Another Strong Opponent For CMU Women

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Another game, another test for the Central Michigan women's basketball team.

The Chippewas will entertain Western Kentucky in a nonconference game on Saturday (1 p.m.) at McGuirk Arena. CMU is 1-1 after dropping an 80-71 decision on Monday at home to South Dakota State.

Western Kentucky is 0-3. Its losses have come to No. 5 Louisville, at Oklahoma, and to No. 13 Iowa.

LAST TIME OUT
The Chippewas and Jackrabbits played a game that featured March Madness-like intensity with South Dakota State prevailing in front of some 1,800 at McGuirk Arena.

The Chippewas' Big 3 – Presley Hudson, Reyna Frost and Micaela Kelly – combined to score 60 points. South Dakota State scored the game's final seven points, all at the free throw line, to hold off CMU.

RANKINGS
The Chippewas began the week ranked No. 2 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll. South Dakota State was ranked fourth. CMU was among others receiving votes in the Associated Press Top 25, finishing two spots out of the top 25 with 26 points. CMU was 24^th in the ESPNw poll. All three polls were published before CMU's loss to the Jackrabbits.

CMU LEADERS
• Hudson (25.0 points per game) is the MAC's leading scorer, while Frost (21.5) and Kelly (18.5) rank fifth and ninth, respectively. Hudson is tied for 15^th nationally.

• Frost is averaging 9.5 rebounds per game, which ties her for fourth in MAC. Kelly has made 85.7 percent (6 of 7) of her 3-point tries, and leads the MAC in that category. She has knocked down 63.2 percent of her field goal attempts (12 of 19) overall, ranking fourth in the league.

• The Chippewas have made a league-best 44.9 percent (22 of 49) of their 3-point attempts this season

RECOGNITION
Prior to Saturday's game, the parents of each Chippewa player will be introduced and then Hudson will be recognized for two statistical milestones she set in the game against South Dakota State.

Hudson, a senior guard from Wayland, is now CMU's career leader in both 3-point field goals (304) and assists (465). She passed former teammate Cassie Breen to take over the lead in triples, and she surpassed former CMU standout Suzy Merchant, now the coach at Michigan State, as the program's career leader in assists.

SCOUTING
While they are 0-3, few teams in the nation have played as difficult a schedule as have the Lady Toppers. Louisville, which is scheduled to visit Mount Pleasant on Dec. 20, went to the Final Four a year ago. Iowa went 24-8 and made the NCAA Tournament a year ago, as did Oklahoma.

Western Kentucky won its second straight Conference USA Tournament last season to make the NCAA field, and finished 24-9. WKU graduated the top two scorers from that team, Tashia Brown and Ivy Brown.

Dee Givens, a 6-foot-1 junior forward, leads the Lady Toppers in scoring at 17.3 points per game. Raneem Eldgedawy, a 6-4 sophomore from Egypt, is WKU's leading rebounder at 7.0 per game.

T-SHIRT GIVEAWAY
The first 250 fans through the doors on Saturday receive a CMU Athletics t-shirt.

NEXT
The Chippewas entertain Central Florida on Wednesday, Nov. 21 (5 p.m.). UCF is yet another strong mid-major opponent for CMU. The Knights went 22-11 last season, earning a berth in the WNIT.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Reyna Frost

Presley Hudson

Micaela Kelly