutive possesions and found Olbrys on the block for the next six points for the Minutewomen, giving the Minutewomen a 55-46 lead at 6:56 in the fourth.  
  • Odenigbo finished through contact at the rim and McKayle hit a midrange jumper with 4:41left in the contest to give UMass a 59-48 lead.  
  • McKayle hit a triple from the top of the key to extend the Minutewomen lead to 62-50 with 3:32 left to play.  
  • Franks hit Odenigbo underneath for an easy two at 2:11, putting Odenigbo in double figures and securing her first career double-double, also giving the Minutewomen a 64-51 lead. 
  • Palmieri finished a layup with 22 seconds left to cement the Minutewomen's 66-56 victory.
Western Michigan 58, Buffalo 43
Box Score

KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- Senior Alli Carlson matched her season high with 22 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, as the Western Michigan women's basketball team held off Northern Illinois for a 65-60 win at University Arena on Saturday afternoon. 

Carslon was 8-for-14 from the field and 4-for-7 from three, while also dishing out six assists and grabbing five rebounds. She was the only Bronco to reach double-digit points, while Kailey Starks had nine points, and a team-high four steals. 

WMU's defense forced 20 turnovers on the day and scored 20 points off of them. The Broncos (8-17, 4-10) also got 20 points from their bench, led by Alli Harness' eight and D'Myjah Bolds and Mary Clare Brusek both scoring six. 

The teams traded points to open the game until NIU had a 9-6 lead with 3:341 left in the first quarter. A layup by Brusek and a triple by Harness put the Broncos ahead 11-9 and it was the last time the Huskies were ahead. WMU closed out the quarter on a 12-2 run to take an 18-11 edge into the second quarter. 

The Broncos blew the game open in the second, holding Northern Illinois to just seven points, while scoring 14 to go up 32-18 at the half. WMU extended its lead to 37-20 early in the third quarter, but the Huskies battled back with a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 37-27 at the 4:53 mark. NIU went on another run to cut WMU's lead to 41-39 with 1:53 to play in the third, but the Broncos were able to push ahead and take a 44-41 lead into the fourth quarter thanks to a triple by Carlson. 

The senior guard opened with two more triples in the fourth quarter to keep the Broncos ahead 50-46 and a three by De'ahna Richardson pushed the lead to 59-48. But the Huskies wouldn't go away, going on a 9-0 run to get within two, 59-57. Carlson made a layup to go ahead 61-57 and then stole a pass from Maria Serracanta and drove down the court for two to push the lead to 63-57. 

A three-pointer by Sa'mahn Johnson cut WMU's lead to three, but Carlson made two free throws down the stretch and Bronco defense held the Huskie scoreless to the whistle.

Miami 78, Eastern Michigan 60
Box Score

YPSILANTI, Mich. – Junior Amber Tretter posted 25 points and 13 rebounds in a 78-60 win over Eastern Michigan on Wednesday evening. With the win, Miami (23-5, 14-1 MAC) maintains the top spot in the Mid-American Conference standings, two weeks prior to the start of the conference tournament.

Amber Scalia added 11 points, five rebounds and five assists, while Tamar Singer had 11 points, eight assists and six rebounds as the RedHawks made 11 three pointers, completing the season sweep over EMU (12-14, 5-10 MAC).

How it Happened:
  • Miami held Eastern Michigan without a field goal for nearly the first six minutes of the game and led 13-1 at the first media timeout. After Tretter opened the contest with a layup, Singer beat her defender to the rim for a three-point play. After EMU ended the drought with a free throw, Tretter and de Vries knocked down triples and Núria Jurjo converted a pair of free throws for the early 12-point advantage. EMU made a triple coming out of the media timeout, but 20 seconds later, Tretter's three-pointer made it 16-4. The Eagles got as close as 19-10 before Tretter made her third three-pointer of the quarter and Emily VanTimmeren's put-back made it 24-12 after one quarter of play.
  • A 10-0 run early in the second quarter that included triples from Tretter and Mio Sakano made it 36-14 with 5:46 to play in the half. EMU closed the gap, 38-19, but a three-pointer from Ashton Elley pushed the lead to 41-19. The RedHawks led 48-25 at the half.
  • EMU opened the second half on a 5-1 run to trim the deficit, 49-30 with 6:22 left in the third. Coming out of a timeout, Tretter knocked down her fifth three-pointer of the game and a bucket from Scalia made it 54-32 midway through the third quarter. The RedHawks made just one field goal in the final five minutes of the third, but did convert on 6-of-10 free throws to lead 63-49 heading to the final stanza.
  • The two teams combined for just two made field goals in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, but the RedHawks maintained a 67-54 advantage. After a Glenn Box timeout, Singer converted a layup and a pair of free throws from Clara Gonzalez Planella stretched the lead, 71-54, with 4:28 remaining. The Eagles closed to within 73-60 with 90 seconds to play before Scalia drilled a straight-away three-pointer to close the door on the Miami win.
Ball State 88, Akron 55
Box Score

MUNCIE, Ind. - The Ball State women's basketball team (23–6, 14–2 MAC) delivered a commanding performance Wednesday night, defeating the Akron Zips (7-21, 4-11 MAC) 88–55 at Worthen Arena. The victory secures a regular-season sweep over Akron and keeps the Cardinals firmly in the hunt for the Mid-American Conference (MAC) regular-season title.

Five Cardinals finished in double figures, powered by Tessa Towers' game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds—her ninth double-double of the season. Aniss Tagayi achieved her first career double-double with 18 points and 11 boards, while Grace Kingery and Zhen Verburgt chipped in 11 points each. Karsyn Norman rounded out the balanced scoring effort with 10 points, and Alba Caballero anchored the defense with a career-best 12 rebounds.

Ball State wasted no time seizing the momentum in this crucial MAC showdown, eager to move past a recent loss on the road. The Cardinals ignited a 6-0 opening run sparked by an Tagayi fast-break layup and back-to-back scores from Towers. Although Akron fought back to narrow the gap, Towers took charge once more, securing a 17-12 lead for Ball State by the end of the first quarter.

The Cardinals ignited the second quarter with a 10-3 run, highlighted by a slick post move from Towers. With additional contributions from Kingery and Verburgt, the Cardinals maintained a double-digit cushion throughout the period. Driven by their league-leading defense, they stifled Akron's offensive rhythm and headed into halftime with a commanding 42-26 lead.

Following the halftime break, Ball State maintained its double-digit advantage through a balanced offensive attack and tenacious defensive play. The Cardinals extended their lead to as many as 21 points on two occasions, eventually heading into the final 10 minutes with a commanding 65-44 lead over the Zips. 

Ball State's victory over Akron was a wire-to-wire performance defined by its interior strength. Ten different Cardinals contributed to the scoreboard, with over half the team's points coming from the paint. By winning the rebounding battle and controlling the glass, Ball State maintained its hold on second place heading into the final two games of the regular season.

Central Michigan 68, Toledo 64
Box Score

Postgame recap coming soon. 

Bowling Green 60, Ohio 56 (OT)
Box Score

Postgame recap coming soon.