Central Michigan University
SIUE
CMU Women Surge, End Losing Streak
12/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - It was a lesson day for all involved in the Central Michigan women's basketball program.
Cassie Breen hit eight 3-pointers en route to 30 points Monday as the Chippewas surged passed Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, 78-65, at McGuirk Arena.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak and lifted CMU to 5-4.
"I know why coach's hair is so grey," CMU associate head coach Heather Oesterle joked in regard to head coach Sue Guevara, who missed the game to attend an out-of-state funeral.
The biggest lesson showed on the court, where the Chippewas outscored the Cougars, 23-8, in the fourth quarter to pull away and head into a week-long break with a much-needed win.
"I think it was just us pushing through that barrier that we've been trying to push through these past couple games," said Breen, a sophomore guard whose eight triples (on 14 attempts) and 30 points were both career-highs.
"We know how to get out of tight games now," she said. "We've been in tight games and we don't want it to come down to the wire. We know how to push through that."
Presley Hudson added 16 points, Da'Jourie Turner had 13, and Tinara Moore came off the bench to add 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for her second-consecutive double-double.
The Chippewas committed a season-low nine turnovers. In their last game, a 64-61 loss to Memphis, they committed a season-high 20.
"Everybody was just playing basketball, so I felt like that limited the turnovers," said Turner, who was 7-for-7 from the free throw line and finished with five assists, four steals and zero turnovers. "Because everybody was just doing something natural, just playing."
Gwen Adams scored 14 points to lead the Cougars (5-8), who held a 54-45 lead with under three minutes to play in the third quarter.
That's when CMU charged. The Chippewas closed to within 57-55 by the end of the third, then surged in the fourth.
"I said we have to keep our foot on the gas, and we switched and went all man-to-man (defense) in the fourth quarter," Oesterle said. "I'm really proud of the effort and I'm just really glad that we could get this win for coach. We miss her and we're ready for her to get back."
A Breen triple with 8 minutes, 11 seconds left gave CMU its first lead, 62-59. That came during a 14-2 run that left the Chippewas in command, 71-59, with just over two minutes to play.
Breen caught fire in the second half, scoring 24 of her points after halftime to lead the Chippewa onslaught. CMU trailed, 33-26, at the break and outscored the Cougars, 52-32, over the final 20 minutes.
"I think we really slowed down and started to work the ball more," Breen said. "We saw the open person, and were playing as a team. That's how we got it done."
The Chippewas made 51.6 percent of their field goal attempts including 52.9 percent from 3-point range in the second half. CMU finished the game at 42.9 percent from 3-point range, their second-best effort of the season.
They were outrebounded, 46-38, in the game, but held an 18-17 edge on the glass in the final two quarters.
"This team really wants to learn," Oesterle said. "They're getting better and they want to get better. They're in the gym working on their games. I think this team's just going to continue to grow."
