Central Michigan University Athletics
Saturday, January 18
Kalamazoo, MI
2:00 p.m.
Central Michigan University
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Western Michigan
Photo by: Allissa Rusco
Trip To Western Next For CMU Women
1/17/2020 5:48:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Chippewas are 9th in mid-major poll, carry a MAC-best RPI of 28
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Next up.
The Central Michigan women's basketball team continues its take-on-all-comers slog through the Mid-American Conference when it goes to rival Western Michigan on Saturday (2 p.m.).
Nearly halfway through the season – but still early in the league campaign – the Chippewas have answered the many questions that marked a year of perceived transition as Heather Oesterle moved from the associate head coach to the top job and the Chippewas sought to replace the graduated Presley Hudson and Reyna Frost, two of the very best to have ever played in the program and in the MAC.
"This program was built for long-term success because of the type of players that we recruit," Oesterle said. "The culture here hasn't changed, we've gotten great leadership out of our three captains.
"We've been having great practices, a lot of energy in practice from top to bottom. They are one game at a time and their next opponent is Western Michigan, and we don't get too up for games, we don't get too down. We're the same going into every game."
After an 0-3 start, the Chippewas are 11-4, 4-0 MAC and ranked ninth in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll. They carry an RPI of 28, far and away the best of any MAC team (Ball State is second at 65). Only four mid-major schools have a better RPI than do the Chippewas.
CMU holds a one-game lead in the MAC West. Four teams – Ball State, Western Michigan, Toledo and Eastern Michigan – are 3-1. CMU is scheduled to go to Eastern Michigan on Wednesday, Jan. 22.
Last Time Out
The Chippewas slammed the door on Ball State, outscoring the Cardinals 34-14 over the final 20 minutes in posting a 66-39 MAC win at McGuirk Arena on Wednesday.
Kyra Bussell scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Chippewas, while Molly Davis added 14 points and seven assists.
CMU's leading scorer, Micaela Kelly, scored a season-low 11 points on 5-of-15 shooting in the game. She sat out a good portion of the first half with foul trouble.
Despite the fact that Kelly had an un-Kelly-like game, the Chippewas posted their largest margin of victory this season and the Cardinals' 39 points was a season low for a CMU opponent. Ball State entered the game averaging 68.1 points per game and on a seven-game win streak.
"Well that's the thing we started at the beginning of the year, about celebrating each other," Oesterle said. "It starts with (Kelly). She doesn't have a good game, by her standards, but she's celebrating everyone on the bench when she's out with two fouls. I think that goes from top to bottom; everybody is just happy for one another and we all want to win."
The Broncos
Western Michigan is 10-5 overall and coming off a 73-72 home victory over Ohio, the team that was picked to win the MAC East, the overall MAC regular-season title, and the MAC Tournament in the preseason coaches poll.
The Chippewas downed the Bobcats, 73-71, earlier this season.
Western's leading scorer, sophomore guard Jordan Walker, ranks seventh in the MAC in scoring at 15.4 points per game, while the Broncos' Breanna Mobley, a 6-foot-1 senior, is the league's top rebounder at 10.7 per game.
Western junior Leighah-Amori Wool ranks third in the MAC with an .849 free throw percentage while Mobley (.774) is seventh.
Western ranks 11th in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (.282) and leads the league in 3-point field goal percentage defense at .276.
The Chippewas have won four consecutive against the Broncos and nine of their last 10. CMU is 8-1 in its last nine visits to Kalamazoo.
"We've always traveled really well down there," Oesterle said. "We're playing a Western team that's playing with a ton of confidence right now, they just knocked off Ohio, so it's going be a good challenge for us."
CMU
The Chippewas are averaging 74.6 points per game, which is second in the MAC and 41st in the nation. They lead the MAC in field goal percentage (.463) and 3-point field goals per game (9.1) and are second in 3-point field goal percentage (.370) and free throw percentage (.756).
Kelly ranks fourth in the nation in scoring at 23.5 points per game, while point guard Molly Davis tops the conference with 4.8 assists per game.
The Central Michigan women's basketball team continues its take-on-all-comers slog through the Mid-American Conference when it goes to rival Western Michigan on Saturday (2 p.m.).
Nearly halfway through the season – but still early in the league campaign – the Chippewas have answered the many questions that marked a year of perceived transition as Heather Oesterle moved from the associate head coach to the top job and the Chippewas sought to replace the graduated Presley Hudson and Reyna Frost, two of the very best to have ever played in the program and in the MAC.
"This program was built for long-term success because of the type of players that we recruit," Oesterle said. "The culture here hasn't changed, we've gotten great leadership out of our three captains.
"We've been having great practices, a lot of energy in practice from top to bottom. They are one game at a time and their next opponent is Western Michigan, and we don't get too up for games, we don't get too down. We're the same going into every game."
After an 0-3 start, the Chippewas are 11-4, 4-0 MAC and ranked ninth in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll. They carry an RPI of 28, far and away the best of any MAC team (Ball State is second at 65). Only four mid-major schools have a better RPI than do the Chippewas.
CMU holds a one-game lead in the MAC West. Four teams – Ball State, Western Michigan, Toledo and Eastern Michigan – are 3-1. CMU is scheduled to go to Eastern Michigan on Wednesday, Jan. 22.
Last Time Out
The Chippewas slammed the door on Ball State, outscoring the Cardinals 34-14 over the final 20 minutes in posting a 66-39 MAC win at McGuirk Arena on Wednesday.
Kyra Bussell scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Chippewas, while Molly Davis added 14 points and seven assists.
CMU's leading scorer, Micaela Kelly, scored a season-low 11 points on 5-of-15 shooting in the game. She sat out a good portion of the first half with foul trouble.
Despite the fact that Kelly had an un-Kelly-like game, the Chippewas posted their largest margin of victory this season and the Cardinals' 39 points was a season low for a CMU opponent. Ball State entered the game averaging 68.1 points per game and on a seven-game win streak.
"Well that's the thing we started at the beginning of the year, about celebrating each other," Oesterle said. "It starts with (Kelly). She doesn't have a good game, by her standards, but she's celebrating everyone on the bench when she's out with two fouls. I think that goes from top to bottom; everybody is just happy for one another and we all want to win."
The Broncos
Western Michigan is 10-5 overall and coming off a 73-72 home victory over Ohio, the team that was picked to win the MAC East, the overall MAC regular-season title, and the MAC Tournament in the preseason coaches poll.
The Chippewas downed the Bobcats, 73-71, earlier this season.
Western's leading scorer, sophomore guard Jordan Walker, ranks seventh in the MAC in scoring at 15.4 points per game, while the Broncos' Breanna Mobley, a 6-foot-1 senior, is the league's top rebounder at 10.7 per game.
Western junior Leighah-Amori Wool ranks third in the MAC with an .849 free throw percentage while Mobley (.774) is seventh.
Western ranks 11th in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (.282) and leads the league in 3-point field goal percentage defense at .276.
The Chippewas have won four consecutive against the Broncos and nine of their last 10. CMU is 8-1 in its last nine visits to Kalamazoo.
"We've always traveled really well down there," Oesterle said. "We're playing a Western team that's playing with a ton of confidence right now, they just knocked off Ohio, so it's going be a good challenge for us."
CMU
The Chippewas are averaging 74.6 points per game, which is second in the MAC and 41st in the nation. They lead the MAC in field goal percentage (.463) and 3-point field goals per game (9.1) and are second in 3-point field goal percentage (.370) and free throw percentage (.756).
Kelly ranks fourth in the nation in scoring at 23.5 points per game, while point guard Molly Davis tops the conference with 4.8 assists per game.
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