Central Michigan University Athletics
Central Michigan University
Minnesota
Chippewas Hang Tough at Minnesota
12/21/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
By Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Close. Oh so close.
The Central Michigan women's basketball team stood toe-to-toe with once-beaten Minnesota on the Gophers' home floor Sunday, before bowing, 67-64, in the Chippewas' second and final game of the Subway Classic.
The loss was the second straight for CMU (4-5), which fell, 80-45, to No. 1-ranked South Carolina on Saturday. The Gamecocks are 12-0, Minnesota is 11-1.
Amanda Zahui scored Minnesota's final 10 points and finished with a career-high 27 points as the Gophers overcame a six-point deficit with under six minutes to play.
Crystal Bradford scored 27 points and freshman Cassandra Breen added 16 to lead the Chippewas, who led, 63-57, after Bradford hit a jumper with 6 minutes, 18 seconds remaining.
Zahui, a 6-foot-5 sophomore and the reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year, hit three straight jumpers to tie it at 63-all with 2:36 to play.
Zahui made two free throws with 33 seconds left to put Minnesota in front, 65-63. Bradford split two free throws with 11 seconds to play to draw CMU within one, 65-64, but Zahui hit two more charity tosses with 10 seconds remaining for the game's final points.
Bradford's potential game-tying three-point attempt with three seconds left missed the mark.
The Gophers made all seven of their second-half free throw attempts, and finished 9-for-11 from the line for the game.
Zahui, who scored 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in Minnesota's 74-60 win over Liberty on Saturday, was named the tournament most valuable player. She had 13 points and six blocks against the Chippewas.
Bradford, who added eight rebounds, seven steals and three blocks against Minnesota, was named to the five-player all-tournament team. She had 20 points in CMU's loss to South Carolina on Saturday.
Kerby Tamm and Jessica Green added nine points apiece for the Chippewas against the Gophers, while Jas'Mine Bracey grabbed seven rebounds. Green dished out a team-high five assists.
The Chippewas trailed by nine, 19-10, with just over 13 minutes to play in the first half. They used a 16-5 spurt, capped by a Tamm three-pointer with 8:13 to play in the half, to seize their first lead of the game, 26-24.
Another Tamm triple, this one with 15 seconds left in the half, gave the Chippewas a 38-36 lead at the break.
The South Carolina game marked the second time CMU has played a ranked team this season. They lost to Kentucky, 71-68, on Nov. 22. The Wildcats were ranked ninth in the USA Today Coaches poll at the time.
The combined record of CMU's nine opponents is 62-32 and the Chippewas have faced two teams from the Southeastern Conference (South Carolina, Kentucky), one from the Big Ten (Minnesota), one from the Pac 12 (Oregon), and three from the Atlantic 10 (Dayton, UMass, Richmond).
CMU entered the week 101st in the NCAA RPI, which ranks the 349 Division I teams, 1-349. Four of the Chippewas' opponents - South Carolina (1), Kentucky (3), Dayton (24) and Minnesota (40) - are in the top 40.
The Chippewas will return to action at McGuirk Arena on Sunday, Dec. 28, when they entertain Oakland (5-5) in a non-league game. CMU will then play host to Dayton (6-3) in a non-conference game on New Year's Eve before going to Kent State (1-8) for their Mid-American Conference opener on Jan. 3.
The Chippewas lost at Dayton, 86-76, on Dec. 13.
