Central Michigan University Athletics
Hot-Shooting Flames Down Chippewas, 84-68
11/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Box Score
CHICAGO,
Ill. The Central
Michigan University women’s basketball team opened a two-game road swing in the
Windy
City with an 84-68 defeat to the University of Illinois-Chicago at the
Flames
Athletic
Center tonight.
The Flames (2-1) shot a sizzling 60% from the field and used a pressure defense to force 20 turnovers in beating CMU (1-2) for the first time in the last three meetings.
Sophomore guard Latisha Luckett led CMU with a career-high 16 points, hitting on 7-of-10 shots from the field. Fellow sophomore Angel Chan helped carry the scoring load with 14 points of her own, including a 2-for-2 effort from behind the arc. Sharonda Hurd also had 14 for CMU, the only other player in double figures. Hurd also had a team-high six rebounds.The two teams opened the game with a flurry of three-pointers, as the first five made field goals came from distance. Candace Wilson and Ann Skufca hit triples for CMU, while LaShonda Grant knocked down two and Krystal Hugelier hit one for UIC for a 9-6 lead.
The Flames seized control of the game at the six-minute mark of the first half, going on an 11-2 run to open up an 11-point lead on the Chippewas just over halfway through the opening half. Grant keyed UIC’s offense, scoring 17 of her game-high 19 points on 6-of-6 shooting, 3-for-3 from three, in the first 20 minutes, giving her team a nine point edge, 42-33, at the break.CMU committed 12 of its 20 turnovers in the first half, leading to 14 fastbreak points for UIC. The Flames shot 57% from the field in the half (16-for-28) and 50% from behind the arc (4-of-8), bettering CMU’s 48% performance from the floor (12-of-25).
UIC opened the second half with a quick 7-2 burst to open up its lead to 16 points, but the Chippewas quickly answered with their own 8-0 run to cut the deficit in half. After the lead ballooned back to 16 points later in the half, CMU made one final run, getting back to within nine with 3:25 remaining before the Flames scored the next eight points to put the game away.Grant led UIC with 19 points, surpassing the 1,000-point mark in her career. Jacquay Holmes had 18 points and six rebounds for the Flames, and both Krystal Hugelier (15 points on 6-for-10 shooting) and Kelly True (10 points, 4-of-4 from the field and 2-for-2 from three) scored in twin figures for UIC.
CMU finished the contest shooting 46% from the floor (26-of-57) and 31% from behind the arc (4-for-13), compared to UIC’s 60% (33-for-55) and 43% (6-of-14) marks in the respective categories. UIC won the battle of the boards, outrebounding CMU 32-25 on the night. The Flames ended the night with more turnovers, 23 to 20, as CMU snatched 16 steals in the contest.
The Chippewas will remain inChicago and square off with
Chicago
State in their next game. CMU faces CSU on Sunday, Nov. 19, at 2 p.m. CST to conclude the two game
Windy
City swing.
