Central Michigan University Athletics
Season Review: Plenty of Highlights During 2009-10 Campaign
5/10/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
MOUNT PLEASANT -- In a season where adversity struck before the opening bell even rang, the Central Michigan women's basketball team continued to take steps forward and had another year filled with highlights in head coach Sue Guevara's third season.
The Chippewas (12-18, 8-8 Mid-American Conference) lost 2009 MAC Freshman of the Year Brandie Baker to a knee injury during preseason workouts, and with the graduation of 1,000-point scorer and single-season three-point record-holder Angel Chan along with spark plug Latisha Luckett, the Maroon and Gold suddenly found themselves without three of their top-six in the rotation from the 2008-09 record-breaking squad.
Despite the losses, CMU still returned All-MAC standout Britni Houghton, the league's top rebounder in Kaihla Szunko and one of the league's top three-point shooters in Shonda Long.
The schedule awaiting the Maroon and Gold was not an easy one. CMU's 2009-10 slate featured three preseason top-25 programs in DePaul, Texas and 2009 national runner-up Louisville, in addition to Big East foe Georgetown and Big Ten upstart Illinois. At season's end, the Chippewas played 10 games against the RPI's top-100, three against the RPI's top-25 and four against NCAA Tournament teams.
Although the Chippewas got off to a tough start, dropping their first five contests, they broke through in grand fashion, upending No. 23 Louisville at Rose Center on December 2.
Three weeks later, CMU gave No. 17 Texas all it could handle to open the Miami Holiday Tournament, hosted by the University of Miami, before falling to the Longhorns.
Two road losses opened up the MAC slate, but the Chippewas responded by winning five of their next six and nine straight home games, including a 67-65 victory over perennial MAC power Bowling Green and a 113-107 double-overtime victory against Eastern Michigan that featured the most combined points in a MAC game in league history.
It was the longest home winning streak since 1984-85 and first streak of five or more since a five-game stretch from the end of 1996-97 to the start of 1997-98.
Injuries hindered CMU in the final three games of the regular season, sending the Chippewas into the MAC Tournament on a three-game skid. But once again, Guevara and the Chippewas responded to the adversity with the program's second MAC Tournament opening-round victory in as many seasons with a 69-66 triumph over Ohio at Rose Center.
Central Michigan's season came to an end in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals against Kent State, as the Flashes were able to erase a seven-point Chippewas halftime lead.
The loss brought a close to the collegiate careers of Britni Houghton, Kendra Holman and Heidi Warczinsky.
Houghton, a three-time All-MAC honoree, finished her career as the second-leading scorer in program history with 1,555 points. A knee injury limited her for most of her final four contests, but she had long since etched her name throughout the CMU record book.
The Lansing, Mich., native scored 38 points in the double-overtime win against Eastern Michigan, setting a new single-game scoring record and tying the single-game mark for field goals made with 16. She also finished fourth on the career field goals made chart (556), third on the steals list (217) and third in free throws made (387).
Holman set career highs in points and free throw percentage, making 18 starts and playing in all but one game. Warczinsky, in her second season at CMU after transferring from Schoolcraft College, started seven games, shot 39 percent from the three-point line and finished second on the squad in assists.
Houghton, Long and Szunko each earned third-team All-MAC honors following the season and Rachel Mauk earned MAC All-Freshman honors.
CMU's three All-MAC selections above honorable mention are the most for the program since 1992. Mauk's selection made it back-to-back seasons a Chippewa has earned a spot among the league's top newcomers. It's the first time four different individuals have been honored by the MAC's yearly awards in program history.
Houghton finished the year ranked 11th in league scoring and field goal percentage and 10th in assists. It's the third All-MAC honor of her career, making her just the fourth player in CMU history to earn three All-MAC honors higher than honorable mention. Nikki Thompkins, Carla Sterk and Sue Nissen (four-time All-MAC choice) are the other three.
Long finished the regular-season ranked ninth in MAC scoring and fifth in threes per game in a season. She hit 76 threes on the year, becoming just the third player in CMU history to hit at least 70 threes in a season. It was the first All-MAC recognition of Long's career.
Szunko had 11 double-doubles on the season and finished the regular season ranked 11th in league scoring, third in rebounding, first in field goal percentage, second in steals and fourth in offensive rebounds. She had a team-high six 20-plus scoring efforts on the year and her 81 steals on the season were the fourth-most in CMU history. It's the first All-MAC recognition of Szunko's career.
Mauk put together an outstanding second half of her first collegiate campaign to finish the regular-season ranked sixth in conference three-point percentage and 14th in three-pointers made. She's just the third Chippewa to earn All-Freshman honors since 1999 and just the ninth in program history.
CMU has 30 wins in its last two seasons, the most in a two-year span for the Chippewas since the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons (31). The 17 league wins in the last two years is also the most since the 18 won between 1992-93 and 1993-94, and the Maroon and Gold have now appeared in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals in back-to-back seasons after having never reached the round previously since the tournament expanded to include all 12 teams in 2000.
Despite the losses of Houghton, Holman and Warczinsky, along with the Mauk sisters who elected to transfer closer to their hometown following the season, the Chippewas are expected to return 56 percent of its scoring and 70 percent of its rebounding next season and will benefit from the return of Brandie Baker, who averaged 12.1 points and 5.9 rebounds as a freshman in 2008-09. In addition, the Chippewas will welcome a highly-touted recruiting class that includes Lauren Bellamy (Davison, Mich./Davison HS), Nichole DiGuilio (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon HS) and Taylor Johnson (Comstock Park, Mich./Comstock Park HS).
The 2010-11 season will also mark the opening of the new CMU Events Center, following a $21 million renovation of Rose Center.
Check back later to hear from head coach Sue Guevara and her thoughts on the 2009-10 season on CMU Sports Zone.
The Chippewas (12-18, 8-8 Mid-American Conference) lost 2009 MAC Freshman of the Year Brandie Baker to a knee injury during preseason workouts, and with the graduation of 1,000-point scorer and single-season three-point record-holder Angel Chan along with spark plug Latisha Luckett, the Maroon and Gold suddenly found themselves without three of their top-six in the rotation from the 2008-09 record-breaking squad.
Despite the losses, CMU still returned All-MAC standout Britni Houghton, the league's top rebounder in Kaihla Szunko and one of the league's top three-point shooters in Shonda Long.
The schedule awaiting the Maroon and Gold was not an easy one. CMU's 2009-10 slate featured three preseason top-25 programs in DePaul, Texas and 2009 national runner-up Louisville, in addition to Big East foe Georgetown and Big Ten upstart Illinois. At season's end, the Chippewas played 10 games against the RPI's top-100, three against the RPI's top-25 and four against NCAA Tournament teams.
Although the Chippewas got off to a tough start, dropping their first five contests, they broke through in grand fashion, upending No. 23 Louisville at Rose Center on December 2.
Three weeks later, CMU gave No. 17 Texas all it could handle to open the Miami Holiday Tournament, hosted by the University of Miami, before falling to the Longhorns.
Two road losses opened up the MAC slate, but the Chippewas responded by winning five of their next six and nine straight home games, including a 67-65 victory over perennial MAC power Bowling Green and a 113-107 double-overtime victory against Eastern Michigan that featured the most combined points in a MAC game in league history.
It was the longest home winning streak since 1984-85 and first streak of five or more since a five-game stretch from the end of 1996-97 to the start of 1997-98.
Injuries hindered CMU in the final three games of the regular season, sending the Chippewas into the MAC Tournament on a three-game skid. But once again, Guevara and the Chippewas responded to the adversity with the program's second MAC Tournament opening-round victory in as many seasons with a 69-66 triumph over Ohio at Rose Center.
Central Michigan's season came to an end in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals against Kent State, as the Flashes were able to erase a seven-point Chippewas halftime lead.
The loss brought a close to the collegiate careers of Britni Houghton, Kendra Holman and Heidi Warczinsky.
Houghton, a three-time All-MAC honoree, finished her career as the second-leading scorer in program history with 1,555 points. A knee injury limited her for most of her final four contests, but she had long since etched her name throughout the CMU record book.
The Lansing, Mich., native scored 38 points in the double-overtime win against Eastern Michigan, setting a new single-game scoring record and tying the single-game mark for field goals made with 16. She also finished fourth on the career field goals made chart (556), third on the steals list (217) and third in free throws made (387).
Holman set career highs in points and free throw percentage, making 18 starts and playing in all but one game. Warczinsky, in her second season at CMU after transferring from Schoolcraft College, started seven games, shot 39 percent from the three-point line and finished second on the squad in assists.
Houghton, Long and Szunko each earned third-team All-MAC honors following the season and Rachel Mauk earned MAC All-Freshman honors.
CMU's three All-MAC selections above honorable mention are the most for the program since 1992. Mauk's selection made it back-to-back seasons a Chippewa has earned a spot among the league's top newcomers. It's the first time four different individuals have been honored by the MAC's yearly awards in program history.
Houghton finished the year ranked 11th in league scoring and field goal percentage and 10th in assists. It's the third All-MAC honor of her career, making her just the fourth player in CMU history to earn three All-MAC honors higher than honorable mention. Nikki Thompkins, Carla Sterk and Sue Nissen (four-time All-MAC choice) are the other three.
Long finished the regular-season ranked ninth in MAC scoring and fifth in threes per game in a season. She hit 76 threes on the year, becoming just the third player in CMU history to hit at least 70 threes in a season. It was the first All-MAC recognition of Long's career.
Szunko had 11 double-doubles on the season and finished the regular season ranked 11th in league scoring, third in rebounding, first in field goal percentage, second in steals and fourth in offensive rebounds. She had a team-high six 20-plus scoring efforts on the year and her 81 steals on the season were the fourth-most in CMU history. It's the first All-MAC recognition of Szunko's career.
Mauk put together an outstanding second half of her first collegiate campaign to finish the regular-season ranked sixth in conference three-point percentage and 14th in three-pointers made. She's just the third Chippewa to earn All-Freshman honors since 1999 and just the ninth in program history.
CMU has 30 wins in its last two seasons, the most in a two-year span for the Chippewas since the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons (31). The 17 league wins in the last two years is also the most since the 18 won between 1992-93 and 1993-94, and the Maroon and Gold have now appeared in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals in back-to-back seasons after having never reached the round previously since the tournament expanded to include all 12 teams in 2000.
Despite the losses of Houghton, Holman and Warczinsky, along with the Mauk sisters who elected to transfer closer to their hometown following the season, the Chippewas are expected to return 56 percent of its scoring and 70 percent of its rebounding next season and will benefit from the return of Brandie Baker, who averaged 12.1 points and 5.9 rebounds as a freshman in 2008-09. In addition, the Chippewas will welcome a highly-touted recruiting class that includes Lauren Bellamy (Davison, Mich./Davison HS), Nichole DiGuilio (Mount Vernon, Ohio/Mount Vernon HS) and Taylor Johnson (Comstock Park, Mich./Comstock Park HS).
The 2010-11 season will also mark the opening of the new CMU Events Center, following a $21 million renovation of Rose Center.
Check back later to hear from head coach Sue Guevara and her thoughts on the 2009-10 season on CMU Sports Zone.
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