Central Michigan University
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Western Michigan
Chippewas Falter In MAC Tournament
3/8/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
CLEVELAND - Frustrating and bitterly disappointing.
The Central Michigan women's basketball team led for all but 12 seconds - the most important 12 seconds - Wednesday in falling to Western Michigan, 67-63, in a Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinal game at Quicken Loans Arena.
The Chippewas entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed, the result of winning its first MAC regular-season title in 32 years.
And from the opening tip until the final fateful seconds, the Chippewas appeared poised to win and move on toward their ultimate goal, the tournament title that eluded them a year ago when they fell in overtime, 73-71, in the championship game.
But CMU committed six turnovers in the final 2:34 and went scoreless over the final 2 minutes.
"It's very disappointing, it's frustrating," CMU coach Sue Guevara said. "Give Western credit, we did not value the basketball down the stretch. When you turn it over the last four times yet you touch it, or six out of eight times, it's maddening is what it is.
"We're all frustrated. We don't get to play in the championship game and that's been the focus all year. All year."
The Chippewas (23-8) will await a bid to the Women's NIT. Western (19-12), which dropped both regular-season meetings to CMU, advances to the semifinals on Friday.
Reyna Frost scored 18 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to lead CMU, while Cassie Breen and Tinara Moore added 13 points apiece, and Jewel Cotton had 12.
Deja Wimby scored 17 points to lead Western.
The Chippewas led from the get-go, and were up six, 63-57, after two Frost free throws with 2:01 to play. But that was the last time the Chippewas would score.
Najae Smith hit a 3-pointer 1:13 left, and Breanna Mobley scored on a layup with 21 seconds to play to pull Western within one, 63-62.
The Chippewas turned the ball over on their next possession, and Smith drilled a triple from left of the circle with 12 seconds left to give Western its first lead of the game, 65-63.
CMU turned it over again on its next possession when Meredith Shipman poked the ball away from Frost. Shipman made two free throws with 5 seconds left for the final margin.
"Losing, the way we lost, that's tough," Guevara said. "That's really, really tough because, quite honestly, it's uncharacteristic of this team. We had a nine-point lead with four-something (to play) I think it was, and it was our time to finish it out.
"Western, they're all over you, but you've got to be confident with the ball. I could see the look in a couple players' eyes. I saw this look of like a deer in the headlights."
