Women's Basketball Roundup -- January 9

Note: Game stories are courtesy of home sports information departments

Northern Illinois Wins Fourth Straight Over Eastern Michigan 68-56

YPSILANTI, MI-- After going scoreless in the first half, Northern Illinois' Kristian Knake scored 16 points including a perfect 10-10 from the foul line as the Huskies beat the Eastern Michigan by the final of 68-56.

Eastern Michigan jumped out to a good start in the first half and took an early 11-5 lead on back-to-back three pointers by sophomore Dru Bishop. Northern cut the lead to one at 18-17 when Michelle Johnson sank both of her free throws at the 6:26 mark. The Eagles finished off the first half with an 11-7 run to take the lead at the break, 29-24.

The second half belonged to Northern Illinois. The Eagles hit their first basket of the second half, but the Huskies went on a 12-0 run to take a 36-31 lead with 15:57 to go in the game. Eastern got it to within two with 34-36, but the NIU went on a 21-7 run to take their largest lead of the game at 57-41 with 4:52 remaining.

Johnson paced the Huskies, who have now won their last four in a row, with 20 points and a team-high 9 rebounds. Shani Charles led the Eagles with 14 points and 14 rebounds.

Eastern Michigan (8-6 overall, 1-2 MAC) will have the next eight days off before returning to the court, January 17, as they host rival Western Michigan at the Convocation Center. Game time is 7:00 p.m.

Bowling Green Wins Third Straight With A 82-63 Win Over Central Michigan

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - Junior Francine Miller scored 17 points to lead six players in double figures as the Bowling Green State University women's basketball team defeated Central Michigan, 82-63, Tuesday night (Jan. 9). The Mid-American Conference game was held at Anderson Arena.

The Falcons, now 7-7 overall and 3-0 in MAC play, trailed by a 35-33 count at halftime, but opened the second stanza with a 14-4 run to take the lead for good. Miller scored the Falcons' first five points of the half, with her three-pointer at the 19:00 mark giving the Brown and Orange a 38-37 advantage.

Freshman Kelly Kapferer and sophomore Kim Griech each hit baskets to complete a 9-0 BG run and give the hosts a seven-point lead. Laurie Henderson countered with a bucket for CMU (3-11, 0-3 MAC), but a Griech layup was follwed by a three-pointer from senior Angie Farmer, giving the home team a double-digit lead with 14:42 left. CMU would get no closer than seven points thereafter. BG slowly pulled away, with the final margin the biggest of the game.

Farmer joined Miller in double digits with 15 points on the night, while senior Afra Smith and junior Dana Western added 13 apiece.

For the second-straight game, Kapferer had 10 points. Kapferer, who set a season scoring high in Saturday's (Jan. 6) win over Ohio, earned her first collegiate start in the CMU game. Griech also had 10 points on the evening, giving the Brown and Orange six double-digit scorers for the first time in nearly three years (since an 88-85 loss at Kent on Jan. 14, 1998).

The Falcons have started conference play for a 3-0 ledger for the first time under third-year coach Dee Knoblauch. The MAC start is the best for the Brown and Orange since the 1997-98 team began at 5-0.

In addition to her team-high scoring total, Miller added six rebounds, six assists and three steals on the night. Western had a team-high eight boards and a pair of blocked shots, while freshman Lindsay Austin had a game-high seven assists, matching her season best. Sophomore Desiree Eidson, a Bowling Green native, had a game-high 18 points for CMU, adding 10 rebounds. Beth Kindel had 11 points off the bench for the visitors.

The game marked the return of Falcon senior Jackie Adlington. Adlington, who had not played since breaking her foot in the season-opening win over Youngstown State (Nov. 18, 2000). She had a blocked shot in her one minute of action vs. the Chippewas.

BGSU shot .483 from the field, and made nine three-point field goals in 23 attempts (.391) on the evening. CMU shot .406 from the floor and .250 (5-of-20) from three-point range.

BG shot .833 from the free-throw line, sinking 15 tosses in 18 attempts. The Falcons had 17 turnovers to the Chippewas' 20.

The Falcons will remain home for a Saturday (Jan. 13) contest vs. the arch-rival University of Toledo. Start time is 1:00 p.m. at Anderson.

Marshall Holds On For 74-72 Win Over West Virginia

Charleston, W.Va. - Amy Reed took a pass from Melissa Arnold, split two West Virginia defenders, and nailed a jumper in the paint, with only four seconds remaining, to give Marshall a 74-72 win over in-state rival West Virginia University, Tuesday at the Charleston Civic Center Coliseum.

"I can't put into words how it feels," said Marshall's Reed. "Melissa [Arnold], Toni [Patillo], Yaschico [Stevens]...the entire team played hard tonight and deserves the credit for this win."

Reed, a sophomore from Schuykill Haven, Pa., led Marshall with 16 points. The Herd center also grabbed eight rebounds.

While Reed, garnered most of the post game attention, many Thundering Herd players had fantastic outings against the Mountaineers. Not the least of which, was senior Yaschico Stevens. The St. George, S.C. native, grabbed a game and career-high 17 rebounds to go along with her seven points.

Marshall's Katie Knable, a freshman from Floyd Knobs, Ind., recorded the first double-double of her collegiate career by pulling down 10 rebounds and pouring in 11 points. Seniors Toni Patillo and Melissa Arnold (a Charleston native) scored 15 and 12 points, respectively.

Marshall (6-7) used a dominating first-half performance to build a 17-point halftime lead, only to see it slip away in the second half. Down 43-26, WVU (4-10) used timely shooting by Brandi Batch, Kate Bulger, and Alia Clark to climb back into the game and tie the contest at 72-72, with 1:47 to go. Marshall was then able to keep WVU at bay, setting up Reed's game-winning shot.

"It was a total team effort," said Reed. "I have never won a game of this magnatude, like that."

"That was the exact play that we called," said Marshall Head Coach Juliene Simpson. "During the timeout, we told them to get the ball to Amy inside and then come up with a big defensive stop. They executed very well and I am very proud of their effort tonight."

The win, marks the first time since 1980 that Marshall has won consecutive contests against WVU in women's basketball. Head Coach Juliene Simpson is now 3-1 all-time against West Virginia University and senior forward Toni Patillo is believed to be the first Marshall women's player since the 1970's to have ever beaten West Virginia three times in a career.

"We just never gave up and we got through it with a win," said Patillo. "We've been blessed and every time...its just so amazing."