CMU Women Go To Ball State On Saturday

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Central Michigan women's basketball team will look to remain perfect in Mid-American Conference play on Saturday when it goes to Muncie, Ind. for a rematch with Ball State at the Cardinals' Worthen Arena.

The Chippewas, 22-4, 15-0 MAC, have won 15 consecutive games and 22 of their last 23. On Wednesday, they defeated Western Michigan, 76-60, to nail down their fourth-consecutive outright MAC regular-season title and their fifth-straight MAC West crown. They also secured the No. 1 seed in the MAC Tournament.

The Cardinals, 19-8, 11-4, are in second place in both the MAC West and the MAC overall standings. They defeated Toledo, 66-60, on Wednesday. They have won six of their last seven games.

Chasing History
The Chippewas, with three MAC games remaining, are trying to become the sixth team to go through the regular season unbeaten in league play. The last team to accomplish the feat was Bowling Green in 2005-06. The others: Kent State, 1997-98; Bowling Green, 1988-89 and 1986-97; and CMU, 1983-84.

Last Time Out
Micaela Kelly scored 24 points and dished out eight assists in CMU's victory over Western. Molly Davis scored 20 points and added five assists as the Chippewa guard duo combined to make eight of their 14 3-point attempts in the game.

Rankings
The Chippewas are ranked sixth in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll. They have an RPI of 15 out of 351 eligible Division 1 teams. CMU received three votes in this week's Associated Press top 25 poll, and 24 in the USA Today/Women's Basketball Coaches Association poll.

Only three other mid-major teams in the country carry a better RPI than do the Chippewas. They are Princeton (9), Gonzaga (13), and Missouri State (14).

Leaders
Kelly remains on top among MAC leaders in both points and assists per game, with averages of 21.8 and 4.9, respectively. She's 15^th in the conference with 6.2 rebounds per game. She ranks fourth in the nation in scoring.

Davis, a freshman, is 11^th in the conference in scoring at 14.5 points per game. She's shooting 51.9 percent from the field and 41.6 percent from 3-point range, good for third and fourth, respectively, in the conference. She has scored in double figures in 10 of her last 12 games.

CMU's Kyra Bussell is 13^th in the conference with 14.4 points per game. She ranks eighth in the league with 7.3 rebounds per game. Chippewa guard Maddy Watters is shooting 40.9 percent from 3-point range, good for fifth in the conference.

Scouting
Ball State sports the top defense in the conference, allowing just 63.6 points per game. The Chippewas defeated the Cardinals, 66-39, on Jan. 15 at McGuirk Arena.

Oshlynn Brown is the leading scorer for the Cardinals, averaging 13.5 points per game, good for 14^th in the MAC. She's second in the conference with 9.4 rebounds per game.

Brown led the Cardinals with 10 points and six rebounds in their first matchup against the Chippewas.

Next
The Chippewas will head to Toledo for a MAC game with the Rockets on Wednesday, March 4, and then closes the regular season at home against Eastern Michigan on Saturday, March 7.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kyra Bussell

Molly Davis

Micaela Kelly

Maddy Watters

Central Michigan University Athletics