Stories Courtesy of MAC Media Relations Offices

Western Michigan 87, Loyola Chicago 80
KALAMAZOO, Mich.- Junior Taylor Manley hit a jumper from the right elbow with 1.7 seconds left in regulation to force overtime and Western Michigan went on to beat Loyola-Chicago 87-80 in the home opener Thursday night. It was the first overtime win for the Broncos, who trailed by as many as 13 with under seven minutes remaining, under head coach Tasha McDowell.

Manley and sophomore Miame Giden each had career nights, with 21 points and 25, respectively. Giden was the game*s leading scorer as she kept the Broncos afloat in the first half, scoring 11 of the team*s 30 points. Manley came through in the clutch scoring all seven of her second half points in the last five minutes and then went off for nine more in overtime.

Senior Sara Vest also stepped up big, tallying all 13 of her points in the second half. With the team struggling offensively and down double digits midway through the second half, she scored nine straight to keep WMU within striking distance.

Trailing by 12 with 5:15 left in the game, Western Michigan found an extra gear and rattled off 13 unanswered points over the next two and a half minutes to take its first lead of the game, 65-64, with 2:11 to go. Fittingly, it was Manley who started the run with a three-pointer.

Both teams wasted possessions in the final minutes and it looked like another one might slip away from Western Michigan. Keisha Collins pulled the Ramblers ahead by one, 66-65, with 20 ticks left on the clock, dropping in a jumper. The next trip down the floor, Giden missed and Aurielle Anderson fouled at the other end to give Loyola a chance to make it a three-point ball game. Collins made the first but missed the second of two a pair of free throws and Brenna Banktson pulled down the rebound. With the final seconds rolling off the clock, Manley moved from her left to right and knocked down the game-tying shot at the elbow with 1.7 remaining. Collins had one last try from beyond half court but the attempt missed.

Western Michigan dominated in overtime, scoring 10 straight before Loyola starting playing the fouling game. It was the first win of the season for the Broncos in their second-straight overtime game.

Freshman DeAirra Goss (11 points, eight rebounds) and senior Molly Dwyer (10 points) also reached double figures as a total of five Broncos hit double digits.

Junior Kemmy Dominique led the effort on the boards for the second game in a row, collecting a game-high nine rebounds. Owning the advantage on the glass, 39-31, it was the first time in the three games this season WMU outrebounded its opponent.

Loyola had the hot hand in the first half, connecting on over 68 percent of its shots while the Broncos shot in the low thirties.Loyola led at the half, 35-30. Both teams hit an even 50 percent in the second, and it was WMU who caught fire in overtime. The Brown & Gold knocked down all three of its shots and went 14-for-16 from the free-throw line in the extra frame. WMU made 29 free throws on the night.

Western Michigan will look to carry the momentum over to Sunday when the Broncos travel to Grand Rapids, Mich., to face Michigan State at Van Andel Arena. It will be the first meeting between the Broncos and Spartans since the 1995-96 season. Tip-off is at 4 p.m. Sunday*s game is the first in a five-game road trip for WMU, which doesn*t return to Kalamazoo until Dec. 13 against Illinois-Chicago.

Robert Morris 74, Akron 67
MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. - Kara Murphy led all scorers with 28 points, but it wasn't enough as the University of Akron women's basketball team suffered a 74-67 loss to Robert Morris Thursday night at the Sewall Center.

Murphy connected on 10-of-17 attempts from the floor while matching a career high with five threes to lead the charge for the Zips, who fell to 1-2 on the season. The All-MAC First Team performer also chipped in with five rebounds and five assists in the setback.

Akron battled back from an eight-point halftime deficit to tie the game at 53-all with 11 minutes left, but could not get over the hump. The Colonials (1-1) responded with a quick 5-0 spurt and held on for the win.

The Zips shot well from the field, connecting on 53.2 percent (25-for-47) of their attempts, but allowed 16 offensive rebounds - leading to 15 second-chance points for RMU - and struggled from the free throw line, converting 56.3 percent (9-for-16).

"I thought we executed much better tonight than we did in our last game at St. Bonaventure, but I was disappointed with our defensive play and our inability to box people out," said UA head coach Jodi Kest. "That ended up being the difference tonight."

RMU shot 50.0 percent (27-for-54) from the floor and was blistering from 3-point range, connecting on 68.4 percent (13-for-19) of its attempts from beyond the arc. Angela Pace led the way for the Colonials with 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the field.

The Zips had the hot hand early, jumping out to an 11-2 lead to force a timeout by Robert Morris at the 15:43 mark. Jasmine Mushington took a pass from Murphy and buried a 3-pointer from the top of the arc to cap off the fast start for UA.
Murphy spearheaded the attack, scoring 11 of the Zips' first 20 points as Akron pushed out to its biggest lead of the half, 20-11, following a jumper from Jolene Tamboue, who joined Murphy in double figures with 10 points, midway through the period.
But the Colonials battled back with a barrage of threes, hitting five beyond the arc in the final five minutes to take a 37-29 lead into the intermission. Bianca Hooten was the main catalyst for RMU with four threes en route to a 13-point opening period.

The Zips will next travel to Wright State Sunday for a 3 p.m. tip.

Northern Illinois 71, IUPUI 55
INDIANAPOLIS - Leaning heavily on the inside duo of Mauvolyene Adams and Ebony Ellis, the Northern Illinois women's basketball team captured a 71-55 win over IUPUI Thursday night.

Ellis (Joliet, Ill./Joliet Township) and Adams (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) both registered double-doubles in the win. Adams led the Huskies and tied her career high with 20 points while pulling down 11 boards. Ellis scored 13 points and had 13 rebounds.

The Huskies (2-1) snatched 23 more rebounds than the Jaguars (0-3), and NIU totaled more than 20 offensive rebounds for the second time in three games. The Huskie guards hit the glass hard, as three backcourt players had four or more rebounds.

"Our defense and our rebounding was the key today, and that was the emphasis," NIU head coach Carol Owens said. "We talked about how we wanted our defense and our rebounding to dictate our offense and we were effective tonight."

Northern Illinois trailed by as many as eight points after committing eight turnovers in the first eight minutes of the game. The Huskies settled in to give the ball up just once more the rest of the half, turning the deficit into a five point lead at the break.

"Our kids were ready to play, and just started out the game rushing," Owens said. "Once we settled down, we saw what was important and how we needed to play."
Trailing by seven with 11:27 left in the first, Ellis and Adams scored NIU's next nine points to tie the game at 19. From there, the Huskies went on a 12-2 run to secure a 10-point lead, which they never relinquished.

NIU shot 51.6 percent (16-of-31) from the field in the second half while holding the Jaguars to 36 percent (9-of-25) shooting.

Junior Marke Freeman (Springfield, Ill./Lanphier) scored 11 points, and Courtney Shelton (Rockford, Ill./Hononegah) added nine. IUPUI was led by Kerah Nelson with 13, while Janna Eichelberger scored 11 and Briannica Tye put in 10.

Both Huskie freshmen Shaakira Haywood (Canton, Mich./Plymouth) and Brittney Callahan (Pickerington, Ohio/Pickerington) scored their first points in the Cardinal and Black. Haywood tallied six points to go with seven rebounds and two blocks. Callahan hit a free throw for her initial point at NIU, and later netted a lay-up to finish with three.

Northern Illinois returns home to host Southern Illinois at 1 p.m. Sunday in the first game of a double-header with the Huskie men's team. Tickets are available at www.niuhuskies.com, by calling (815) 752-6800 or at the door.