Chippewa Women Face Unbeaten Michigan State on Friday

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Central Michigan women's basketball team will look to extend its win streak to four games on Friday (5 p.m.) when it goes to Michigan State for a nonconference game.

The Chippewas are 3-1 and coming off a 69-51 victory over Miami (Ohio) on Tuesday. That win lifted CMU to 2-0 in the Mid-American Conference.

Good Defense
While the Chippewas have long been known as one of the most explosive teams in the MAC, they have flexed their defensive muscle in their past two games.

They held the RedHawks to more than 15 points below their season average in Wednesday's game. In their previous game, the Chippewas held Cincinnati to six points below its average in a 79-62 victory.

"Everybody who knows me knows I love to score a lot of points so we haven't in the past spent as much time, like last year, on defense, but we're spending a whole lot more time this year on it," second-year CMU coach Heather Oesterle said. "We don't want to be in shootouts with people. We want to be able to win games with our defense and that's what we've done the last two games."

Return to Form
Senior guard Micaela Kelly scored 29 points to lead the Chippewas in their win over Miami. That came after a 13-point performance against Cincinnati and a 17-point output in the Chippewas' 82-71 win on Dec. 9 over Western Michigan.

Kelly, the reigning MAC Player of the Year, is averaging 22.3 points per game. She ranks third in the league in scoring.

CMU sophomore guard Molly Davis is averaging 20.3 points per game and ranks ninth in the league.

Another Double
CMU senior forward Kyra Bussell scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against Miami. It marked her second-consecutive double-double and the sixth of her career.

"She's really picked it up and she's doing anything extra she can do to help our team," Oesterle said. "She's in the gym early, she does extra conditioning. She wants to be good and she wants our team to be good.

"She's more than capable of giving us a lot of different looks against teams and then rebounding, she's just a competitor and she goes in there and bangs around."

Rankings
The Chippewas, who are seeking their fifth-consecutive MAC championship, are ranked fifth in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll this week.

CMU is the highest-ranked of the fourth MAC teams in the poll. Ohio is 12^th, Buffalo is 15^th, and Bowling Green is 23^rd.

Scouting
The Spartans, who are coached by former CMU standout Suzy Merchant, are 4-0, 2-0 Big Ten after an 86-82 win on Saturday at home against Iowa. The Hawkeyes entered the game unbeaten.

MSU is off to its best start since 2013-14 and is among others receiving votes in both the Associated Press and Coaches polls.

Nia Clouden, a junior guard, leads the Spartans in scoring at 19.0 points per game, while Alyza Winston, a sophomore guard, averages 18.7. Mardrekia Cook, a 6-foot senior, is MSU's top rebounder at 6.5 per game.

Winston scored a career-high 25 points in the win over Iowa. She had 20 in the Spartans' 81-68 victory over Minnesota in their Big Ten opener.

Last Meeting
The last time the Chippewas and Spartans met the stakes were significantly higher. It was an NCAA Tournament game in South Bend, Ind., and MSU held on for an 88-87 victory on March 23, 2019.

Next
The Chippewas game with Dayton slated for Dec. 22 has been cancelled. CMU's next scheduled game is Jan. 2 at Ohio.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kyra Bussell

Molly Davis

Micaela Kelly

Central Michigan University Athletics