Thursday, December 5
Mount Pleasant, MI
7:00 p.m.
Central Michigan University
4-3,0-0MAC
70
vs
50
Iona
1-6,0-0MAAC
1
2
3
4
F
Iona
17
6
10
17
50
Central Mich.
15
25
19
11
70
CMU senior captain Gabrielle Bird walks off the court on Thursday after scoring a career-high 21 points in the Chippewas' 70-50 win over Iona at McGuirk Arena.
Photo by: Benjamin Suddendorf
Bird's Career Best Leads CMU Women To 4th Straight Win
12/5/2019 10:31:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Chippewas close perfect 4-game homestand
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Gabrielle Bird has been a patient role player in her time with the Central Michigan women's basketball program.
On Thursday, it was her time to shine.
The fifth-year senior from South Lyon hit five 3-pointers en route to a career-high 21 points as the Chippewas won their fourth consecutive game, downing Iona, 70-50, in a nonleaguer at McGuirk Arena.
Bird came off the bench to set career highs for minutes (26 plus), shot attempts (11), shots made (7), tied her career high with six rebounds, and recorded her first block of the season as CMU closed a perfect four-game homestand in improving to 4-3.
"I wouldn't necessarily say it was my night, it's a team night, it's a Central Michigan night," said Bird, a 6-foot forward and team captain. "We came out a little bit slower than normal, and I just came in and did what I needed to do.
"That's pretty much my role on this team, give what needs to be given. This is why I came to Central Michigan, to contribute in whatever ways I can. The first couple years not playing as much but just being there for my team, and now it's just the hard work is starting to pay off, which is really satisfying."
How It Happened
Bird hit three triples during an 18-2 Chippewa run that started with a Micaela Kelly jumper with 5:27 to play in the second quarter and ended with another Kelly jumper with under a minute to play in the half.
The Chippewas outscored the Gaels, 25-6, in the second stanza to take a comfortable 40-23 halftime lead. Iona never got closer than 14 points the rest of the way and the Chippewas led by as many as 27 points in the third quarter.
Bird made four of her 3-pointers in a four-plus-minute span of the second quarter when the Chippewas took command. She made five of her eight triple tries on the night and scored 17 of her points in the first half.
Bird's previous career high was nine points, which came in CMU's season-opening double-overtime loss to Green Bay. She had three 3-pointers in that game, also her previous career best.
Bird "gave us a huge spark," CMU coach Heather Oesterle said. "She's put in the work over the years and I think she's shooting the ball with a ton of confidence right now. She's a hop shooter, so she catches it ready to shoot.
"That's what we've asked of her. We're not asking her to dribble down and create for anybody else; people are going to create for her. It's our job to get her her shots and she's doing exactly what we need her to do. She's doing a better job on defense too."
Leaders
Micaela Kelly added 17 points and Molly Davis had 12 for the Chippewas. Shine Strickland-Gills came off the bench to grab a team-high seven rebounds in 13-plus minutes. Both the rebound total and minutes played were career bests for the freshman from Saginaw.
Key Numbers
Bird led a strong showing by the Chippewa bench, which outscored Iona's bench 30-13. CMU also finished with a 39-24 rebounding advantage. The Chippewas outrebounded their opponents in each of their games during their four-game win streak, and their bench has outscored the opponent in each of the last three games.
"The bench is going to be huge for us come MAC season," Oesterle said. "And right now is the time to get them experience. We're going to take the good with the bad, a little bit at the beginning here, just so we can get some experience playing in front of people and playing against different competition. I'm actually really happy with where we are with our bench right now. I think we're going to have some people really contribute."
Defense
Iona's 50 points was a season low for a CMU opponent, and the Gaels shot 38 percent from the floor, marking the fourth consecutive game that the Chippewas have held an opponent below 39 percent.
Looking Ahead
The Chippewas, Oesterle said, accomplished what they set out to do in the four-game homestand, which was win them all. Their next six games are on the road before they return home on Jan. 11 for a date with Mid-American Conference foe Miami (Ohio).
The first of those six road games comes on Dec. 14, when the Chippewas go to South Dakota State, which is ranked 12th in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. The Chippewas are 15th.
The Jackrabbits are 6-3 and, like the Chippewas, play a tough-as-nails nonconference schedule. Among their wins is a 65-59 victory over Notre Dame.
"The next game is against one of the best teams in the country, and we're going in and probably going to play in front of 5,000 people," Oesterle said. "It's packed in there and they're sitting right on the court. It's going to be a great college basketball game. It's two really good teams going at each other and we'll kind of get a feel for where we're at.
"Then we go to Oakland (Dec. 18) who always wants a piece of us because we're in state and sometimes we recruit the same kids. Everything's about getting us ready for March, everything's about getting us ready to win a title in March. And that's just what we have to stay focused on, the process."
On Thursday, it was her time to shine.
The fifth-year senior from South Lyon hit five 3-pointers en route to a career-high 21 points as the Chippewas won their fourth consecutive game, downing Iona, 70-50, in a nonleaguer at McGuirk Arena.
Bird came off the bench to set career highs for minutes (26 plus), shot attempts (11), shots made (7), tied her career high with six rebounds, and recorded her first block of the season as CMU closed a perfect four-game homestand in improving to 4-3.
"I wouldn't necessarily say it was my night, it's a team night, it's a Central Michigan night," said Bird, a 6-foot forward and team captain. "We came out a little bit slower than normal, and I just came in and did what I needed to do.
"That's pretty much my role on this team, give what needs to be given. This is why I came to Central Michigan, to contribute in whatever ways I can. The first couple years not playing as much but just being there for my team, and now it's just the hard work is starting to pay off, which is really satisfying."
How It Happened
Bird hit three triples during an 18-2 Chippewa run that started with a Micaela Kelly jumper with 5:27 to play in the second quarter and ended with another Kelly jumper with under a minute to play in the half.
The Chippewas outscored the Gaels, 25-6, in the second stanza to take a comfortable 40-23 halftime lead. Iona never got closer than 14 points the rest of the way and the Chippewas led by as many as 27 points in the third quarter.
Bird made four of her 3-pointers in a four-plus-minute span of the second quarter when the Chippewas took command. She made five of her eight triple tries on the night and scored 17 of her points in the first half.
Bird's previous career high was nine points, which came in CMU's season-opening double-overtime loss to Green Bay. She had three 3-pointers in that game, also her previous career best.
Bird "gave us a huge spark," CMU coach Heather Oesterle said. "She's put in the work over the years and I think she's shooting the ball with a ton of confidence right now. She's a hop shooter, so she catches it ready to shoot.
"That's what we've asked of her. We're not asking her to dribble down and create for anybody else; people are going to create for her. It's our job to get her her shots and she's doing exactly what we need her to do. She's doing a better job on defense too."
Leaders
Micaela Kelly added 17 points and Molly Davis had 12 for the Chippewas. Shine Strickland-Gills came off the bench to grab a team-high seven rebounds in 13-plus minutes. Both the rebound total and minutes played were career bests for the freshman from Saginaw.
Key Numbers
Bird led a strong showing by the Chippewa bench, which outscored Iona's bench 30-13. CMU also finished with a 39-24 rebounding advantage. The Chippewas outrebounded their opponents in each of their games during their four-game win streak, and their bench has outscored the opponent in each of the last three games.
"The bench is going to be huge for us come MAC season," Oesterle said. "And right now is the time to get them experience. We're going to take the good with the bad, a little bit at the beginning here, just so we can get some experience playing in front of people and playing against different competition. I'm actually really happy with where we are with our bench right now. I think we're going to have some people really contribute."
Defense
Iona's 50 points was a season low for a CMU opponent, and the Gaels shot 38 percent from the floor, marking the fourth consecutive game that the Chippewas have held an opponent below 39 percent.
Looking Ahead
The Chippewas, Oesterle said, accomplished what they set out to do in the four-game homestand, which was win them all. Their next six games are on the road before they return home on Jan. 11 for a date with Mid-American Conference foe Miami (Ohio).
The first of those six road games comes on Dec. 14, when the Chippewas go to South Dakota State, which is ranked 12th in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. The Chippewas are 15th.
The Jackrabbits are 6-3 and, like the Chippewas, play a tough-as-nails nonconference schedule. Among their wins is a 65-59 victory over Notre Dame.
"The next game is against one of the best teams in the country, and we're going in and probably going to play in front of 5,000 people," Oesterle said. "It's packed in there and they're sitting right on the court. It's going to be a great college basketball game. It's two really good teams going at each other and we'll kind of get a feel for where we're at.
"Then we go to Oakland (Dec. 18) who always wants a piece of us because we're in state and sometimes we recruit the same kids. Everything's about getting us ready for March, everything's about getting us ready to win a title in March. And that's just what we have to stay focused on, the process."
Team Stats
Iona
CMU
FG%
.380
.483
3FG%
.500
.296
FT%
.750
.857
RB
24
39
TO
23
21
STL
8
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
21
FGM
7
3FGM
5
FTM
2
Pts
17
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
F
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