CMU Women Put Unbeaten MAC Record On The Line At Miami

MOUNT PLEASANT – The Central Michigan women's basketball team will travel to Oxford, Ohio on Saturday (2 p.m.) looking to remain unbeaten in the Mid-American Conference when it takes on Miami (Ohio) at the RedHawks' Millet Hall.

The Chippewas, 17-4, 10-0 MAC, are riding a 10-game win streak and have won 17 of their last 18 games. They have a 3 ½-game lead in the MAC West over Ball State and hold a three-game advantage over Ohio in the overall MAC standings.

Miami is fourth in the MAC East at 11-11, 4-6 MAC. The RedHawks have won three-consecutive games after a 1-6 start in league play. The Chippewas won the first meeting, 76-70, with Miami a month ago in Mount Pleasant.

Close Victories
The Chippewas' last six wins have come in tight, down-to-the-wire battles. They have won by an average of 5.4 points in those games, and they have trailed in the fourth quarter in five of the six.

They didn't trail in the fourth quarter on Wednesday in a 66-60 home win over Northern Illinois, but the Huskies were within one point midway through the fourth quarter.

Though the Chippewas didn't play their best basketball against the Huskies, they found a way to wrestle away the win. Maintaining after a good start and keeping their foot on the gas is key to avoiding late-game dramatics.

"We've gotten out to great starts the last few games," CMU coach Heather Oesterle said after Wednesday's win. "But then we get outscored (in) the second, third and fourth quarter. Against a better team on the road, maybe we don't pull this one out."

Rankings
CMU is sixth CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll. Ohio and Buffalo are the only other MAC teams to appear in the rankings, checking in at 14^th and 22^nd, respectively.

The Chippewas have an RPI of 18, the highest among MAC teams and the third highest among all mid-majors in the nation.

Chippewa Leaders
Micaela Kelly has seen her scoring average drop after a scoring under her season average in the Chippewas' last four games. She is the nation's fourth-leading scorer at 22.3 points per game, second in the MAC behind Buffalo's Dyaisha Fair (22.5 points per game).

Kelly, a junior guard, has taken a step forward as a facilitator, however, averaging just over nine assists in her last three games. She is third in the MAC at 4.5 assists per game. Kelly ranks 14^th in program history in scoring with 1,354 points. LaTanga Cox (1983-86) is 13^th on the list with 1,373.

Molly Davis continues to be one of the MAC's most impressive freshmen. She is 11^th in the MAC in scoring with 14.1 points per game, which is good for second in the conference among freshmen. She leads all MAC freshmen in assists per game at 4.4, good for fourth in the MAC overall.

Davis scored seven points against NIU after averaging 21.0 in her previous six games. She twice scored a career-high 28 points during that stretch.

Kyra Bussell, a junior forward, has picked up the scoring slack over the past few games, scoring a team-high 19 against NIU after a career-high 33-point effort in the Chippewas' previous game, a 92-90 overtime win over Ohio.

Bussell is 12^th in the MAC in scoring with her average now at 14 points per game. She is sixth in the conference in rebounding, pulling down 7.4 boards per contest.

Scouting
Miami ranks fourth in the MAC in scoring, averaging 71.3 points per game. The RedHawks rank last in the MAC defensively, allowing 71.2 points per game.

Savannah Kluesner leads the RedHawks in scoring, averaging 14.3 points per game, good for 10^th in the conference. Kluesner is third in the MAC in rebounding, pulling down 8.5 boards per game.

Lauren Dickerson is fifth in the conference in assists, averaging 4.2 a game. She leads the MAC with a 1.7 assist-turnover ratio.

Next
The Chippewas are scheduled to play just one game next week. They entertain Bowling Green on Saturday, Feb. 15 (1 p.m.) in a MAC game at McGuirk Arena.

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Players Mentioned

Kyra Bussell

Molly Davis

Micaela Kelly