2022–23 Mid-American Conference women's basketball season

The 2022–23 Mid-American Conference women's basketball season is the season for Mid-American Conference women's basketball teams. It began with practices in October 2022, followed by the start of the 2022–23 NCAA Division I women's basketball season in November. Conference play began in January 2023 and concluded in March 2023. The 2023 MAC tournament was held at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio for the 23rd consecutive season.[1]

2022–23 Mid-American Conference women's basketball season
LeagueNCAA Division I
SportBasketball
Number of teams12
Regular season
League championsToledo
  Runners-upBowling Green
Season MVPQuinesha Lockett
2023 MAC tournament
championsToledo
2023 MAC tournament MVPQuinesha Lockett
Tournament
Mid-American women's basketball seasons
2022–23 Mid-American Conference women's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Toledo 16 2   .889 29 5   .853
Bowling Green 14 4   .778 30 6   .833
Ball State 14 4   .778 26 8   .765
Kent State 12 6   .667 21 11   .656
Akron 8 10   .444 17 13   .567
Northern Illinois 8 10   .444 16 17   .485
Eastern Michigan 7 11   .389 15 15   .500
Buffalo 7 11   .389 12 16   .429
Western Michigan 7 11   .389 12 17   .414
Miami (OH) 7 11   .389 12 19   .387
Central Michigan 4 14   .222 6 23   .207
Ohio 4 14   .222 6 23   .207
2023 MAC tournament winner
As of March 24, 2023

Toledo won the regular season championship with a 16–2 record and defeated second seeded Bowling Green in the MAC tournament final to earn the conference's automatic bid into the 2023 NCAA tournament.[2] Quinesha Lockett of Toledo was the MVP of both the regular season and the tournament.[3]

Head coaches

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Coaching changes

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Buffalo

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On March 26, 2022, Felisha Legette-Jack, who had been the head coach at Buffalo since 2012, was hired as the head coach of her alma mater Syracuse.[4][5] In 10 years Legette-Jack compiled a 201–114 at Buffalo with three MAC tournament titles, four NCAA tournament appearances, and three NCAA tournament wins. On April 6 Buffalo announced USC Upstate head coach Becky Burke as their new head coach.[6]

Coaches

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Team Head coach Previous job Years at school Overall record School record MAC record MAC titles MAC Tournament titles NCAA tournaments NCAA Final Fours NCAA Championships
Akron Melissa Jackson Akron (Assoc. HC) 5 55–56 (.495) 55–56 (.495) 32–40 (.444) 0 0 0 0 0
Ball State Brady Sallee Eastern Illinois 11 318–242 (.568) 183–142 (.563) 113–68 (.624) 0 0 0 0 0
Bowling Green Robyn Fralick Ashland 5 161–90 (.641) 57–66 (.463) 29–45 (.392) 1 0 0 0 0
Buffalo Becky Burke USC Upstate 1 113–55 (.673) 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–) 0 0 0 0 0
Central Michigan Heather Oesterle Central Michigan (Assoc. HC) 4 44–39 (.530) 44–39 (.530) 30–25 (.545) 1 1 1 0 0
Eastern Michigan Fred Castro Washington (Asst.) 7 64–107 (.374) 64–107 (.374) 33–73 (.311) 0 0 0 0 0
Kent State Todd Starkey Indiana (Asst.) 7 255–172 (.597) 101–77 (.567) 60–48 (.556) 0 0 0 0 0
Miami DeUnna Hendrix High Point 4 148–154 (.490) 23–61 (.274) 11–47 (.190) 0 0 0 0 0
Northern Illinois Lisa Carlsen Lewis 8 287–269 (.516) 103–105 (.495) 62–67 (.481) 0 0 0 0 0
Ohio Bob Boldon Youngstown State 10 277–187 (.597) 179–99 (.644) 102–60 (.630) 2 1 1 0 0
Toledo Tricia Cullop Evansville 15 419–268 (.610) 296–158 (.652) 161–85 (.654) 2 1 1 0 0
Western Michigan Shane Clipfell Michigan State (Assoc. HC) 11 220–203 (.520) 148–156 (.487) 80–102 (.440) 0 0 0 0 0

Notes:

  • Appearances, titles, etc. are from time with current school only.
  • Years at school includes 2022–23 season.
  • MAC records are from time at current school only.
  • All statistics and records are through the beginning of the season.

Preseason

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The preseason coaches' poll and league awards were announced by the league office on October 27, 2022.[7] Defending 2021–22 regular season champion Toledo was named the favorite.[8]

Preseason women's basketball coaches poll

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Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
Place Team Points First place votes
1. Toledo 143 11
2. Ball State 130 1
3. Bowling Green 109 --
4. Kent State 103 --
5. Northern Illinois 99 --
6. Western Michigan 91 --
7. Ohio 61 --
8. Akron 50 --
9. Eastern Michigan 46 --
10. Buffalo 40 --
11. Miami 35 --
12. Central Michigan 29 --

MAC Tournament champions: Toledo (9), Ball State (3)

MAC Preseason All-Conference

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Honor Recipient
Preseason All-MAC First Team Quinesha Lockett, G, Toledo Sr.
A'Jah Davis, F, Northern Illinois Sr.
Ally Becki, G, Ball State, So.
Peyton Scott, G, Miami Sr.
Sophia Wiard, G, Toledo Sr.
Preseason All-MAC Second Team Lauren Ross, G, Western Michigan, R-So.
Chelby Koker, G, Northern Illinois Sr.
Lexi Fleming, G, Bowling Green Jr.
Raegan Bass, F, Akron, So.
Kadie Hempfling, F, Bowling Green Sr.

Regular season

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The schedule was released in late August.[9]

Record against ranked non-conference opponents

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This is a list of games against ranked opponents only (rankings from the AP Poll):

Date Visitor Home Site Significance Score Conference record
Nov 7 Northern Illinois No. 9 Notre Dame Purcell PavilionNotre Dame, IN L 48–88 0–1
Nov 16 Western Michigan No. 23 Michigan Crisler CenterAnn Arbor, MI L 67–99 0–2
Nov 17 No. 8 Ohio State Ohio Convocation CenterAthens, OH L 56–86 0–3
Nov 17 Bowling Green No. 12 Indiana Simon Skjodt Assembly HallBloomington, IN L 61–96 0–4
Nov 20 Ball State No. 9 Notre Dame Purcell PavilionNotre Dame, IN L 60–95 0–5
Dec 8 Toledo No. 14 Michigan Crisler CenterAnn Arbor, MI W 71–68 1–5
Dec 21 Western Michigan No. 5 Notre Dame Purcell PavilionNotre Dame, IN L 57–85 1–6

Team rankings are reflective of AP poll when the game was played, not current or final ranking

† denotes game was played on neutral site

Rankings

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  Pre Wk
2
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5
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6
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7
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9
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10
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Final
Akron AP
C
Ball State AP
C
Bowling Green AP
C
Buffalo AP
C
Central Michigan AP
C
Eastern Michigan AP
C
Kent State AP
C
Miami AP
C
Northern Illinois AP
C
Ohio AP
C
Toledo AP RV RV RV RV RV
C
Western Michigan AP
C
Legend
    Improvement in ranking
  Drop in ranking
  Not ranked previous week
  No change in ranking from previous week
RV Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll
т Tied with team above or below also with this symbol

All-MAC Awards

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Mid-American women's basketball weekly awards

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[10]

Week Player(s) of the Week School
Nov 14[11] Maddi Cluse Miami
Nov 21[12] Lauren Ross Western Michigan
Nov 28[13] A’Jah Davis Northern Illinois
Dec 5[14] Chelby Koker Northern Illinois
Dec 12[15] Lauren Ross Western Michigan
Dec 19[16] Lauren Ross Western Michigan
Dec 26[17] Zakiyah Winfield Buffalo
Jan 2[18] Reagan Bass Akron
Jan 9[19] Rochelle Norris Central Michigan
Jan 16[20] Quinesha Lockett Toledo
Jan 23[21] Lauren Ross Western Michigan
Jan 30[22] Quinesha Lockett Toledo
Feb 6[23] Taylor Williams Western Michigan
Feb 13[24] Anna Clephane Ball State
Feb 20[25] Re’Shawna Stone Buffalo
Feb 27[26] A’Jah Davis Northern Illinois
Mar 6[27] Re’Shawna Stone Buffalo

Postseason

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Mid–American Tournament

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Toledo defeated Bowling Green in the final to earn the conference's automatic bid into the 2023 NCAA tournament.[2] Quinesha Lockett of Toledo was the MVP.[3]

NCAA tournament

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Toledo was placed as the twelfth seed in the Seattle Region 3 of the 2023 NCAA tournament where they defeated Iowa State in the first round.[28][29] They lost to Tennessee in the second round.[30][31]

Women's National Invitation Tournament

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Bowling Green, Ball State, and Kent State accepted bids to the WNIT.[32] Kent State was knocked out in the first round. Ball State lost in the second round. Bowling Green won four games before losing in the semi-finals.[33]

Women's Basketball Invitational Tournament

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Northern Illinois accepted a to the WBI where they lost to Georgia Southern in the first round.[34]

Postseason Awards

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[35]

  1. Coach of the Year: Tricia Cullop, Toledo
  2. Player of the Year: Quinesha Lockett, Senior, Guard, Toledo
  3. Freshman of the Year: Sydney Harris, Guard/Forward, Central Michigan
  4. Defensive Player of the Year: Nyla Hampton, Junior, Guard, Bowling Green
  5. Sixth Player of the Year: Janae Poisson, Graduate Student, Guard, Northern Illinois

Honors

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Honor Recipient
Postseason All-MAC First Team Quinesha Lockett, Senior, Guard, Toledo
A’Jah Davis, Senior, Forward, Northern Illinois
Anna Clephane, Senior, Guard/Forward, Ball State
Elissa Brett, Senior, Guard, Bowling Green
Reagan Bass, Sophomore, Forward, Akron
Postseason All-MAC Second Team Yaya Felder, Sophomore, Guard, Ohio
Re’Shawna Stone, Graduate Student, Guard, Buffalo
Ally Becki, Sophomore, Guard, Ball State
Chelby Koker, Senior, Guard, Northern Illinois
Allison Day, Senior, Forward, Bowling Green
Postseason All-MAC Third Team Katie Shumate, Senior, Guard, Kent State
Peyton Scott, Senior, Guard, Miami
Ivy Wolf, Sophomore, Guard, Miami
Sophia Wiard, Senior, Guard, Toledo
Sydney Harris, Freshman, Guard/Forward, Central Michigan
Postseason All-MAC Honorable Mention Ce’Nara Skanes, Redshirt Junior, Forward, Eastern Michigan
Thelma Dis Augustsdottir, Graduate Student, Guard/Forward, Ball State
Taylor Williams, Redshirt Junior, Forward, Western Michigan
Lauren Ross, Redshirt Sophomore, Guard, Western Michigan
Lindsey Thall, Graduate Student, Forward, Kent State
All-MAC Freshman Team Sydney Harris, Guard/Forward, Central Michigan
Corynne Hauser, Guard, Kent State
Bridget Utberg, Guard, Central Michigan
Olivia Smith, Guard, Eastern Michigan
Jaya McClure, Guard, Ohio
All-MAC Defensive Team Nyla Hampton, Junior, Guard, Bowling Green
Dominique Camp, Senior, Guard, Akron
Khera Goss, Junior, Guard, Toledo
Taylor Williams, Redshirt Junior, Forward, Western Michigan
Elissa Brett, Senior, Guard, Bowling Green

See also

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2022–23 Mid-American Conference men's basketball season

References

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  1. ^ Zarrella, Tony. "MAC Tournament staying in downtown Cleveland through 2030". Cleveland 19 News. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Toledo returns to NCAA tournament with win over Bowling Green for MAC women's basketball championship". Cleveland.com. March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Toledo Wins MAC Women's Basketball Title". Mid-American conference. March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  4. ^ "Legette-Jack Returns Home to Lead the Orange". Syracuse University Athletics (Press release). March 26, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  5. ^ Jackson, Wilton (March 26, 2022). "Syracuse Hires Program Legend As New Women's Basketball Coach". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  6. ^ Lenzi, Rachel (April 6, 2022). "UB announces hire of Becky Burke as women's basketball coach". The Buffalo News. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  7. ^ "MAC Announces 2022-23 Women's Basketball Preseason Poll". Ohio University Athletics. October 27, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  8. ^ "Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll & All-MAC Teams Announced". Mid-American Conference. October 27, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  9. ^ "MAC Announces 2022-23 Women's Basketball Conference Schedule". getsomemaction.com. August 24, 2022. Archived from the original on August 24, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  10. ^ "Women's Basketball Players of the Week".
  11. ^ "Cluse Earns Player of the Week Honors".
  12. ^ "WMU's Ross Earns Player of the Week Accolades".
  13. ^ "NIU's Davis Named Player of the Week".
  14. ^ "Huskies' Koker Tabbed Women's Basketball Player of the Week".
  15. ^ "Broncos' Ross Earns Player of the Week Honors".
  16. ^ "WMU's Ross Earns Player of the Week Honors".
  17. ^ "Buffalo's Winfield Named Player of the Week".
  18. ^ "Akron's Bass Earns Player of the Week Accolades".
  19. ^ "CMU's Norris Earns Women's Basketball Player of the Week Accolades".
  20. ^ "Toledo's Lockett Named Women's Basketball Player of the Week".
  21. ^ "Broncos' Ross Tabbed Women's Basketball Player of the Week".
  22. ^ "Toledo's Lockett Earns Player of the Week Honors".
  23. ^ "WMU's Williams Named Player of the Week".
  24. ^ "Ball State's Clephane Named Women's Basketball Player of the Week".
  25. ^ "Buffalo's Stone Named Women's Basketball Player of the Week".
  26. ^ "NIU's Davis Earns Player of the Week Honors".
  27. ^ "Bulls' Stone Tabbed Women's Basketball Player of the Week".
  28. ^ "No. 12 seed Toledo women draw fifth-seeded Iowa State in NCAA tournament". Toledo Blade. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  29. ^ Birch, Tommy. "Iowa State women's basketball team upset by Toledo in first round of NCAA tournament". Des Moine Register. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  30. ^ Hall, Cora. "Lady Vols basketball vs Toledo in March Madness a rematch for Jordan Walker, Sophia Wiard". The Tennessean. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  31. ^ "Toledo 47, Tennessee 84". ESPN. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  32. ^ "Toledo Wins MAC Women's Basketball Title". Mid-American conference. March 12, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  33. ^ "2023 Postseason WNIT". WNIT.
  34. ^ "NIU Wraps Up Season With Loss To UIC In WBI". Northern Illinois Athletics. March 19, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  35. ^ "2022-23 MAC Women's Basketball Postseason Awards Announced".