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The New Year started at the end of the week, so here’s how the teams have handled the first few conference games of the season.
No MAC Women’s games took place from the 26th to the 28th.
Wednesday, December 29th
- Akron vs. Northern Illinois was postponed.
- Western Michigan vs. Ball State was postponed.
- Ohio vs. Miami (OH) was postponed.
- Bowling Green vs. Eastern Michigan was postponed.
Buffalo 92 (1-0 MAC), Central Michigan 75 (0-1 MAC)
The conference has some tough teams and tough games to go through, but Buffalo made a strong statement it its first game of the conference slate. Buffalo hosted the Central Michigan Chippewas, and took care of business with a strong 92-75 victory.
The Chippewas and Bulls traded leads and ties throughout the first quarter, but Buffalo was able to grab a 25-21 lead heading into the second quarter. Central Michigan battled, but the Bulls were able to extend their lead to 13, 49-36, heading into halftime.
Central Michigan came out the half strong, as a Jahari Smith layup with 1:16 left in the third quarter had the Buffalo lead down to just three, 65-62. Buffalo ended the fourth quarter on a 22-11 run to distance themselves from the Chippewas and earn a win in the first conference game on the season.
Summer Hemphill led all scorers with 28 points. She also added seven rebounds, three assists and a steal. Dominique Camp only scored four points, but dished out 16 assists for the Bulls. Dyaisha Fair added 26 points of her own, while Georgia Woolley scored 14 for the victorious Bulls.
Molly Davis earned a double double for the Chippewas, scoring 23 points and dishing out 12 assists, but turned the ball over 10 times. Smith had a double double as well, nabbing 17 rebounds and scoring 19 points. Tiana Tempe added 17 points while Lisa Tesson had 11 points of her own.
Toledo 69 (1-0 MAC), Kent State 60 (0-1 MAC)
Lead changes and tough contests are what people can expect throughout the season, and this game was no different. Kent State held a lead early, but Toledo fought back, and the Rockets got the better of the Golden Flashes, 69-60.
Kent State held a 16-12 lead at the end of the first quarter, as the teams traded
the lead three separate times. Both teams scored 17 points each in the second quarter, but Toledo was able to gain a slight advantage in the third quarter. The Rockets changed the game around with a fourth quarter run of 26-15, earning a close win of the Flashes.
Nan Garcia led the way for Toledo, scoring 14 points and grabbed four rebounds. Quinesha Lockett added 11 points, four rebounds and four assists. Hannah Noveroske, Sammi Mikonowicz and Khera Goss each scored 10 points each to help the Rockets to the win.
Hannah Young had a double double for Kent State, scoring 16 points and nabbing 11 rebounds. Bridget Dunn added 13 points, blocked two shots and grabbed four rebounds. Katie Shumate and Casey Sontoro both added 10 points each for the Flashes.
No MAC games took place on Thursday, December 30th or Friday, December 31st.
Saturday, January 1st
Central Michigan 72 (1-1 MAC), Northern Illinois 68 (0-1 MAC)
Central Michigan started the new year off right at home, as they hosted the Northern Illinois Huskies and battled back from an early deficit to earn a, 72-68 victory.
NIU jumped out to a commanding lead in the first quarter, 23-12. CMU tried to answer with a run of its own, but the Huskies kept its 11 point lead heading into halftime, 38-27. A Kallie Martinez three pointer before the end of the third quarter cut the Northern Illinois lead down to four, 54-50.
CMU opened the final quarter on a 12-0 run, 62-54, and held onto the lead for the remainder of the game. NIU had the Chippewa lead down to one with :08 seconds remaining, 69-68, but the strong defense and free throws helped the Chippewas earn their first win of the conference schedule.
Molly Davis found her stride, earning a double double with 32 points and 10 assists. Jahari Smith nabbed half of the Central Michigan rebounds, earning a double double of her own with 21 rebounds and scoring 11 points. Tiana Timpe added 20 points of her own in the Chippewa win.
Two Huskies earned double doubles of their own. A’Jah Davis scored 23 points and nabbed 17 rebounds, while Chelby Koker scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Western Michigan 55 (1-0 MAC), Kent State 51 (0-2 MAC)
A tight contest throughout saw Western Michigan and Kent State battling and exchanging leads. The Broncos were able to hold onto the lead enough to earn their first win of the season and keep the Flashes from their first MAC win, 55-51.
Western Michigan jumped out to a 9-0 lead before Kent State could manage a point, as the Flashes were unable to get a point until a Nila Blackford layup with 5:20 left in the first quarter finally had them on the board. Kent State battled back and trailed by just five at the end of the first quarter, 15-10.
The game was tied at 18 with 6:14 left in the first half, but the Broncos were able to extend their lead back out to five at the half, 29-24. Kent State tied the game at 31 with 6:18 left in the third quarter. A Gabi Saxman three pointer with :06 seconds left in the third quarter helped the Broncos out to a four point lead at the start of the fourth quarter. Kent State took the lead with under two minutes left, but Western Michigan was able to hold off Kent State off the remainder of the game.
Lauren Ross led the way for Western Michigan, scoring 16 points, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out three assists. Reilly Jacobson had 11 points and and three rebounds for the Broncos to earn the big win.
Clare Kelly scored 17 points to lead Kent State. Nila Blackford earned a double double with 15 rebounds and 10 points, but the Broncos were just to much for the Flashes in Kalamazoo.
Buffalo 88 (2-0 MAC), Miami (OH) 83 (0-1 MAC)
The Buffalo Bulls traveled to Oxford and was able to come out with a win on the heels with a very strong first quarter. The Bulls remain undefeated in the early conference slate, defeating Miami (OH), 88-83.
The Bulls jumped out to a 29-12 lead at the end of the first quarter, and it looked to be a blowout early. Miami battled back throughout the rest of the game, outscoring the Bulls in all three quarters. Miami cut the lead down to five, but were unable to get any closer than that.
All five starters scored in double digits for the Bulls, as Dyaisha Fair led the way with 28 points. Summer Hemphill added 20 points and nine rebounds, while Adebola Adeyeye scored 15 points and four rebounds. Dominique Camp had 11 points and nine assists, while Georgia Woolley added 10 points and eight rebounds of her own.
Peyton Scott led the way for Miami, putting up 18 points, seven assists and four rebounds. Maddi Cluse scored 17 points, nabbed eight rebounds and dished out three assists, while Jada Duckett had 14 points and eight rebounds. Edyn Battle scored 13 points while Katie Davidson added 10 points of her own.
Bowling Green 82 (1-0 MAC), Ball State 58 (0-1 MAC)
Ball State jumped out to a lead at the end of the first quarter, but Bowling Green wasn’t going to give up. The Falcons came back and outscored the Cardinals in the final three quarters to earn their first win in conference play, 82-58.
The Cardinals led 20-16 at the end of the first quarter, but Bowling Green answered with a strong second quarter to trail Ball State by just two at halftime, 35-33. Bowling Green came out of halftime on fire, outscoring the Cardinals, 31-13 to take a 64-48 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The lead was too much to come back from, as the Falcons strong defense allowed just 10 points in the fourth quarter.
Amy Velasco led the way for Bowling Green, scoring 17 points, dishing out three assists and earning three steals. Elissa Brett earned a double double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Nyla Hampton added 12 points for the winning Falcons.
Thelma Dis Agustsdottir was the only Cardinal to score in double figures, with 14 points, four rebounds and two assists. Marie Kiefer added nine points and nine rebounds, but the strong third quarter from BG was too much for Ball State.
Toledo 64 (2-0 MAC), Akron 58 (0-1 MAC)
A slow start from both teams heated up by game’s end, as Toledo was able to keep a decent distance between them and the Akron Zips, as the Rockets earned their second win of the conference slate by a final score of 64-58.
A 12-7 first quarter saw both teams struggling to score, but both teams started to get rolling before halftime, as the Rockets continued to hold the lead and remain undefeated early on in the conference schedule.
Hannah Noveroske scored 19 points and nabbed nine rebounds. Quinesha Lockett earned a double double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Sophia Wiard added 15 points, three rebounds and four assists for the Rockets.
Jordyn Dawson led all scorers with 30 points. She also added nine rebounds and six steals for the Zips. Layne Ferrell had 10 points for Akron, but the Zips were unable to earn the win.