Central Michigan University Athletics
CMU Women Look to End Skid
12/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Cullen Maksimowski, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — In a season that is still in its adolescence, the Central Michigan women's basketball team is looking to right the ship on Tuesday, playing host to Memphis in non-conference matchup at McGuirk Arena.
The Hoops for Hunger game tips off at noon.
Three straight losses have brought perspective to a young Chippewas team that started the season 4-0.
"Well honestly people didn't expect a lot out of us (in the beginning) and we came out of the gate 4-0," said coach Sue Guevara, whose team is coming off a 74-69 loss at Illinois on Saturday. "Now we're being scouted a little bit, I think the game has gotten a lot more physical for us."
Through the first four games the Chippewas outscored their opponents by an average of 18.5 points per game. In the three games since, CMU has been outscored by an average of 9 points per game, including a 19-point loss to Duquesne on Dec. 3.
"I think now it's just a matter of adjusting to the way teams are playing us, they can't take away everything," Guevara said. "We need more consistent play from our post players. We have a nice complement of perimeter shooters, but we need to start getting those points in the paint consistently."
CMU will face a 4-5 Memphis team that has also dropped its last three games, each by an average of seven points. The Tigers, who are coached by former CMU assistant Melissa McFerrin, rank third in the American Athletic Conference in scoring defense, allowing an average of 61 points per contest.
"Memphis is very aggressive, they get up in your face defensively and really try to deny you the ball," Guevara said. "I think the very basic fundamental things of pass faking and moving off the ball. We also need to limit our turnovers so they're not getting points that way, I think those things will be key."
The Chippewas rank second in the Mid-American Conference in both scoring offense (75.0 points per game) and 3-point shooting percentage (.353).
The young combo of freshman Presley Hudson and sophomore Cassie Breen have formed a formidable perimeter scoring threat this season.
Hudson leads the Chippewas and is fourth in the MAC in scoring, with an average of 18.0 points per contest, and is shooting 38.2 percent from long distance. Breen is second, averaging 11.1 per game and has made 45 percent of attempts from behind the arc, good for third in the MAC.
"We both get shots up, but we just know that our time is going to come," said Breen. "If they start playing up on me the post might be open or Presley might be open. I think in practice that really helps."
Guevara said that having multiple 3-point threats creates problems for opposing teams.
"Anytime you have two players like that, I think it does a really nice job of stretching the defense, when people are throwing two people on (Hudson), we have (Breen), who can also hit that three-ball," she said.
