Central Michigan University
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
Western Michigan
Dramatic And Sweet
1/27/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Cassie Breen missed her first seven field goal attempts. Tinara Moore spent 75 percent of the first half on the bench in foul trouble.
In the end, they were there when the Central Michigan women's basketball team most needed them.
Breen hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with under a minute remaining and Moore made back-to-back blocks to preserve the lead as the Chippewas wrestled away a 74-70 victory over rival Western Michigan before 2,307 on Saturday at McGuirk Arena.
The Chippewas remain unbeaten, 8-0, in the Mid-American Conference and improved to 16-3. Western is 12-9, 5-4. CMU plays host to Buffalo on Wednesday, Jan. 31, in a showdown of MAC division leaders. The East-leading Bulls are 16-3, 7-1.
Micaela Kelly scored 19 points, Presley Hudson had 18, Moore finished with 17, and Reyna Frost added 11 to lead the Chippewas, who made 25 of their 30 free throw attempts and won despite being outrebounded, 36-23.
It was a typical Central-Western game: Tightly contested and emotional, and played out before a raucous crowd. The game was tied eight times and there were 10 lead changes.
"You had to love the energy," CMU coach Sue Guevarra said. "That was just an unbelievable environment for our team to play in. 2,300 very loud and into the game. You could feel that support when we were down seven, 67-60. There's always going to be a fight in this dog, and we keep going after it."
CMU found itself in its deepest deficit, 67-60, with under three minutes remaining. A Moore jumper and four Kelly free throws drew the Chippewas to within 1, 67-66.
Western got a free throw from Deja Wimby to go back up 2, 68-66, setting up Breen's dramatic triple with 53 seconds remaining that put CMU in front for good, 69-68. It was Breen's first points of the game, and the shot came from just a step or two in front of the Chippewa bench.
Breen, one of the most prolific 3-point shooters in program history, spent a long stretch on the bench in the second half because of ineffectiveness. She was re-inserted late for the specific purpose of delivery a triple, Guevara said.
"That's a senior playing in a Western Michigan-rivalry game," Guevara said.
After Breen gave CMU the lead, Moore blocked back-to-back Western field goal tries on the Broncos' ensuing possession. It was an appropriate ending on a day that Moore was recognized in a pregame ceremony for last week becoming the program's all-time leading shot blocker.
Moore scored 14 of her points in the second half and Kelly, a redshirt freshman, finished with five assists while scoring in double figures for the fourth consecutive game.
Breanna Mobley scored 15 points to lead the Broncos.
