Central Michigan University Athletics
CMU Women Open Tourney Tonight
3/9/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - The Central Michigan women's basketball team will open play today, Monday, in the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Northern Illinois.
Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
The Chippewas are 12-17 and seeded ninth in the tournament. The Huskies are 12-16 and seeded eighth.
The winner advances to the quarterfinals at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland where it will face either Western Michigan or Bowling Green at noon on Wednesday.
Western (18-11) is the fifth seed, Bowling Green (9-20) the 12th.
CMU and Northern Illinois split their two regular-season meetings, both winning at home. The Chippewas defeated the Huskies, 56-43, at McGuirk Arena on Jan. 10. NIU won its floor, 69-62, less than two weeks ago.
The Chippewas were an overwhelming favorite to win the MAC West and the league tournament coming into the season what with four returning senior starters including reigning MAC player of the year Crystal Bradford.
But the team that coach Sue Guevara will put on the court tonight is vastly different from the one that won the West a year ago and, in November, appeared poised to put together one of the best seasons in CMU history.
Just two players, Kerby Tamm and Jas'Mine Bracey, remain from the five that comprised CMU's starting lineup when the season began.
Knee injuries ended the seasons of Bradford along with point guard Jessica Green and sophomore forward Jewel Cotton.
As a result, the Chippewas have been forced to rely heavily on largely inexperienced players who, at the beginning of the season, figured to fill key supporting roles off the bench, but instead have since been thrust into the spotlight.
Junior guard Da'Jourie Turner has emerged as a scoring threat, and has led CMU in scoring in four of its past five games, averaging 17.4 points per over that stretch.
Tamm and Bracey, both seniors, are averaging 10-plus points per game, while Lorreal Jones tossed in a career-high 23 points on Saturday in a 93-86 loss to Eastern Michigan.
Bracey has averaged 11.7 rebounds over CMU's last four games, and ranks third in the league at 8.6 boards per game.
The Chippewas enter tonight's game having lost four straight and eight of their last nine.
Defense is NIU's breat and butter. The Huskies, who have lost six of their last eight games, allow just 56.0 points per game, which leads the MAC and ranks 26th nationally.
Amanda Corral, a senior guard, leads NIU and ranks fourth in the MAC in scoring at 16.4 points per game. Huskie guard Ally Lehman is third in the league with 3.9 assists per.
