Chippewa Women Back at it on Tuesday
11/21/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Game Notes: Central Michigan | Oakland
Cullen Maksimowski, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- The Central Michigan women's basketball team will look to end its three-game home stand on a high note Tuesday night as it plays host to in-state rival Oakland in a nonleaguer at 7 p.m. at McGuirk Arena.
Competing in the Preseason WNIT over the past weekend, the Chippewas (1-2) finished with a spilt, defeating Furman, 81-71, on Friday and then falling, 71-57, to Elon on Saturday.
CMU coach Sue Guevara won't deny that playing a third game in five days presents physical challenges for her team. She does, however, argue that it can also have its advantages, especially coming off of a loss.
"One of the best things about the turnaround, is that it's quick," she said after practice on Monday. "It's good to get on the floor quickly after a loss so you don't have time to linger. I gave the kids Sunday off because they need the rest, but today we got back and watched probably an hour of film."
In what figures to be a high scoring affair, the Chippewas welcome a 2-1 Grizzlies team that has scored 126 and 82 points, in wins over Marygrove and Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne, respectively. They opened with a 101-63 loss to Michigan.
Central Michigan defeated Oakland, 110-87, last season, in a game in which they set the NCAA record for points scored in a single quarter with 45.
"(Oakland) has some transfers that are playing for them now and they are more athletic than they were last year," Guevara said. "They've got shooters, they run the floor and really want to push the tempo.
"I expect in that sense it's going to be the same kind of fast-paced game. For us it's going to be about who can get the most stops defensively."
Senior forward Jewel Cotton has paced the Chippewas offensively this season, averaging 16.3 points and a .645 field goal percentage off the bench. She is second on the team in rebounding, averaging 5.7 per contest.
Cotton, the Mid-American Conference Co-Sixth Player of the Year last season, is finding success much earlier than she did a year ago, when she was returning from an ACL surgery that ended her 2014-15 season just four games in.
"Any time a player comes off an ACL injury, the first year back is always difficult," Guevara said. "It's the confidence, it's playing on that knee and feeling like you're back to normal. It takes a year to do that.
"This year she is playing with a great deal of confidence and leading vocally. She's our captain and our lion for a reason."
Junior guard Cassie Breen is second on the team in scoring at 15 points per game and shooting at a .333 clip from 3-point range.
Sophomore forward Reyna Frost leads CMU and is third in the conference on the glass at 9.3 rebounds per game.
Taylor Jones leads the Oakland offense, averaging 18.3 points per contest, while Hannah Little paces the Grizzlies in rebounding at 10.7 per game.
After Tuesday's matchup, the Chippewas will fly to California to compete in the Cal Poly Tournament over the Thanksgiving weekend.
CMU will play Utah Valley (0-3) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. followed by a matchup with North Dakota State (1-2) at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
