Saturday, December 28
Daytona Beach, FL
2:00 p.m.
Central Michigan University
at
Bethune-Cookman
Photo by: Allissa Rusco
Florida Trip No Vacation For CMU Women
12/27/2019 3:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Chippewas face two strong defensive teams in Sunshine State
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Sunny and warm Florida. A nice place to relax and unwind on a visit, or the ideal place to retire.
There will be no lounging in the sunshine and there will be no shuffleboard for the Central Michigan women's basketball team this weekend when it visits the Sunshine State.
The Chippewas, winners of six consecutive games, are slated to play Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach on Saturday (2 p.m.) and then Central Florida in Orlando on Monday (6 p.m.).
Bethune-Cookman is 8-3 with an RPI of 135; UCF is 7-4 with an RPI of 79. The Chippewas are 6-3 with an RPI of 62, which is the best among Mid-American Conference teams.
"We're playing two very athletic teams down in Florida and that's something we've struggled with," CMU coach Heather Oesterle said. "This is a big road trip for us for momentum-wise going into the MAC."
The games are CMU's last of the nonconference variety. The Chippewas open MAC play on Saturday, Jan. 4 at Akron.
Making the Turn
The end of nonconference games and the looming start of the MAC schedule is generally considered a watershed for most teams, an opportunity to step back for one last evaluation before they get into the starting blocks.
The Chippewas entered the season with plenty of question marks after the graduation of Reyna Frost and Presley Hudson, two of the best players in program history, and the retirement of longtime – and highly successful – coach Sue Guevara.
CMU, which is the three-time defending MAC regular-season champion, was picked to win the league's West Division in the preseason poll.
Adjusting and Evolving
The main storyline entering the season was how the program would adjust to the personnel changes, and a major piece of that has been junior guard Micaela Kelly.
Kelly has been outstanding through the first one-third of the season, averaging 22.7 points per game, which ranks second in the MAC and sixth nationally. She averaged 14.6 last season.
"She's become that player that wants the ball when we need a score," Oesterle said. "I think she's just kind of been waiting her turn to be that person for our program. She has her goals and her goals for the future and she's working really hard to achieve them."
Kelly not only leads the team in scoring, but in high-fives as she has grown into the on-court team leader.
"(Kelly is) just a competitor," Oesterle said. "She gets after it every day. She celebrates her teammates; she's the first to congratulate them when they hit a 3. She's been a very good leader this year."
Kelly has also benefitted from the addition of freshman guard Molly Davis, who is making the big step from high school basketball to NCAA Division I. She ranks fourth in the MAC with 4.3 assists per game.
"Molly Davis has a high basketball IQ and she find (Kelly)," Oesterle said.
Chippewa Numbers
CMU ranks 43rd in the nation in scoring at 75.2 points per game. The Chippewas rank 24th in 3-pointers per game (8.6) and are in the top 32 in the nation in field goal percentage, free throw percentage and 3-point field goal percentage.
CMU is ranked 10th in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.
Scouting Bethune-Cookman
The Wildcats are among the nation's top defensive teams, holding opponents to an average of 54.7 points per game and their opponents are making 24.3 percent of their 3-point field goal attempts. They rank 24th and 13th, nationally, in those categories respectively.
Bethune-Cookman's three losses have come to Auburn, Alabama and Troy, which is currently 9-2. The Wildcats are coming off back-to-back wins over Appalachian State and Stetson,
Bethune-Cookman is the defending Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament champion. The Wildcats finished 21-11 a year ago, falling to eventual national runner-up Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats won three consecutive MEAC regular-season titles from 2016-17 to '18-19.
Daniella Hatcher, a senior guard, leads the Wildcats in scoring at 12.2 points per game.
Scouting UCF
UCF ranks 44th in the nation in scoring defense, surrendering an average of 56.7 points per game.
Two of the Knights' losses have come to Florida Gulf Coast and to James Madison, which are ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, by in the mid-major poll. UCF was 26-7 last year and was runner-up in the American Athletic Conference championship tournament, losing to powerful UConn.
The Knights are allowing opponents to make 39.9 percent of their 3-point field goal attempts. They rank 345th of the 348 Division I teams in the nation in that category.
Kay Kay Wright, a senior guard, leads the Knights in scoring at 15.0 points per game.
The Chippewas defeated the Knights, 75-68, last season in Mount Pleasant. Wright scored 31 points on 11-of-15 shooting in that game.
There will be no lounging in the sunshine and there will be no shuffleboard for the Central Michigan women's basketball team this weekend when it visits the Sunshine State.
The Chippewas, winners of six consecutive games, are slated to play Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach on Saturday (2 p.m.) and then Central Florida in Orlando on Monday (6 p.m.).
Bethune-Cookman is 8-3 with an RPI of 135; UCF is 7-4 with an RPI of 79. The Chippewas are 6-3 with an RPI of 62, which is the best among Mid-American Conference teams.
"We're playing two very athletic teams down in Florida and that's something we've struggled with," CMU coach Heather Oesterle said. "This is a big road trip for us for momentum-wise going into the MAC."
The games are CMU's last of the nonconference variety. The Chippewas open MAC play on Saturday, Jan. 4 at Akron.
Making the Turn
The end of nonconference games and the looming start of the MAC schedule is generally considered a watershed for most teams, an opportunity to step back for one last evaluation before they get into the starting blocks.
The Chippewas entered the season with plenty of question marks after the graduation of Reyna Frost and Presley Hudson, two of the best players in program history, and the retirement of longtime – and highly successful – coach Sue Guevara.
CMU, which is the three-time defending MAC regular-season champion, was picked to win the league's West Division in the preseason poll.
Adjusting and Evolving
The main storyline entering the season was how the program would adjust to the personnel changes, and a major piece of that has been junior guard Micaela Kelly.
Kelly has been outstanding through the first one-third of the season, averaging 22.7 points per game, which ranks second in the MAC and sixth nationally. She averaged 14.6 last season.
"She's become that player that wants the ball when we need a score," Oesterle said. "I think she's just kind of been waiting her turn to be that person for our program. She has her goals and her goals for the future and she's working really hard to achieve them."
Kelly not only leads the team in scoring, but in high-fives as she has grown into the on-court team leader.
"(Kelly is) just a competitor," Oesterle said. "She gets after it every day. She celebrates her teammates; she's the first to congratulate them when they hit a 3. She's been a very good leader this year."
Kelly has also benefitted from the addition of freshman guard Molly Davis, who is making the big step from high school basketball to NCAA Division I. She ranks fourth in the MAC with 4.3 assists per game.
"Molly Davis has a high basketball IQ and she find (Kelly)," Oesterle said.
Chippewa Numbers
CMU ranks 43rd in the nation in scoring at 75.2 points per game. The Chippewas rank 24th in 3-pointers per game (8.6) and are in the top 32 in the nation in field goal percentage, free throw percentage and 3-point field goal percentage.
CMU is ranked 10th in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.
Scouting Bethune-Cookman
The Wildcats are among the nation's top defensive teams, holding opponents to an average of 54.7 points per game and their opponents are making 24.3 percent of their 3-point field goal attempts. They rank 24th and 13th, nationally, in those categories respectively.
Bethune-Cookman's three losses have come to Auburn, Alabama and Troy, which is currently 9-2. The Wildcats are coming off back-to-back wins over Appalachian State and Stetson,
Bethune-Cookman is the defending Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament champion. The Wildcats finished 21-11 a year ago, falling to eventual national runner-up Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats won three consecutive MEAC regular-season titles from 2016-17 to '18-19.
Daniella Hatcher, a senior guard, leads the Wildcats in scoring at 12.2 points per game.
Scouting UCF
UCF ranks 44th in the nation in scoring defense, surrendering an average of 56.7 points per game.
Two of the Knights' losses have come to Florida Gulf Coast and to James Madison, which are ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, by in the mid-major poll. UCF was 26-7 last year and was runner-up in the American Athletic Conference championship tournament, losing to powerful UConn.
The Knights are allowing opponents to make 39.9 percent of their 3-point field goal attempts. They rank 345th of the 348 Division I teams in the nation in that category.
Kay Kay Wright, a senior guard, leads the Knights in scoring at 15.0 points per game.
The Chippewas defeated the Knights, 75-68, last season in Mount Pleasant. Wright scored 31 points on 11-of-15 shooting in that game.
Players Mentioned
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