Saturday, December 15
Nashville, Tenn.
6:00 p.m. ET
Central Michigan University
8-1
66
at
57
Vanderbilt
4-6
1
2
3
4
F
CMU
11
19
12
24
66
VANDY
13
17
16
11
57
Chippewas Surge Past Vanderbilt
12/15/2018 8:49:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Rebounding Reyna turns 3-point threat as CMU extends win streak to 7
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Reyna Frost is the career leader in rebounds in CMU women's basketball history.
On Saturday, she made a major impact a long way from the basket, leading the Chippewas to a hard-fought 66-57 victory over Vanderbilt at the Commodores' Memorial Gymnasium.
Frost, a 6-foot senior forward, hit a career-high 3-pointers – all during a game-breaking fourth-quarter run – in finishing with 13 points and 10 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season as the Chippewas extended their win streak to seven games and improved to 8-1.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Frost, who scored just two points in the first half, hit a triple with 5:52 remaining to put CMU in front for good, 52-50.
She drilled two more triples, the second of which came with 3:19 to play, to extend the lead to 58-52. A Micaela Kelly jumper with 1:28 left put CMU up 60-52.
Kelly and Presley Hudson combined to go 6-for-6 from the free throw line over the final 1:01 to keep CMU in front. The Chippewas outscored Vanderbilt, 24-11, in the fourth quarter.
The game was tied six times and the lead changed hands nine times.
LEADERS
Hudson finished with 24 points and matched her season high with six rebounds. She also had six assists.
Kyra Bussell came off the bench to score 12 points and Kelly finished with 10 for the Chippewas.
SLAMMING THE DOOR
Mariella Fasoula, a 6-foot-5 junior, scored 21 points to lead the Commodores (4-6). She scored 19 points in the first half. The game was tied, 30-30, at the break.
"I talked to our team at halftime and I said, 'They have one player that's hurting us,'" CMU coach Sue Guevara said. "We changed the defense (in the second half). We junked it up a little bit in the third quarter and made it really difficult for Fasoula to score."
BIG-TIME HELP
The Chippewas got 19 points in a combined 55 minutes from their three top bench players, Bussell, Gabby Bird and Anika Weekes.
The trio was pressed into duty because of foul trouble, specifically to starting center Jahari Smith, who picked up two fouls less than four minutes into the game and was whistled for her third early in the third quarter.
The 19 points by the bench was the third-highest total by the Chippewa reserves this season. The two-highest totals came in blowout wins over Oakland and Iona.
"How about that bench?" Guevara said. "You look at those three kids who came off the bench for us and they contributed. They contributed rebounding and they contributed scoring and they contributed defensively. That's what you want your bench to do. It was really good for our bench to get the experience in this type of a game."
GOING OUTSIDE
Bussell, who backs up Frost and Smith in the post, hit two of her four 3-point attempts. She and Frost combined to go 5-for-9 from long range. They were 4-for-7 from beyond the arc in the second half.
"Frostie was struggling to score inside," Guevara said. "Well (Vanderbilt is) big. They were big, but she hit some big, fat threes for us. That finally got her confidence going a little bit.
"We have other people that stepped it up. It wasn't just about Presley Hudson because God knows she is the little engine that runs the train, but (it was about) the other pieces of that train and how they contributed."
MILESTONE
Hudson made three of her nine 3-point tries in the game, becoming the leading 3-point shooter in Mid-American Conference history. She needed two long-rangers to surpass Kiyanna Black, who made 329 while playing at Ohio from 2012-16.
Hudson's record-breaking make came with 1:58 to play in the first half and gave the Chippewas a 30-28 lead. Hudson now has 331 career triples.
STILL …
Despite a decided size disadvantage, the Chippewas outrebounded the Commodores, 34-27, including 19-12 in the second half.
POWER 5
It marked the Chippewas' second win this season over a team from a Power 5 conference. They won at Virginia, which plays in the ACC, 74-61, on Nov. 24. Vanderbilt plays in the SEC.
CMU is 6-2 against Power 5 opponents since the start of the 2017-18 season. They defeated Vanderbilt, Iowa State (Big 12), LSU (SEC) and Ohio State (Big Ten) last season, before falling to Oregon (Pac 12) in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. They dropped their '17-18 season-opener to Purdue (Big Ten).
NEXT
CMU returns to McGuirk Arena for its first home game in a month when it entertains fourth-ranked Louisville (11-0), which plays in the ACC, on Thursday, Dec. 20 (7 p.m.). CMU is ranked fifth in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.
On Saturday, she made a major impact a long way from the basket, leading the Chippewas to a hard-fought 66-57 victory over Vanderbilt at the Commodores' Memorial Gymnasium.
Frost, a 6-foot senior forward, hit a career-high 3-pointers – all during a game-breaking fourth-quarter run – in finishing with 13 points and 10 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season as the Chippewas extended their win streak to seven games and improved to 8-1.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Frost, who scored just two points in the first half, hit a triple with 5:52 remaining to put CMU in front for good, 52-50.
She drilled two more triples, the second of which came with 3:19 to play, to extend the lead to 58-52. A Micaela Kelly jumper with 1:28 left put CMU up 60-52.
Kelly and Presley Hudson combined to go 6-for-6 from the free throw line over the final 1:01 to keep CMU in front. The Chippewas outscored Vanderbilt, 24-11, in the fourth quarter.
The game was tied six times and the lead changed hands nine times.
LEADERS
Hudson finished with 24 points and matched her season high with six rebounds. She also had six assists.
Kyra Bussell came off the bench to score 12 points and Kelly finished with 10 for the Chippewas.
SLAMMING THE DOOR
Mariella Fasoula, a 6-foot-5 junior, scored 21 points to lead the Commodores (4-6). She scored 19 points in the first half. The game was tied, 30-30, at the break.
"I talked to our team at halftime and I said, 'They have one player that's hurting us,'" CMU coach Sue Guevara said. "We changed the defense (in the second half). We junked it up a little bit in the third quarter and made it really difficult for Fasoula to score."
BIG-TIME HELP
The Chippewas got 19 points in a combined 55 minutes from their three top bench players, Bussell, Gabby Bird and Anika Weekes.
The trio was pressed into duty because of foul trouble, specifically to starting center Jahari Smith, who picked up two fouls less than four minutes into the game and was whistled for her third early in the third quarter.
The 19 points by the bench was the third-highest total by the Chippewa reserves this season. The two-highest totals came in blowout wins over Oakland and Iona.
"How about that bench?" Guevara said. "You look at those three kids who came off the bench for us and they contributed. They contributed rebounding and they contributed scoring and they contributed defensively. That's what you want your bench to do. It was really good for our bench to get the experience in this type of a game."
GOING OUTSIDE
Bussell, who backs up Frost and Smith in the post, hit two of her four 3-point attempts. She and Frost combined to go 5-for-9 from long range. They were 4-for-7 from beyond the arc in the second half.
"Frostie was struggling to score inside," Guevara said. "Well (Vanderbilt is) big. They were big, but she hit some big, fat threes for us. That finally got her confidence going a little bit.
"We have other people that stepped it up. It wasn't just about Presley Hudson because God knows she is the little engine that runs the train, but (it was about) the other pieces of that train and how they contributed."
MILESTONE
Hudson made three of her nine 3-point tries in the game, becoming the leading 3-point shooter in Mid-American Conference history. She needed two long-rangers to surpass Kiyanna Black, who made 329 while playing at Ohio from 2012-16.
Hudson's record-breaking make came with 1:58 to play in the first half and gave the Chippewas a 30-28 lead. Hudson now has 331 career triples.
STILL …
Despite a decided size disadvantage, the Chippewas outrebounded the Commodores, 34-27, including 19-12 in the second half.
POWER 5
It marked the Chippewas' second win this season over a team from a Power 5 conference. They won at Virginia, which plays in the ACC, 74-61, on Nov. 24. Vanderbilt plays in the SEC.
CMU is 6-2 against Power 5 opponents since the start of the 2017-18 season. They defeated Vanderbilt, Iowa State (Big 12), LSU (SEC) and Ohio State (Big Ten) last season, before falling to Oregon (Pac 12) in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. They dropped their '17-18 season-opener to Purdue (Big Ten).
NEXT
CMU returns to McGuirk Arena for its first home game in a month when it entertains fourth-ranked Louisville (11-0), which plays in the ACC, on Thursday, Dec. 20 (7 p.m.). CMU is ranked fifth in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.
Team Stats
CMU
VANDY
FG%
.429
.449
3FG%
.360
.200
FT%
.818
.733
RB
34
27
TO
13
12
STL
5
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
24
FGM
9
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
C
/ Women's Basketball
G
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