Saturday, February 15
Mount Pleasant, MI
1:00 p.m.
Central Michigan University
19-4,12-0MAC
82
vs
75
Bowling Green
8-16,1-11MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Bowling Green
15
18
24
18
75
Central Mich.
20
25
14
23
82
CMU sophomore Sophia Karasinski launches a 3-pointer on Saturday in the Chippewas' win over Bowling Green at McGuirk Arena.
Photo by: Allissa Rusco
CMU Women Shake Off Pesky Bowling Green, Remain Unbeaten In MAC
2/15/2020 5:26:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Triples by Davis, Bussell key late surge
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Kyra Bussell drilled a career-high five 3-pointers in scoring 23 points on Saturday as the Central Michigan women's basketball team escaped a potential upset bid from Bowling Green, 82-75, in a Mid-American Conference game at McGuirk Arena.
The Chippewas, who are ranked sixth in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll, won for the 18th time in 19 games, improving to 19-4, 12-0 MAC.
They remain three games ahead in the overall MAC standings and in the MAC West two-thirds of the way through the season.
"We've got a lot of different people stepping up in key moments," CMU coach Heather Oesterle said. "That Bowling Green team … they're a lot better than their record is. They made it difficult for us on the defensive end of the floor."
How It Happened
CMU dominated the first half and seemed to be in the driver's seat with a 45-33 halftime lead. Bowling Green, 8-16, 1-11, stormed back with a 14-3 run to open the second half and was down just two, 59-57, after three quarters.
Bowling Green took its first and only lead of the game, 69-68, with 4:03 to play courtesy of three-point play by Caterrion Thompson.
Molly Davis responded with a 3-pointer on CMU's next possession to put the Chippewas back on top, 71-69, and then Bussell hit her fifth 3-pointer of the game with 1:18 left to extend the lead to five, 74-69.
Gabrielle Bird made a crucial steal on the Falcons' next possession and set Davis up for an easy Fastbreak bucket that made it 76-69 with a minute to play.
Davis and Micaela Kelly combined to make six of their 10 free throw attempts over the final 47 seconds. When the dust settled, the Chippewas walked away with a seven-point victory.
Leaders
Kelly continues to prove herself as more than just a scorer, grabbing a team-high 10 rebounds and dishing out eight assists in addition to scoring 19 points. She moved to 12th on CMU's career scoring list with 1,397 points, passing Tracy Renken who scored 1,386 from 1994-97.
Davis scored 17 points and Maddy Watters added 15 for CMU, which made 16 of its 40 3-pointers (40 percent). The Chippewas hit a season-high 17 triples last week in their 99-87 victory at Miami (Ohio).
"The reason why this team is doing so well, I mean, there's not one ego on this team," Oesterle said. "These guys are so unselfish, and it's all about the team and all about winning games."
In her first game following a career-high 13-point outburst against Miami last weekend, Sophia Karasinski came off the bench to nail two crucial 3-pointers for CMU. Karasinski's shooting provided a major spark to help the Chippewas regain control in the second half.
"She's been huge, and she brings some energy for us," Oesterle said. "She's putting the work in. She wants to help this team."
Next
The Chippewas will be back at home on Wednesday (7 p.m.) to play host to Kent State in another conference battle. The Golden Flashes are 14-9, 7-5.
The Chippewas, who are ranked sixth in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll, won for the 18th time in 19 games, improving to 19-4, 12-0 MAC.
They remain three games ahead in the overall MAC standings and in the MAC West two-thirds of the way through the season.
"We've got a lot of different people stepping up in key moments," CMU coach Heather Oesterle said. "That Bowling Green team … they're a lot better than their record is. They made it difficult for us on the defensive end of the floor."
How It Happened
CMU dominated the first half and seemed to be in the driver's seat with a 45-33 halftime lead. Bowling Green, 8-16, 1-11, stormed back with a 14-3 run to open the second half and was down just two, 59-57, after three quarters.
Bowling Green took its first and only lead of the game, 69-68, with 4:03 to play courtesy of three-point play by Caterrion Thompson.
Molly Davis responded with a 3-pointer on CMU's next possession to put the Chippewas back on top, 71-69, and then Bussell hit her fifth 3-pointer of the game with 1:18 left to extend the lead to five, 74-69.
Gabrielle Bird made a crucial steal on the Falcons' next possession and set Davis up for an easy Fastbreak bucket that made it 76-69 with a minute to play.
Davis and Micaela Kelly combined to make six of their 10 free throw attempts over the final 47 seconds. When the dust settled, the Chippewas walked away with a seven-point victory.
Leaders
Kelly continues to prove herself as more than just a scorer, grabbing a team-high 10 rebounds and dishing out eight assists in addition to scoring 19 points. She moved to 12th on CMU's career scoring list with 1,397 points, passing Tracy Renken who scored 1,386 from 1994-97.
Davis scored 17 points and Maddy Watters added 15 for CMU, which made 16 of its 40 3-pointers (40 percent). The Chippewas hit a season-high 17 triples last week in their 99-87 victory at Miami (Ohio).
"The reason why this team is doing so well, I mean, there's not one ego on this team," Oesterle said. "These guys are so unselfish, and it's all about the team and all about winning games."
In her first game following a career-high 13-point outburst against Miami last weekend, Sophia Karasinski came off the bench to nail two crucial 3-pointers for CMU. Karasinski's shooting provided a major spark to help the Chippewas regain control in the second half.
"She's been huge, and she brings some energy for us," Oesterle said. "She's putting the work in. She wants to help this team."
Next
The Chippewas will be back at home on Wednesday (7 p.m.) to play host to Kent State in another conference battle. The Golden Flashes are 14-9, 7-5.
Team Stats
BGSU
CMU
FG%
.460
.429
3FG%
.389
.400
FT%
.714
.600
RB
40
38
TO
14
10
STL
4
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
23
FGM
9
3FGM
5
FTM
0
Pts
19
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
17
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballG
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