Central Michigan University Athletics
Chippewas Take Time Off For Exams
2/21/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 13, 1999
MOUNT PLEASANT - The Central Michigan University women's basketball team (2-5, 0-0 Mid-American) takes a little time off from basketball to concentrate on final exams this week. The Chippewas return to the hardwood on Sunday, Dec. 19, to face a tough opponent in the University of Michigan (7-2, 0-0 Big Ten).
"This is going to be another difficult challenge for our young squad," coach Fran Voll said. "Michigan returns a lot of experience and it is looking to step up within the Big Ten picture. The Wolverines' overall size will be a challenge for us to defend in the post, much like it was against Michigan State last week."
The Wolverines received 12 votes in the Dec. 8 AP Poll for an unofficial national ranking of 33rd.
The small break for exams is coming at just the right time for the Chippewas. CMU is coming off a week where it played three games in a four-day stretch while traveling to Florida on the off day.
Michigan State defeated Central last Wednesday by an 87-62 count. The Chippewas hung within 10 points for most of the first half before the Spartans extended it to 13 at the break. MSU shot .529 from the floor in the second half.
Four Chippewas scored in double figures with Shelly Woods (Midland/Sr.) leading the way with 17. Forward Vershaun Jones (Detroit/So.) posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards. Guards Jodi Culbertson (Ft. Wayne, IN/Sr.) and Molli Munz (Bellefontaine, OH/So.) had 13 and 12, respectively. Culbertson tied a career-high with nine rebounds. The CMU starters each played 33-plus minutes and Central only had two points off the bench.
"I thought we played strong, competitive basketball for a lot of the game before it got away at the end," Voll said. "There were some positive signs from the game. Our starters came forth and we had good balance."
CMU then traveled to the Sunshine State on the weekend to play in the Hatter Classic hosted by Stetson.
The Chippewas won their opening game over Niagara, 77-58, in DeLand, Fla. Central held the Purple Eagles scoreless over a nine-minute stretch in the first half when it went on a 15-0 run.
Four CMU players again scored in double figures with Jones scoring a career-high 20 points and tying a career high with 11 rebounds for her second straight double-double. Woods and Mandy Winner (Ft. Loramie, OH/So.) each added 12 and Munz notched 11. Guard Alicia Rozak (Sterling Heights/So.) pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds.
The Hatter Classic championship game was a nip and tuck contest that Stony Brook pulled out by four points, 62-58. After trailing most of the second half, CMU took a one-point lead with 4:10 remaining on a jumper by freshman Abby Lawinger (Menomonee Falls, WI). It was back and forth after that and the Seawolves sealed it with four free throws in the last 30 seconds. Opportunities at the charity stripe were the difference in the game with Stony Brook hitting 21-of-26 tries and CMU making eight in only 14 trips.
Woods scored a team-high 17 for CMU and Jones added eight points and nine rebounds for a near double-double. Rozak again crashed the boards and had eight caroms on the night.
"I thought we had a good tournament," Voll said. "We won our first game and were in a position to win the championship. When you do that, you can say it's a success.
"We had good overall play and strong balance against Niagara and we made too many turnovers in the first half versus Stony Brook. Stony Brook came back and answered our every call down the stretch."
Woods and Jones were both all-tournament team selections for CMU as it brought home the runner-up trophy.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES: Michigan started the season 7-0 before dropping consecutive games to Vanderbilt and No. 15-ranked Louisiana State. The Wolverines continue their Louisiana road swing with a date at No. 3-ranked Louisiana Tech on Monday.
Sophomore point guard Alayne Ingram leads the team in scoring with 14.1 points and 3.2 assists per game. Senior forward Stacey Thomas, a second-team All-Big Ten selection last year, posts 13.7 points and a team-high 7.8 rebounds per game.
The Wolverines are coached by Sue Guevara in her fourth season at the helm. She was named Big Ten "Coach of the Year" in 1998. She is 59-35 during her tenure at Michigan.
THE CMU VS. U-of-M SERIES: Michigan leads the all-time series, 13-10. The Wolverines have won three straight the past three years after CMU had won three in a row before that. The last CMU win was a 91-90 decision in Mount Pleasant on Dec. 3, 1991. The Maize and Blue captured a 103-40 win last season in Ann Arbor. It marked the worst loss in CMU history. CMU coach Fran Voll is 1-5 all-time against Michigan.
CMU VS. THE BIG TEN: Central Michigan is 32-53 all-time against the Big Ten Conference. CMU has a winning record versus Minnesota (2-0), Purdue (3-2) and Wisconsin (1-0). The Chippewas are 4-9 against Big Ten teams in the 1990s. CMU has lost seven straight to the Big Ten. Central hosted Michigan State a week ago.
AT THE CONTROLS: Fran Voll is in his fourth season with the Chippewas. The veteran MAC coach enters the season ranked second in conference history with 178 career wins. He trails current Kent coach Bob Lindsay's total of 189. Voll is 34-54 in his three seasons at CMU. He coached at Bowling Green from 1984-91 and led the Falcons to four MAC championships. Voll was named MAC "Coach of the Year" in 1987 and '89 and District "Coach of the Year" in '87. He now has an overall record of 177-113 in his 11th year.
WINNING FORMULA: In both of CMU's wins, it marked the only time this season that the Chippewas scored 70-plus points and shot .450 from the floor. CMU had four players hit double figures in both wins.
BOMBS AWAY: Three Chippewas -- Jodi Culbertson, Molli Munz and Shelly Woods -- have combined to hit 37 three pointers in CMU's seven games this season. Culbertson has hit 17 on the year, including one in every game. Munz has hit 15 while shooting .469 from beyond the arc and Woods is five-for-seven for a .769 mark. Both Culbertson (52) and Munz (44) rank among the CMU leaders in career three-pointers.
DOUBLE TROUBLE: Sophomore Vershuan Jones posted back-to-back double-doubles last week with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Michigan State and 20 points and 11 boards against Niagara. The 20 points was a career-high while the 11 rebounds tied her career mark. Jones had a near double-double with eight points and nine rebounds versus Stony Brook. Jones leads the team in rebounding with 8.9 per contest and she is averaging 10.3 points per game. The Stony Brook game marked the first time this season she didn't reach double-figures in either points or rebounds. Her two double-doubles this season gives her four for her career. The 20 points against Niagara was a season-high for the team.
AMONG THE TREES: Forward/center Shelly Woods is in a familiar position again this season, leading CMU in scoring. The 6-3 Woods is meshing a team-high 13.9 points per game while grabbing 5.0 rebounds and blocking 1.3 shots. Woods led the team in scoring as a sophomore with 11.3 points per game. She is nearing the coveted 1,000-point mark with 837 points to date. The senior moved into 10th place in the CMU record books for career blocked shots with 46. She swatted three in the Michigan State game.
STREAK CONTINUES: After starting the season by scoring in double figures in three straight games, senior Jodi Culbertson has hit twin figures only once in the last four outings. She had 13 against Michigan State and also had a career-high with nine rebounds against Niagara. Culbertson had a season-low three points in the championship game against Stony Brook, but she did keep her streak of hitting a three-pointer going in every game this season. The senior has 17 three-pointers in seven games this season after hitting 16 all of last year. She is one of two players (Vershuan Jones) to start every game for CMU this year and is averaging 10.1 points and 4.4 assists per game.
THE MUNZSTERS: Starting point guard Molli Munz is also a long-range shooting threat for the Chippewas. She has hit 15 three-pointers this season and is doing so at a .469 clip. Thirty-two of her 46 field goal attempts have been from beyond the arc. She is averaging 8.9 points per game and has been in double figures in three games. Munz is also averaging 4.2 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game. She has hit at least one three-pointer in every game except the season opener.
GUARD PLAYS BIG: Guard Alicia Rozak has been crashing the boards lately for the Chippewas. She led CMU with 12 against Niagara and followed that with eight versus Stony Brook. The 5-10 off guard is second on the team with 6.4 rebounds per game while also chipping in 5.6 points. Rozak has 19 assists, eight steals and four blocks on the year.
HANDY MANDY: Reserve post player Mandy Winner continues to make significant contributions for the Chippewas. She had 12 points and five rebounds in the win over Niagara to mark her second double-figure game of the season. She had seven points and six boards in the championship game of the Hatter Classic. Winner is averaging 7.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 13.4 minutes per game.
STEPPING IN: Sophomore Rochelle Germany (Columbus, OH) has stepped up her game the past couple weeks. She had five points in the first game of the Hatter Classic and six points, four rebounds and six assists in the championship game. CMU has especially been using her for her quickness on the defensive end the past few games.
FRESHMAN SPARK: Freshman Beth Kindel (Clare) made her biggest contribution this season in the championship game of the Hatter Classic. Kindel played the crucial last eight minutes of the game and had eight points and one offensive rebound. She was four-for-four from the floor and also took a charge.
NOT TOO SH"ABBY": Freshman Abby Lawinger hit one of the biggest shots of the championship game in the Hatter Classic. She hit a 10-foot jumper with 4:10 left in the game, giving CMU its first lead of the second half. She played 14 minutes, all of them down the stretch in the second half. Lawinger has scored 10 points on the year.
UP NEXT: Central Michigan travels to Oakland for a non-conference clash on Wednesday, Dec. 22. Central then takes time off for the holidays before returning on Wednesday, Dec. 29, to host Ferris State at 7 p.m.
ON THE AIR: Most CMU women's basketball games can be heard on CMU's student radio station, WMHW-FM (91.5). The broadcasts can also be heard on TEAMLINE by calling 1-800-846-4700 extension 1102.
