Central Michigan University Athletics
Redbirds' Defense Stifles Chippewas, 72-59
3/18/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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NORMAL, Ill. -- A tough night offensively in a hostile environment proved to be too much to overcome for Central Michigan against Illinois State in the opening round of the WNIT, dropping a 72-59 decision at Redbird Arena on Thursday.
The Chippewas (20-11) committed 19 first-half turnovers and shot 24 percent in the second half, as the defense of the Redbirds (21-10) helped them stay undefeated at home in 2010-11.
CMU trailed by five with eight minutes to go until the break, 23-18, but a 10-3 run pushed the margin to 12 with 3:05 remaining in the half and helped ISU take a 35-25 lead into the break.
Sophomore Brandie Baker turned a Illinois State miscue into two points to trim the lead to eight a minute into the second half, but an 11-3 run blew the game open and the Chippewas couldn't recover, falling behind by 16 just three minutes later.
The lead would expand to a game-high 22, 59-37, with seven minutes left. The Chippewas used a 7-0 run to close the gap, but the Maroon and Gold would get no closer than 13 the rest of the way.
Taylor Johnson led CMU with 17 points and Jalisa Olive added 13 more off the bench. Shonda Long gave Central Michigan three players in double-figures with 13 of her own. Johnson's effort came largely at the free throw line, where she went 15-for-17 to finish with the second-most made free throws in a game in program history.
Kaihla Szunko snared 11 rebounds, becoming just the seventh player in Mid-American Conference history to reach 1,000 career rebounds. She is the third player in CMU history, and one of just three current players in Division I basketball to have at least 1,000 career points, 1,000 career rebounds and 200 steals. She joins Maya Moore of Connecticut and Victoria Dunlap of Kentucky as the only players to reach those marks, and is the first in MAC history.
Kenyatta Shelton paced the Redbirds with a double-double, scoring 10 points and adding a game-high 14 boards to go with four blocks. Shala Jackson led all scorers with 19 points and Katie Broadway added 18 off the bench.
The Chippewas shot 29 percent from the floor, 22 percent from the arc (5-for-23). The Redbirds connected at 48 percent from the field despite connecting on just 1-of-14 three-point attempts (seven percent).
The loss brings to an end the careers of Szunko, Long, Camille Ramsey and Laura Baker . The four were a part of two of the biggest single-season turnarounds in MAC history during their careers, and both Szunko and Long finish their playing days in the top-10 in program history in scoring.
