Women's Basketball Roundup -- January 27

Note: Game stories are courtesy of home sports information departments

Northern Illinois Wins Third Straight With 72-55 Win Over Central Michigan; NIU's Johnson Hits 1,000 Career Point Plateau

DeKALB, IL --- Perhaps Saturday (Jan. 27) was the perfect timing for the Northern Illinois University women's basketball team to hold its annual Alumnae Day celebration. The 15 former Huskies on hand could provide basis for historical comparisons to two current players' performances.

Sophomore guard Kristan Knake (Marengo) scored 16 points and handed out a career-high 12 assists to lead Northern Illinois past Central Michigan 72-55 in Mid-American Conference women's basketball action. NIU improved to 9-11 overall and 5-2 in the MAC with its third consecutive victory and seventh in nine games. Central Michigan saw its losing streak reach eight straight, dropping to 3-16 on the season and 0-8 in the league.

Knake also hit eight of ten shots from the field in posting her second career "double-double." Her 12 set-ups mark the most by a Huskie since Kelly Robbins tallied 12 versus Wisconsin-Milwaukee on March 2, 1996. Only two players have ever handed out more for Northern Illinois---Gena Stubbs (14 versus Minnesota on Dec. 17, 1988) and Val Leitzen (13 against Clemson on Dec. 29, 1986). Leitzen was one of the Huskie alums on hand for the game.

Senior center Michelle Johnson (Oak Park / Oak Park-River Forest) added 14 points for the Huskies, including the 1,000th of her career. Johnson became the 18th player in NIU history to reach that plateau. Her basket with 2:29 left in the first half put the senior past the 1,000 mark, and was part of a torrid shooting performance by the hosts, who hit 30-of-48 shots (62.5 percent) from the field---the school's best performance since the UWM contest on March 2, 1996. She finished six-of-eight from the floor and narrowly missed a "double-double" of her own with nine rebounds.

"I think Michelle's last three games, she's been playing very well. She's been consistent and has done some nice things on defense," Northern Illinois coach Carol Hammerle said, noting Johnson's two blocked shots. "I think she's been playing her best basketball, and she can still improve. It's a credit to her for getting 1,000 points."

"This is all new to me. It hasn't really hit me yet," Johnson said of her milestone. "It felt good to accomplish 1,000 points, though. I'm happy with the win, but we're not satisfied with our performance."

Despite that duo's efforts, however, Northern Illinois could not put the visitors away until early in the second half. NIU led just 32-28 after CMU's Molli Munz canned a three-pointer with 18:31 to play but Lindsay Secrest (Bloomfield, IN) answered with a trey of her own and converted a steal into a lay-up, sparking a 13-2 run. Knake ended the spurt by splitting two defenders for a jumper and feeding Stephanie Smith (Huntley / Hampshire) to put the Huskies ahead 45-30 at the 13:24 mark. The Chippewas got no closer than seven the rest of the way.

NIU scorched the nets with 70 percent (16-of-23) shooting in the second half while Central Michigan managed only 19-of-63 (30.2 percent) for the game. But the visitors crashed the boards, collecting 18 offensive rebounds and also forced 24 Huskie turnovers.

"I thought the game was more difficult than it should have been for us. We would let down defensively at times and let Central Michigan back in the game," Hammerle explained. "But we won the game, and that's the bottom line. We kept our composure to win the game in the end.

"We felt we could get the ball inside and we focused on going in there all game," the Huskie sideline boss added. "Central Michigan started to do a better job defensively, but we made some nice passes and handled their different defenses better."

Freshman forward Jennifer Youngblood (Rock Island) added 16 points and eight rebounds with Kim Boeding (Fort Madison, IA) contributing 11 points for Northern Illinois. Johnson and Youngblood paced an interior offense which scored 46 points in the paint.

Munz led CMU with 17 points, including three three-pointers. The junior guard broke the school record with her 130th career tri-lighter to close the first half, trimming NIU's halftime advantage to 30-25. Vershaun Jones tallied 11 points and seven rebounds while Beth Kindle had ten points plus seven boards.

Northern Illinois looks to continue its run of success Wednesday (Jan. 31), visiting MAC East Division contender Buffalo for a 7 p.m. (EST) contest. The Huskies attempt to post their second four-game winning streak of the season, matching their longest in six years.

Buffalo Wins Overtime Game At Bowling Green, 77-74

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team played catch-up all day, and finally did indeed catch the University at Buffalo, but the visiting Bulls gutted out a 77-74 overtime victory Saturday afternoon (Jan. 27). The Mid-American Conference game was held at BGSU's Anderson Arena.

Buffalo's Tiffany Bell had a game-high 36 points as the Bulls improved to 13-5 overall and moved into a tie with the Falcons for second place in the MAC's East Division with a 4-3 league mark. BG is now 8-10 overall.

For the Falcons, junior Francine Miller had 21 points, including a three-pointer that sent the game to overtime, while senior Jackie Adlington and classmate Dana Western joined her in double digits. Adlington had the first double-double of her Falcon career, posting BGSU career-best totals of 14 points and 11 rebounds. Western scored 13 points off the bench.

The Falcons got off to a slow start, missing the first five shots of the game. UB only made one basket during that time, but scored five points on free throws to take a 7-0 lead with less than three minutes elapsed. The Bulls went to the free-throw line 33 times on the day, making 22, while the Falcons were 9-of-10 from the stripe.

BGSU got on the board when freshman Kelly Kapferer converted a three-point play at the 16:38 mark, but the visitors extended the lead to 14 points at 20-6 with 12:51 remaining in the half. At that point in the contest, both Bell (12 points) and teammate Mari McClure (eight) had outscored the Falcon team by themselves.

BG rallied, however, and used a 10-0 run to narrow the margin to 24-20. The Falcons got as close as three points on an Adlington hoop with 1:13 left in the first half. Adlington went 7-of-9 from the field on the day. The visitors scored the final two points of the half to take a 29-24 lead into the lockerroom.

The Falcons rallied in the second stanza, and forged a tie when Western hit a pair of free throws at the 17:02 mark. UB regained the lead, however, on a layup by Jessica Kochendorfer. The Brown and Orange never led in regulation.

UB built the lead back up to nine points, 50-41, watched the hosts go on an 8-0 run to cut the lead to a single point (51-50 with 7:05 left), then extended the margin back out to eight points, 59-51, when the Falcons took a timeout with 3:21 left.

On the ensuing possession, BG freshman Lindsay Austin scored, was fouled, and converted the free throw to get BG within five. After a UB miss, a Western hoop cut the lead to three.

Bell answered with 2:03 left, but Western scored again at the 1:38 mark. The Falcons got the ball back and cut the lead to a single point on an Adlington hoop with 49 seconds left.

Bell, as she had all day, answered with a basket, but Austin scored to make it a 63-62 game with 22 seconds left. BGSU immediately fouled McClure, who would finish with 17 points on the day. She hit a pair of charity tosses.

BG took a timeout and ran a play for Miller. She took a pass from Austin and drained her fifth three-pointer of the day with just eight seconds left. UB had one more chance in regulation, but McClure missed an off-balance three-point attempt as the buzzer sounded.

In overtime, BG sophomore Kim Griech quickly gave the Falcons the lead for the first time all day. She hit a trey with just 15 seconds gone in the OT. Neither team would make a basket for the next 3:12.

UB cut the lead to one point on a pair of free throws before a Bell jumper gave the visitors a 69-68 lead with 1:33 left. Western hit with 1:12 remaining, but McClure answered with just 54 seconds left to give UB a 71-70 margin.

With 34 seconds remaining and the Falcons looking to take the lead, UB's Sonia Ortega stole a BG inbounds pass and fed Virginia Jennings for a hoop. BG could not get any closer than three points thereafter.

The Bulls shot .474 for the game, making 27 shots in 57 attempts from the field. BGSU had a .408 shooting percentage (29-of-71). The Falcons went 7-of-20 (.350) from three-point land, while UB was just 1-of-9 from beyond the arc.

Miller matched Adlington with seven baskets on the day as the Falcons held a 29-27 advantage in that category. Miller's 7-of-12 performance from the floor included a 5-of-7 effort from long range.

UB held a 44-34 rebounding margin, and each team turned the ball over 15 times. In addition to Bell and McClure, Kochendorfer hit double digits for the Bulls, with 13 points. Each of those three players had seven rebounds to tie for team honors.

The Falcons' bench outscored their UB counterparts by a 34-3 margin.

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for UB. BGSU will look to stop a three-game losing streak of its own, heading to Western Michigan for a Wednesday (Jan. 31) contest.

Miami Holds Off Ohio, 56-53, Snaps Two-Game Losing Streak

OXFORD, Ohio (Jan. 27) -- Despite committing a season-high 31 turnovers and missing 7-of-9 free throws in the final 31 seconds, Miami's women's basketball team survived a sloppy outing as it defeated Ohio 56-53 Saturday afternoon in Millett Hall. Conversely, the Bobcats coughed up 30 miscues of their own.

With 31 ticks left on the clock, Miami led 54-50. Nonetheless, Heather Cusick and Beth Roederer missed two foul shots each before Ohio's Andrea Gay drained 1-of-2 free throws with 13 seconds left, pulling the Bobcats to within 54-51.

Again, the RedHawks could not extend its lead as Melanie Kozlowski misfired on two charity shots. Gay then connected on two more free throws with just seven seconds remaining to draw within one point (54-53). After another missed free throw, Hollie Nelsen ended the drought by drilling her second free throw attempt.

Then, Ohio's Heather Laughlin called a timeout when the team didn't have any remaining to put Cusick at the line for a technical foul shot, giving Miami a 56-53 advantage.

A three-point attempt by Ohio at the buzzer came up short.

For the game, Miami shot 43 percent from the field compared to the Bobcats' 34 percent. Ohio (6-13, 3-5 MAC) did win the war on the glass, outrebounding Miami 37-34.

Roederer finished the day with a game-high 12 points, while Cusick and Nelsen also reached double digits, scoring 11 and 10 points, respectively. Jana Butler added a team-high rebounds and Colleen Day finished with nine points, seven boards, four steals and three assists.

In the first half, both teams struggled from the field. However, Miami managed to gain a 27-15 halftime advantage, following a 14-4 run to end the half.

Miami (9-8, 3-4 MAC) is back in action on Tuesday, Jan. 30, as it attempts to avenge a 71-69 loss to Kent State earlier in the season. The RedHawks host the Golden Flashes at 7 p.m.

Game Notes: Miami's defense held the Bobcats to 15 first-half points, which was the least points the RedHawks have given in a half all season ... Ohio entered the game second in the MAC in scoring, averaging 80.0 points per game, but finished 27 points below their average ... Cusick ended with two steals, stretching her streak to 26 games with at least one steal.

Ball State Wins 11th Straight With 100-66 Win Over Eastern Michigan; BSU's Bowie Sets School and League Record With 40 Points In Win

Ypsilanti, MI-- Sophomore Tamara Bowie set Ball State and Eastern Michigan Convocation Center records with 40 points as Ball State handed Eastern their second consecutive conference loss, 100-66, Jan. 27.(Bowie's 40 points also sets MAC record for most points scored by a sophomore in a game)

With the victory, Ball State moves to 15-3 overall on the year, with an 8-0 Mid-American Conference slate. The Cardinals have now won 11 games in a row in what is the nation's current second longest winning streak. The Eagles move to 10-7 with the loss, with a 3-4 record in the MAC.

BSU's 100 points marks just the fifth time in the 26-year history of the program that the Cardinals had reached that scoring level. It is also the third time this year that BSU has accomplished the feat.

"We are excited about this win, but I am more pleased that we played a complete 40 minutes," Ball State coach Brenda Oldfield. "We have been searching for that kind of effort. This team is looking for respect, and hopefully we are earning it."

Eastern Michigan never led in the contest, falling behind by ten at the first media time-out, 17-7. The Eagles pulled within six, 24-18, with two made free throws by junior Kris Katchaturoff (Dearborn-Hillsdale) at the 10:06 mark in the first half. But Eastern would get no closer. The Cardinals went on a 33-13 run over the next 9:54 and took a 57-31 lead into the lockeroom at halftime.

The biggest lead for the Cardinals in the second half when was 41 points, when they led 82-41 with 10:09 remaining. The Eagles cut the lead to to 27, 93-66, at 3:34, but the Cardinals went on a 7-0 run to end the game.

"Its fun out there right now," Bowie said. "We're just trying to stay focused and keep winning."

Bowie's 40 points equaled the point total of EMU's five starters in the game.

Five of Eastern Michigan's nine remaining games are road contests.

"We've got nine games to go," Eastern head coach Suzy Merchant said. "Either we turn it around or we don't. Its as simple as that."

"I can't say enough about Eastern Michigan," Oldfield said. "They fought to the end with every player they had."

Katchaturoff led all scorers for the Eagles, scoring 20 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. Senior Kristy Maska (Britton-Britton Macon) went 4-10 from three-point range en route to a 19 point performance, and sophomore Stephanie Smiley (Holt-Holt) scored 12 points, dished off eight assists and had five rebounds in the losing effort.

Toledo Wins Fourth Straight With 82-46 Win Over Western Michigan; UT's Carter Becomes 100th Player in MAC history To Reach Century mark In Points

TOLEDO, OH - It was just like the good old days. The Toledo women's basketball team got out of the blocks with a fury and kept the pressure on for 40 minutes, downing Western Michigan, 82-46, before a season-high 2,962 fans in Savage Hall Saturday.

The Broncos defeated Toledo twice last year in the regular season 67-66 in overtime in Kalamazoo and 77-70 in Savage Hall. But in previous years, UT owned WMU. The Midnight Blue and Gold have now beaten Western Michigan in 24 of the last 28 meetings between the two schools, including 14 of the last 15 in Savage Hall.

With the win, Toledo improves to 13-5 overall (6-1 MAC), while Western Michigan falls to 4-13 overall (1-5 MAC). The victory keeps the Rockets within one loss of first place Ball State (8-0 MAC), which defeated Eastern Michigan, 100-66, in Ypsilanti, MI also on Saturday.

UT held WMU to a frigid 30.4 percent (17-of-56) shooting from the field, its second lowest effort of the season.

"Well, defense was the name of the game tonight," Toledo Head Coach Mark Ehlen said. "We disrupted their offense and held them to 46 points. The defense is also going to play a big part in our next game against Ball State on Wednesday night. Good defense keeps you in key games."

Toledo jumped out to a 9-0 lead before Western Michigan knew what hit them. The Broncos had three turnovers, used two timeouts and had a shot clock violation all within the first minute of play.

With 11:57 remaining in the first half, senior Kahli Carter hit a short jumper to join an exclusive group in Rocket women's basketball history. The Columbus, OH native scored her 1,000 career point, joining 14 other Rocket greats.

"I didn't even know until Courtney (Risinger) came up to me and said congratulations", Carter said. "Once I saw all of the signs that people were holding up I understood. It's a real honor though."

All 11 Rockets saw action and got their names in the scoring column. Carter led four Rockets in double figures scoring a game-high 20 points, 12 of which came in the first 20 minutes. Kahle, who missed the Central Michigan due game to an illness, returned to the lineup scoring 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Fellow sophomore Tia Davis and junior center Melantha Herron each chipped in with 10 points apiece.

For the fourth straight contest, the Toledo bench outperformed its opponents reserves. On Saturday, UT outscored WMU, 27-4. That gives the Rocket reserves 10 straight games in which they have combined to score in double figures.

"I thought that our bench did an outstanding job," Ehlen said. "Teresa (Kahle) came off the bench and had a great game. She came in when we were shooting poorly and gave us a boost."

Toledo finished the game shooting 53.1 percent (34-of-57) from the field. That marks the sixth time this season the Rockets have made at least half its field goals. UT also dominated the battle of the boards, outrebounding WMU, 43-30. The Midnight Blue and Gold tied a season-high as they dished out 22 assists, compared to only 10 for Western Michigan. The Rockets also collected 22 assists against Cleveland State on Dec. 21.

"We have been known as a team that usually plays one good half," Carter said. "Before the game we all decided that we wanted to hold them to 45 points. We were one off, but we are happy with the win."

The Rockets will take their four-game winning streak on the road, as they travel to MAC West Division leader Ball State on Wednesday for a 7:00 p.m. showdown with the Cardinals. Toledo and Ball State split during the 1999-2000 regular season with each team winning on its home floor, but UT got the last laugh, as they downed the Cardinal and White, 81-65, in the MAC Tournament Quarterfinals in Cleveland.