Women's Basketball Scoreboard (Nov. 12)
Wright State 90, Miami (Ohio) 63
UCF 57, Oakland 54
Illinois 87, Valparaiso 59
Wright State 90, Miami (Ohio) 63
The Wright State women's basketball team scored 10 points in the final three minutes of the first half and then exploded for 52 more in the second half in rolling to a 90-63 win over Miami in the home opener Tuesday night at WSU's Nutter Center.
Both teams struggled offensively in the early going as the Raider lead was just 18-16 following two free throws by Miami's Nicole Anderson with 8:03 remaining in the first half. The margin was only six before WSU closed out the period with a 10-2 run over the final three minutes, five coming from Kim Demmings, to make it 38-24 at the break.
The RedHawks shot 35 percent in the opening 20 minutes compared to 33 percent for the Raiders, but Wright State had 13 more attempts thanks to a 16-7 turnover differential which also resulted in a 17-3 edge in points off of turnovers.
WSU gradually build on the lead the rest of the way, taking its biggest lead of the night at 88-56 on a Breanna Stucke jumper with 2:26 left.
It was just the fifth win all-time for the Raiders over Miami in 27 meetings and the first victory over the RedHawks at the Nutter Center since a 79-75 double overtime decision on November 28, 1995, snapping a seven-game winless streak.
Wright State hit 13 of 25 shots in the second half, including seven of 15 from behind the arc, and was 19 of 27 at the foul line compared to 46 percent shooting for Miami. The Raiders finished with a 28-6 margin in points off of turnovers as they committed 10 while forcing the RedHawks into 29.
Ivory James led the way for WSU with a career-high 23 points and added six steals while Demmings had 19, Tay'ler Mingo a career-best 16 and Abby Jump a career-high 12 off the bench.
Anderson paced Miami (0-2) with a double-double of 17 points and 16 rebounds while Jillian Spurlock had 13 off the bench and Haley Robertson had 10.
UCF 57, Oakland 54
Olivia Nash turned in her second double-double in as many games with team-bests of 13 points and 12 rebounds in Oakland's 57-54 loss to UCF Tuesday evening at the O'rena. Oakland slips to 0-2 on the year while UCF remains unbeaten at 2-0.
Oakland led for most of the game, including a 14-point advantage with just over 13 minutes to go in the second half. But aided by an ensuing 11-0 run, UCF outscored the Grizzlies 24-7 the rest of the way. OU held a 54-50 lead with 2:52 to go, but the Knights tallied the game's final seven points - and halted Oakland's last three possessions with steals - to secure the contest.
"Unfortunately, we couldn't close it out at the end," said Oakland head coach Jeff Tungate. "But I couldn't be happier with our team's effort."
Amy Carlton came off the bench to score a game-tying high 12 points for Oakland, while Victoria Lipscomb added 10 points and a team-best six steals.
While the Golden Grizzlies were in the zone from three-point range, firing 10-of-27 from long distance for 37 percent; but Oakland struggled at the free throw line, shooting just 40 percent (8-of-20) from the stripe.
Oakland had a stellar performance in the first half, building a 36-24 lead thanks in part to just eight turnovers to UCF's 12 miscues. The Golden Grizzlies' defense grabbed eight steals in the stanza, including four by Lipscomb. Nash had nine of her 13 points in the half on 3-of-5 shooting from three-point range. Nash, Lipscomb and Carlton led Oakland in shooting 8-of-18 from three in the first half.
Oakland's Kim Bee added seven points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots, while Elena Popkey notched eight points and six rebounds before fouling out late in the contest.
UCF got a 14-point effort from Briahanna Jackson, who also came up with seven steals on the night. Zykira Lewis added 14 points for the Knights.
Illinois 87, Valparaiso 59
Sharon Karungi bounced back from a frustrating Crusader debut to record a double-double against one of the better Big Ten teams Tuesday night in Champaign.
The junior was an active presence in the paint as she pulled down 12 rebounds, ten of which came on defense. On the other end of the court, Karungi was 6-of-14 from the field and 3-for-4 from the line en route to a 15-point night. The performance was much more ideal for head coach Tracey Dorow.
"Sharon started out strong and then had a really tough first game (at Saint Louis), and I think she took it pretty hard. She responded well today and played like her normal self and the Sharon Karungi I expect to see all season," Dorow said.
Illinois (1-1, 0-0 Big Ten) showcased smothering full-court pressure much of the night. Prepped for it, Valpo (0-2, 0-0 Horizon) was able to churn out layups early on. The press eventually caught up with the Brown and Gold as they committed 27 turnovers compared to 12 assists.
The Crusaders were behind 8-7 just three-and-a-half minutes into a up-tempo tilt before an 18-6 Illini run gave the home team a comfortable margin. Valpo trailed 47-24 at the break as Illinois closed the half on a 16-4 rush.
Illinois outscored Valpo 40-35 in the second half, despite the fact that the Crusaders shot 50% from the floor. The three-ball betrayed the Crusaders again Tuesday night as they shot just 2-of-14 from behind the arc, many of which were good looks.
The Fighting Illini went on to win 87-59. Amber Moore led all scorers with 23. They not only forced, but took advantage of, the 27 turnovers. Illinois enjoyed a 29-14 edge on points off turnovers.
Sophomore Abby Dean continued her elevated play, tossing in 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting and grabbing five rebounds.
Liz Horton contributed 11 points in 16 minutes off the bench. The senior made the only two Valpo three-pointers of the game.
Charae Richardson had her second straight game of double-digit scoring as she registered 10 points, six of which came from the free-throw line.
