Central Michigan University Athletics
CMU Women Back at it in Philadelphia
12/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
PHILADELPHIA - The Central Michigan women's basketball team will play its final two non-conference games this week when it partakes in the 23rd annual Hawk Classic, hosted by St. Joseph's.
The Chippewas (5-4) open the two-day tournament on Monday at 3 p.m. against Rider (3-6). St. Joseph's (4-6) plays Maryland-Baltimore County (8-3) in the tournament opener at 1 p.m.
The consolation game is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Tuesday, the title game follows.
CMU plays host to Kent State (3-7) on Saturday (1 p.m.) at McGuirk Arena in the Mid-American Conference opener for both schools.
The Chippewas last played one week ago, when they snapped a four-game losing streak with 78-65 home victory over Southern Illinois-Edwarsville.
Sophomore guard Cassie Breen hit eight 3-pointers and finished with 30 points - both career-highs - in leading the Chippewas past SIUE.
CMU outscored the Cougars, 23-8, in the fourth quarter in surging to the victory. The Chippewas made 12 of their 28 triple tries in the game, finishing at 42.9 percent, their second-best 3-point shooting percentage of the season.
Freshman guard Presley Hudson leads CMU in scoring at 16.8 points per game, while Breen is averaging 13.2. Hudson ranks sixth in the MAC in scoring.
Tinara Moore, a sophomore forward, is the Chippewas' leading rebounder with 8.6 per game. She has come off the bench to post a double-double in each of CMU's past two games.
Two other Chippewas, Reyna Frost (8.0) and Jewel Cotton (7.9) rank in the top seven in the league in rebounding.
CMU is averaging a league-best 44.6 rebounds per game, and its rebounding margin (plus 5.4 per game) ranks fifth. The Chippewas are averaging 73.8 points per game, second-best in the league.
Rider, which is 0-2 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, has lost six of its last seven starts. Robin Perkins, a junior guard, is the lone Bronc who scores in double figures (15.9 per).
St. Joseph's has lost its last two games, 81-75 to Iona and 91-55 to third-ranked Notre Dame. Sarah Fairbanks (11.8 points per game) and Ciara Andrews (11.1) are the Hawks' top scorers. Fairbanks is a 6-foot-1 senior forward, Andrews a senior guard.
UMBC enters the tournament riding a six-game win streak. Three Retrievers - Pandora Wilson, Taylor McCarley and Capree Garner - average 11-plus points per game.
