Chippewa Women Drop First MAC Game

Wednesday, January 13

DeKalb, IL

7 P.M.

Central Michigan University

7-3,5-1MAC

104

Northern Illinois

5-5,3-2MAC

Central Mich.

Northern Ill.

104

Senior guard Micaela Kelly scored 33 points on Wednesday in the Chippewas' loss at NIU.

Photo by: Benjamin Suddendorf

1/13/2021 9:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com

DeKALB, Ill. – The Central Michigan women's basketball team ran into a buzzsaw on Wednesday, dropping a 104-73 decision to Northern Illinois in a Mid-American Conference game at the Huskies' Convocation Center.

It was the first MAC loss of the season for the Chippewas, who slipped to 7-3, 5-1 MAC and into a second-place tie with Buffalo. The loss ended CMU's win streak against NIU at 11 games. It was the third-straight win for NIU, 5-5, 3-2.

How It Happened
The Huskies led from the jump, streaking to an 11-0 lead and extending it to 54-31 at halftime. NIU hit four 3-pointers in the first 3:02 of the third quarter to stretch its advantage to 33 points, 66-33.

Key Numbers
The Huskies made 15 of their 28 3-point attempts (53.6 percent) and hit 58 percent of their field goal attempts overall. The Chippewas entered the game as the MAC's best 3-point defensive team, holding opponents to just 27.4 percent from beyond the long line.

NIU dominated the Chippewas on the boards and in the paint. The Huskies outrebounded the Chippewas 47-33 and outscored them by a 38-22 count in the paint.

Leaders
Micaela Kelly scored 33 points to lead the Chippewas, while Molly Davis added 18. Jahari Smith led the Chippewa rebounders with seven.

It Kelly's second 30-point game of the season and the fifth of her career. She scored 30 in CMU's season-opening loss at Michigan and her 33-point effort on Wednesday against the Huskies is the second-highest scoring total of her career behind the 38 she put up last season at South Dakota State.

Next
The Chippewas return home on Saturday, Jan. 16 (1 p.m.) to face Ohio in a MAC game. The Bobcats fell to Ball State, 88-85, in overtime on Wednesday. They are 5-4, 3-3.