Central Michigan University Athletics
Chippewas Survive Akron's Upset Bid, 67-59
3/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
CLEVELAND -- From the season’s opening tip, 2009 Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year Brandie Baker has played a major role in the best turnaround in Central Michigan women’s basketball history.
It was only fitting that her clutch free throw shooting helped complete a comeback in the game’s final five minutes, allowing CMU to snap a 16-game postseason losing streak and claim a 67-59 victory over Akron at Quicken Loans Arena in the final game of first round action at the MAC Tournament.
The Flint, Mich. native hit all 10 of her free throws, six in the final two minutes of the game.
Baker’s 16 points led five Chippewas in double figures. Latisha Luckett finished with 14, Angel Chan 11, and Kaihla Szunko and Britni Houghton each added 10. Szunko also grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds for her third straight double-double and 11th of the season.
The Chippewas built a 12-point lead with five minutes to go in the opening frame, but UA’s Kara Murphy scored 18 of the Zips’ first 20 points. Murphy would finish with a game-high 32 points, 22 in the opening half. Despite her efforts, Central took a seven-point lead into the break, 40-33.
The Zips would come all the way back to take their first lead since the 18:23 mark in the opening half (3-2) on a Murphy free throw to take a 45-44 lead with 13:50 left.
Akron’s lead would grow to as many as six with 6:22 left, 55-49. The Chippewas did not make a field goal during a seven-minute stretch, that ended when Luckett drove to the basket and hit a lay-up to put central down four at the 6:01 mark.
The Chippewas would tie the game at 55 on a cross-paint pass from Shonda Long to Szunko with 4:41 left, and the game remained tied with 2:02 on the clock.
That’s when Baker went to work.
She drove to the basket, forcing contact and got to the line for the first of her two critical free throws with 1:42 left. After a Szunko jumper from the elbow hit every part of the rim before dropping to give Central a four-point lead, tough defense and four more Baker free throws sealed the victory for the Chippewas.
Central closed the game on a 14-4 run over the game’s final six minutes, with the defense serving as the springboard for the comeback. Luckett, who struggled earlier in the game with turnovers, dug deep as one of the senior leaders on the team and came up with four steals during the defensive stand, eight in the game.
CMU shot 36 percent in the game (22-of-62) but just 25 percent (8-of-32) in the second half. Central hit seven threes in the first frame but was held without one in the second, finishing at 28 percent from deep (7-of-25).
Akron finished at 41 percent from the field (21-of-51) and 27 percent from long range (4-of-15), but everyone besides Murphy was just 12-of-33. The Zips won the rebounding battle, 40-35, but committed 23 turnovers.
The win is Central Michigan’s first since 1992, when the Chippewas beat Miami in the quarterfinals. It also advances CMU to the quarterfinals for the first time since the tournament expanded in 2000.
CMU will now face the regular season MAC champion Bowling Green in the quarterfinals. Tipoff is scheduled for Friday at 11 a.m.
NOTES
CMU has now tripled its win total from last season ... Szunko has five double-figure rebounding games in her last six, and is averaging 14.3 over her last three ... the eight steals by Luckett tied her career high ... the last time CMU faced Bowling Green in the MAC Tournament was in the opening round of the 2004 tournament (66-54 Falcons) ... the Chippewas are 2-4 all-time against the Falcons in MAC Tournament action.
It was only fitting that her clutch free throw shooting helped complete a comeback in the game’s final five minutes, allowing CMU to snap a 16-game postseason losing streak and claim a 67-59 victory over Akron at Quicken Loans Arena in the final game of first round action at the MAC Tournament.
The Flint, Mich. native hit all 10 of her free throws, six in the final two minutes of the game.
Baker’s 16 points led five Chippewas in double figures. Latisha Luckett finished with 14, Angel Chan 11, and Kaihla Szunko and Britni Houghton each added 10. Szunko also grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds for her third straight double-double and 11th of the season.
The Chippewas built a 12-point lead with five minutes to go in the opening frame, but UA’s Kara Murphy scored 18 of the Zips’ first 20 points. Murphy would finish with a game-high 32 points, 22 in the opening half. Despite her efforts, Central took a seven-point lead into the break, 40-33.
The Zips would come all the way back to take their first lead since the 18:23 mark in the opening half (3-2) on a Murphy free throw to take a 45-44 lead with 13:50 left.
Akron’s lead would grow to as many as six with 6:22 left, 55-49. The Chippewas did not make a field goal during a seven-minute stretch, that ended when Luckett drove to the basket and hit a lay-up to put central down four at the 6:01 mark.
The Chippewas would tie the game at 55 on a cross-paint pass from Shonda Long to Szunko with 4:41 left, and the game remained tied with 2:02 on the clock.
That’s when Baker went to work.
She drove to the basket, forcing contact and got to the line for the first of her two critical free throws with 1:42 left. After a Szunko jumper from the elbow hit every part of the rim before dropping to give Central a four-point lead, tough defense and four more Baker free throws sealed the victory for the Chippewas.
Central closed the game on a 14-4 run over the game’s final six minutes, with the defense serving as the springboard for the comeback. Luckett, who struggled earlier in the game with turnovers, dug deep as one of the senior leaders on the team and came up with four steals during the defensive stand, eight in the game.
CMU shot 36 percent in the game (22-of-62) but just 25 percent (8-of-32) in the second half. Central hit seven threes in the first frame but was held without one in the second, finishing at 28 percent from deep (7-of-25).
Akron finished at 41 percent from the field (21-of-51) and 27 percent from long range (4-of-15), but everyone besides Murphy was just 12-of-33. The Zips won the rebounding battle, 40-35, but committed 23 turnovers.
The win is Central Michigan’s first since 1992, when the Chippewas beat Miami in the quarterfinals. It also advances CMU to the quarterfinals for the first time since the tournament expanded in 2000.
CMU will now face the regular season MAC champion Bowling Green in the quarterfinals. Tipoff is scheduled for Friday at 11 a.m.
NOTES
CMU has now tripled its win total from last season ... Szunko has five double-figure rebounding games in her last six, and is averaging 14.3 over her last three ... the eight steals by Luckett tied her career high ... the last time CMU faced Bowling Green in the MAC Tournament was in the opening round of the 2004 tournament (66-54 Falcons) ... the Chippewas are 2-4 all-time against the Falcons in MAC Tournament action.
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