#HLWBB Recap: #MotorCityMadness Day One
Rachel White
No. 7 Oakland 80, No. 10 UIC 46
In the opening game of the 2018 Little Caesars Horizon League Women’s Basketball Championship, it was the No. 7 seed Oakland Golden Grizzlies going wire-to-wire in an 80-46 victory over the No. 10 seed UIC Flames on Friday afternoon at Little Caesars Arena.
The Golden Grizzlies were led by senior guard Cierra Bond and Horizon League Sixth Man of the Year Taylor Jones.
Bond got off to a flying start, collecting 13 points and six rebounds in the first quarter of play. She finished with 19 points, including five 3-pointers. Jones did her damage after intermission, pouring in 17 second-half points to finish with a game-high 20.
Points off turnovers played a major role in the first half, with Oakland outscoring UIC 23-3 in that department. For the game, the Golden Grizzlies won that battle 41-10.
The Flames were paced by their tandem of junior guards, Brittany Byrd (13 points) and Taylor Toney (10). Senior forward Gabby Johnson controlled the glass with a team-high 10 rebounds.
Promising freshman guard Abreanna Lake registered a team-high three assists for UIC.
Oakland burst out of the gate in the opening quarter, building a 22-11 advantage. By halftime, the Grizzlies had pushed that lead to 36-17.
After three quarters, Oakland had extended its lead to 58-27 and UIC was unable to cut into that deficit down the stretch.
UIC was never able to find its stroke from beyond the arc, converting just twice in 25 attempts. By contrast, Oakland ended up 9-of-24 from 3-point range.
Oakland senior forward Leah Somerfield led all players with 11 rebounds. Senior guard Taylor Gleason had a strong game from the field, shooting 6-of-10 to end with 14 points.
Coach Jeff Tungate was pleased with his team’s performance, putting the game in some historical context.
“It is a great way to start this tournament,” Tungate said. “This was a huge game; not just to get a win in the tournament, but to be part of the first women’s game here in this special building.”
Oakland shot 45 percent for the game. UIC finished at 27 percent.
UIC finishes its season with an 8-22 overall mark.
Oakland (15-15) advances to take on No. 2 seed IUPUI (21-8) in the Little Caesars Horizon League Women’s Basketball Championship quarterfinals Saturday at 12:00 p.m. IUPUI won both head-to-head contests during the regular season.
No. 8 Northern Kentucky 76, No. 9 Detroit Mercy 61
In the final opening-round game of the Little Caesars Horizon League Women’s Basketball Championship, it was the No. 8 seed Northern Kentucky Norse using a decided advantage on the glass in a 76-61 victory over the No. 9 seed Detroit Mercy Titans on Friday afternoon at Little Caesars Arena.
Throughout the contest, Northern Kentucky simply could not be kept off the glass. For the game, the Norse gobbled up 24 offensive rebounds to the Titans’ two. The total rebounding margin was 53-22 in favor of NKU.
Leading the Norse effort was Horizon League All-Freshman performer Kailey Coffee, finishing with a career-high 20 points and nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Taryn Taugher (20 points) and senior guard Mikayla Terry (11) also finished in double figures. Terry added eight rebounds, eight assists and five steals to complete a superb all-around game.
Bernard Scott’s Titans jumped out to a hot start, going ahead 7-0 courtesy of two triples from senior Nicole Urbanick. After one quarter of play, Detroit Mercy led 17-12. But the Titans managed just 22 points over the next two quarters and found themselves trailing by five at the half and 16 after three.
Brianne Cohen, Detroit Mercy’s leading scorer throughout the season, was not able to find a rhythm. Hindered by foul trouble, Cohen was held scoreless in the opening half and finished the game with eight points and one rebound.
It was a pair of physical freshmen for Northern Kentucky that made their presence felt on the boards. Jazmyne Geist pulled down 12 rebounds while Grayson Rose grabbed 10 in just 12 minutes of play.
Detroit Mercy made a push in the fourth quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers from Lola Ristovski and Brittney Jackson, but the Norse answered right back with six straight to make the score 63-47.
Northern Kentucky head coach Camryn Whitaker was happy to move on to day two of Motor City Madness.
“This time last year, we were headed home,” said Whitaker. “I’m happy for our kids and I’m happy for our program. Our goal was to try and come in and get past this first day. It’s really exciting for our kids to have the opportunity to play a team like Green Bay.”
The Norse will enter that game with confidence, knowing they stand as just one of three teams all year to defeat the first-place Phoenix.
For the game, Detroit Mercy and Northern Kentucky shot almost evenly from the field, with the Titans converting at 37 percent and the Norse 38 percent. But with NKU’s significant rebounding advantage, Northern Kentucky was able to register 17 more field goal attempts.
The Titans were led in scoring by Urbanick (13 points), Jackson (12) and Anja Marinkovic (10).
Detroit Mercy completes its season with a 2-28 overall mark.
Northern Kentucky (9-21) advances to play top-seeded Green Bay (26-3) in the Little Caesars Horizon League Women’s Basketball Championship quarterfinals Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The two teams split a pair of regular season matchups, with each defending its home court.