CMU Women Return Home, Fresh Off Big Win At Ohio

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Not much celebration time for the Central Michigan women's basketball team.

The Chippewas will play at McGuirk Arena for the first time in a month on Saturday when they entertain Miami (Ohio) in a Mid-American Conference game. Tipoff is set for noon.

CMU is coming off a 73-71 victory over Ohio in a battle of two of the MAC's best teams. The Chippewas, who are ranked 14^th in the CollegeInsider, are 2-0 in MAC play and 9-4 overall. They were picked first in the MAC West preseason poll of league coaches. Ohio, which is ranked 12^th, was picked to win the East, the overall regular-season crown, and the conference tournament.

The Chippewas are one of four 2-0 teams in the West. Ball State, Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan are the other three.

"it's exciting to come home and show fans how much better we've gotten over this month," first-year CMU coach Heather Oesterle said. "We played a lot of diverse styles of basketball on the road. We're learning how to win on the road. We're getting better every day."

The Chippewas
Senior Gabrielle Bird was the hero of the Ohio victory. The senior from South Lyon hit the game-winning shot, a 3-pointer, with 7 seconds remaining. She made five of her eight 3-point attempts in finishing with 17 points and a career-high 11 rebounds.

Senior guard Micaela Kelly continues to establish herself as one of the very best players in the MAC. She had 21 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals against the Bobcats.

It marked the sixth-consecutive game in which Kelly has scored at least 20 points. The Detroit native is leading the MAC and ranks second nationally in scoring at 24 points per game. Kelly ranks third in the league in field goal percentage (.477) and is second in 3-point field goal percentage (.432).

Kelly has been named the MAC West Player of the Week in each of the last four weeks and last week was named to the Hoop Stats Mid-Major Player of the Year Mid-Season Watch List.

The Chippewas rank second in the MAC, and are 37^th nationally, in scoring at 75.2 points per game. They are surrendering 70.9 per game, ranking 11^th in the league in that category.

Good Road Trip
The Chippewas are playing at home for the first time since Dec. 5, when they posted a 70-50 nonconference win over Iona.

CMU went 5-1 in its stretch of six-consecutive road games. Included in that stretch were back-to-back MAC wins.

Delicate Balance
The Chippewas are turning the ball over at a rate of 17.2 per game and won at Ohio despite committing 19 and forcing the Bobcats into just six. The Chippewas are turning the ball over 3.23 times per game more than they are taking it away.

"it's our decision-making mostly in transition, when we are pushing the tempo," Oesterle said. "Sometimes it's about making the fancy pass instead making the easy pass when we have people open.

"Our ability to score when we do take care of the basketball has helped us overcome the turnovers. Our rebounding is getting better. It still needs to be a group effort, but we're hanging in there with teams where we were getting outrebounded early in the season. I think we're getting better at moving the ball, setting people up for open shots.

"We aren't clicking on all cylinders right now, but as long as we keep improving and we're playing our best basketball in March …"

Scouting
Miami is 8-6, 1-1 and coming off a 66-64 home victory over Northern Illinois. The RedHawks opened league play with an 86-72 home loss to Buffalo. The RedHawks, Buffalo and Ohio are tied atop the MAC East at 1-1.

Miami's route to victory over NIU was similar to that used by the Chippewas in their win over Ohio. The RedHawks overcame a 14-point second-half deficit and got the game-winning bucket with 1.8 seconds remaining on a steal-and-layup by junior guard Monique Esbrand.

Miami ranks third in the MAC in scoring (71.7 per game) and ninth in defense (69.5). The RedHawks lead the MAC in blocks per game (4.14) and rank second in offensive rebounds per game (14.9); steals per game (10.79); and turnover margin (5.5).

Senior guard Lauren Dickerson leads the RedHawks in scoring and ranks fifth in the MAC at 16.7 points per game. Dickerson, who was named to the Preseason All-MAC East Division Team, is averaging 2.9 3-pointers per, which is third best in the MAC.

Savannah Kluesner, a 6-foot-2 senior, is Miami's second-leading scorer at 13.4 points per game and is the RedHawks' leading rebounder at 8.7 per.

"Miami has two of the best players in our league and can beat you on any night," Oesterle said. "They came in and beat us last year. They're very talented. Stopping Kluesner and just containing Dickerson is going to be a challenge."

Next
CMU entertains Ball State in a MAC game on Wednesday, Jan. 15 (7 p.m.). The Cardinals, 10-4, 2-0 MAC, are scheduled to play host to Eastern Michigan on Saturday.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Gabrielle Bird

Micaela Kelly