Friday, December 18
East Lansing, MI
5 P.M.
Central Michigan University
3-2,2-0MAC
70
at
79
Michigan State
5-0,2-0Big Ten
1
2
3
4
F
Central Mich.
22
17
23
8
70
Michigan St.
20
20
20
19
79
Junior Jahari Smith scored a season-high 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds on Friday in the Chippewas' loss at Michigan State.
Photo by: Justice Ottinger
Chippewa Women Go Toe To Toe With Spartans Before Succumbing
12/18/2020 7:41:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Loss halts CMU win streak at 3
EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Central Michigan women's basketball team gave it a valiant effort on Friday before coming up short to Michigan State, falling 79-70 in a nonconference game at the Spartans' Breslin Center.
The loss ended CMU's win streak at three games. The Chippewas (3-2) are scheduled to play at Loyola (Chicago) on Monday (1 p.m.) to wrap up the calendar year. They are scheduled to resume play in 2021 on Saturday, Jan. 2, with a Mid-American Conference game at Ohio. CMU is 2-0 in league play.
How It Happened
The Chippewas went toe to toe with the unbeaten Spartans (5-0), who surged ahead with a 10-0 fourth-quarter run, breaking a 65-65 tie.
Taiyier Parks put MSU in front for good with a layup with 5:54 to play. That ignited the game-breaking spurt as the Chippewas committed three critical turnovers and went more than four minutes without scoring a point.
It was an entertaining and well-played game that featured eight ties and 11 lead changes.
"I'm proud of the way we battled," second-year CMU coach Heather Oesterle said. "We got tired down the stretch. I need to get (our starters) some more breaks during the game so that we're more fresh at the end of the game so that we're not turning it over like that. We have to be able to stop the bleeding."
Leaders
Micaela Kelly scored 26 points to lead CMU, while Kyra Bussell had 14, and Molly Davis and Jahari Smith added 11 each.
Smith and Bussell both grabbed seven rebounds and Davis had five assists. Smith's 11 points were a season high. Kelly's six 3-pointers were also a season best and one shy of her career high.
Nia Clouden scored 21 points to lead MSU, which made 21 of its 25 free throw attempts and 48.2 percent of its field goal tries. CMU attempted just 10 free throws, making seven.
Numbers
The Chippewas made 15 3-pointers – just two shy of the program record -- and finished 39.5 percent from beyond the arc. The triples helped keep CMU in the game as it made just 38.7 percent, by far a season low, of its field goal attempts overall.
The Chippewas played the Spartans to a near draw on the boards – MSU held a slim 36-34 edge – and CMU committed just 11 turnovers against a pressure defense loaded with strong athletic types.
On the flip side, MSU held a decided 40-14 advantage in points in the paint and its bench outscored CMU's, 23-5.
"We were concerned about their pressure defense and their physical play and for us to only have 11 turnovers, we answered the challenge on that," Oesterle said. "We have a lot of talent on our team; I've got get to give our freshmen some (playing time) time. At the end of the day when you go up against teams like Michigan and Michigan State, we can't just play six players when they're rotating fresh bodies in and they're big and they're physical."
The loss ended CMU's win streak at three games. The Chippewas (3-2) are scheduled to play at Loyola (Chicago) on Monday (1 p.m.) to wrap up the calendar year. They are scheduled to resume play in 2021 on Saturday, Jan. 2, with a Mid-American Conference game at Ohio. CMU is 2-0 in league play.
How It Happened
The Chippewas went toe to toe with the unbeaten Spartans (5-0), who surged ahead with a 10-0 fourth-quarter run, breaking a 65-65 tie.
Taiyier Parks put MSU in front for good with a layup with 5:54 to play. That ignited the game-breaking spurt as the Chippewas committed three critical turnovers and went more than four minutes without scoring a point.
It was an entertaining and well-played game that featured eight ties and 11 lead changes.
"I'm proud of the way we battled," second-year CMU coach Heather Oesterle said. "We got tired down the stretch. I need to get (our starters) some more breaks during the game so that we're more fresh at the end of the game so that we're not turning it over like that. We have to be able to stop the bleeding."
Leaders
Micaela Kelly scored 26 points to lead CMU, while Kyra Bussell had 14, and Molly Davis and Jahari Smith added 11 each.
Smith and Bussell both grabbed seven rebounds and Davis had five assists. Smith's 11 points were a season high. Kelly's six 3-pointers were also a season best and one shy of her career high.
Nia Clouden scored 21 points to lead MSU, which made 21 of its 25 free throw attempts and 48.2 percent of its field goal tries. CMU attempted just 10 free throws, making seven.
Numbers
The Chippewas made 15 3-pointers – just two shy of the program record -- and finished 39.5 percent from beyond the arc. The triples helped keep CMU in the game as it made just 38.7 percent, by far a season low, of its field goal attempts overall.
The Chippewas played the Spartans to a near draw on the boards – MSU held a slim 36-34 edge – and CMU committed just 11 turnovers against a pressure defense loaded with strong athletic types.
On the flip side, MSU held a decided 40-14 advantage in points in the paint and its bench outscored CMU's, 23-5.
"We were concerned about their pressure defense and their physical play and for us to only have 11 turnovers, we answered the challenge on that," Oesterle said. "We have a lot of talent on our team; I've got get to give our freshmen some (playing time) time. At the end of the day when you go up against teams like Michigan and Michigan State, we can't just play six players when they're rotating fresh bodies in and they're big and they're physical."
Team Stats
CMU
MSU
FG%
.387
.482
3FG%
.395
.333
FT%
.700
.840
RB
34
36
TO
11
7
STL
6
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
26
FGM
9
3FGM
6
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
F
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