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With Christmas time come and gone, teams were able to spend times with family and play the game they love. With several teams having games canceled, teams prepare for the MAC schedule starting on Wednesday, December 19th.
Sunday, December 19th
No. 10 Indiana 67, Western Michigan 57 (6-3)
One of the roughest games Western Michigan has played all season came on the road against the top ten Indiana Hoosiers. The Broncos fought hard, but the Hoosiers were able to hold off the resilient Western Michigan team, 67-57, in Bloomington, Indiana.
Indiana was able to get out to a 19-14 lead at the end of the first quarter, but Western Michigan wouldn’t let the Hoosiers get too far away. Western continued to fight back, as the Broncos trailed by six at the half, 33-27. A 22-11 run in the third quarter was too much for Western Michigan to overcome, as the Hoosiers earned the hard fought victory, 67-57.
Reilly Jacobson led the way for Western Michigan, scoring 16 points, grabbing six rebounds and dishing out three steals. Taylor Williams earned herself a double double, as she scored 15 points and nabbed 13 rebounds. Megan Wagner added 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Purdue 82, Miami (OH) 76 (4-5)
The MAC and Big Ten have been battling all season, and the battle raged on in West Lafayette, Indiana. Miami tried everything they could, but Purdue was able to get the best of Miami, 82-76.
These two teams exchanged leads in the first quarter, but Purdue was able to take a small two point lead into the second quarter, 22-20. A 19-10 run in the second quarter from the Boilermakers gave them a more comfortable 41-30 lead heading into halftime. The RedHawks were able to outscore Purdue in the third quarter, but the Boilermakers were able to match the RedHawks point for point in the fourth quarter to hold on for the close victory, 82-76.
Ivy Wolf led the way for Miami, scoring 19 points, dishing out two assists and earning two steals. Peyton Scott added 18 points of her own, and was able to nab seven rebounds.
Toledo 66 (6-2), SIU Edwardsville 57
A tightly contested game had the first half in deadlock. Toledo was able to break through in the second half, and earn a big victory on the way into conference play, knocking off SIU Edwardsville, 66-57, in Edwardsville, Illinois.
With the game tied at 27 heading into halftime, neither team could gain an edge on the other. The Rockets came out of the half on fire, separating themselves from the Cougars with a strong 21-11 run in the third quarter. This gap was strong enough to help Toledo earn the victory on the road, 66-57.
Sophia Wiard led the way for the Rockets, as she scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Quinesha Lockett added 15 points and nine rebounds of her own, as well as four steals. Khera Goss scored 10 points and nabbed four rebounds to help Toledo earn the win.
Bowling Green 72 (4-4), Oakland 60
Bowling Green came out on a mission. The Falcons were able to earn a double digit victory on the road in a tournament against Oakland, 72-60, in Las Vegas.
A 37-24 lead at halftime had the Bowling Green Falcons looking towards another big victory heading into conference play. That trend continued, as Oakland wasn’t able to match the Bowling Green onslaught, as the Falcons earned their fourth win of the season in Vegas.
Four Falcons scored 10 points each to help earn the victory. Kadie Hempfling, Nyla Hampton, Elissa Brett and Zoe Miller combined for the 40 points to help lead Bowling Green, but the conference season looms around the corner.
Monday, December 20th
- Bowling Green vs. Campbell was canceled.
- Akron vs. UT Martin was canceled.
Ohio 74 (5-3), UMass Lowell 60
Cece Hooks has done it again for the Ohio Bobcats. Ohio used a strong first half run to propel them to a strong 74-60 victory over the UMass-Lowell River Hawks.
Hooks’s 25 points, six rebounds and three steals led the way for Ohio, as they held a 38-25 lead heading into halftime. The teams fought to nearly even second half, which wasn’t enough to get through the gap Ohio had already placed between themselves and the River Hawks.
Erica Johnson added 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists for the Bobcats in the holiday tournament. Gabby Burris scored 19 points, nabbed eight rebounds and earned four steals to help earn the win.
Bucknell 80, Buffalo 69 (6-4)
A near 30-point first quarter had Bucknell off and running against visiting Buffalo. The Bulls weren’t able to come back from the strong start, as the Bison were able to knock off the Bulls, 80-69.
The Bulls continue to struggle on the road in just their second game away from home territtory. The Bison opened the game on a 29-13 run, helping themselves to a 43-26 lead at halftime. Buffalo answered with a 29-18 run in the third quarter, but Bucknell had created too much of a gap for the Bulls to overcome.
Georgia Woolley led the way for Buffalo, earning a double double with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Dyaisha Fair added 20 points, while Summer Hemphill earned a double double of her own with 15 points and 13 rebounds for Buffalo.
Ball State 84 (7-3), Bellarmine 63
Anna Clephane nearly had a perfect shooting day from the field, as she helped the Ball State Cardinals get out to a big lead in the first half and earn a big victory heading into the conference season, 84-63.
The Cardinals outscored the Knights in all but the second quarter, growing their lead after each quarter and moving towards victory. The Knights were unable to gather enough offense to get past Clephane and the Cardinals.
Clephane shot 10-of-12 from the field, scoring 26 points, dishing out four assists and nabbing three boards. Thelma Dis Agustsdottir added 18 points of her own, helping lead Ball State to a big home victory.
Green Bay 71, Central Michigan 67 (2-7)
Slow starts have doomed the Central Michigan Chippewas all season, and this game was no different. Green Bay opened the first quarter with a 19-11 run, and the Phoenix were off an running, earning the tight victory, 71-67.
The Phoenix led by 10 at halftime, but Central Michigan answered with a 22-16 run in the third quarter, but the Chippewas weren’t able to outscored Green Bay in the fourth quarter, as the Chippewas fall again on the road.
Molly Davis led the way for CMU, scoring 27 points, grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists. Kalle Martinez added 13 points and grabbing five rebounds for the Chippewas, but it wasn’t enough to help lead them to a victory.
Tuesday, December 21st
- Kent State vs. Florida State was canceled.
- Marshall vs. Akron was canceled.
- Northern Illinois vs. Colorado State was canceled.
Ohio 76 (6-3), Binghamton 67
Four different starters scored in double digits for the Ohio Bobcats, as the Bobcats continue to make strong strides heading into the MAC regular season, defeating the visiting Binghamton Bearcats, 76-67.
The Bobcats led 40-25 at halftime, and started the third quarter on a 20-11 run to extend their lead. Binghamton was able to outscore the Bobcats in the fourth quarter, but they were unable to put enough together to get past Ohio.
Cece Hooks led the starters in scoring, scoring 20 points, grabbing nine rebounds, and earning four steals. Erica Johnson did a little bit of everything, adding 19 points, dishing out eight assists, nabbing seven rebounds and four steals. Madi Mace scored 17 points, while Gabby Burris earned a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Bobcats.
Missouri State 60, Toledo 46 (6-3)
Two single-digit scoring quarters had the Toledo Rockets reeling, as the Missouri State defense kept the Rockets from keeping up. The Lady Bears defeated the visiting Rockets, 60-46.
Missouri State led by 11 at halftime, and continued right after halftime. The Lady Bears doubled up the Rockets in the third quarter, 16-8, and kept the gap far enough between each other to earn the victory. Missouri State held the Rockets to a 28% shooting percentage as a team from the field.
Sophia Wiard led the way for Toledo, scoring 11 points. Jayda Jansen added 10 points of her own, as Toleo wasn’t able to get enough going to earn the victory.
Bowling Green 67 (5-4), UT-Martin 52
A strong defensive first half helped Bowling Green earn another victory in the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic, 67-52, against UT-Martin in Las Vegas.
UT-Martin was only able to scored 15 points in the first half, with quarters of seven points and eight points. Bowling Green led by nine at halftime, 24-15, and doubled up the Skyhawks in the third quarter to help propel them to a 15 point victory.
Kadie Hempfling led the way for Bowling Green, scoring 20 points, and grabbing four rebounds. Madisen Parker added 11 points of her own to help lead Bowling Green to a strong victory.
Wednesday, December 22nd
- Eastern Michigan vs. Michigan was canceled.
No games were scheduled or played throughout the rest of the week due to Christmas time.