Central Michigan University Athletics
Saturday, January 16
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
1 P.M.
Central Michigan University
vs
Ohio
Photo by: Andy Sneddon
CMU Women Host Ohio On Saturday
1/15/2021 4:50:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Central Michigan women's basketball team will look to bounce back on Saturday (1 p.m.) when it entertains Ohio in a Mid-American Conference game at McGuirk Arena.
The Chippewas are coming off a 104-73 loss at Northern Illinois. That loss knocked the Chippewas, who are 7-3, 5-1 MAC, out of first place and into a second-place tie with Buffalo.
Ohio is 5-4, 3-3 and tied for sixth in the 12-team league. Ohio finished second in the league preseason poll behind the four-time defending conference-champion Chippewas. CMU is ranked seventh in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25; Ohio is 11th.
Rematch
The Chippewas defeated the Bobcats, 90-87, in Athens, Ohio, on Jan. 2 in their MAC opener. Micaela Kelly scored 28 points to lead CMU, which held off Ohio in a game that featured 14 ties and 16 lead changes. Cierra Hooks scored 22 point and Erica Johnson had 21 for the Bobcats.
Numbers
Saturday's game pits the MAC's top two scoring teams in Ohio, which is averaging 80.8 points per game, and CMU (77.3). CMU is surrendering 73.2 points per game and ranks eighth in the league in that category; Ohio allows a league-worst 78.1.
The teams' scoring prowess is reflected in the deeper statistics. CMU is first in the league in field goal percentage, 3-pointers per game, and free throw percentage. Ohio is third in triples per game and fourth in field goal percentage.
Ohio is allowing opponents to make a league-worst 38.9 percent of their 3-point attempts.
Leaders
Kelly, the reigning MAC Player of the Year, scored 33 points in the Chippewas' loss on Wednesday at NIU. It was the second-highest point total of Kelly's illustrious CMU career. She ranks third in the MAC and 13 nationally in scoring at 23.4 points per game.
Kelly is fifth on CMU's career scoring list with 1,730 points. She is poised to move into fourth place where one of her former teammates, Reyna Frost, sits with 1,794 points. Frost is in her first season as coach Heather Oesterle's Director of Player Development.
Molly Davis and Maddy Watters, Kelly's backcourt mates in CMU's three-guard offense, are averaging 17.2 and 11.4 points per game, respectively. Kyra Bussell, who, like Kelly and Watters, is a senior, is averaging 12.1 points and shares the team rebounding lead (5.7 per game) with junior Jahari Smith.
Watters is third in the league in 3-point field goal percentage (.509).
Scouting
The Bobcats dropped an 88-85 overtime decision at home on Wednesday to Ball State. They won their previous two starts, 72-63 at Miami (Ohio) and 85-66 at home against Toledo.
Ohio features two of the league's top four scorers in Hooks, second at 24.2 points per game, and Johnson, fourth at 20.6.
Next
The Chippewas entertain Eastern Michigan in a MAC game on Wednesday, Jan. 20 (7 p.m.). The Eagles, 6-5, 3-3, are scheduled to play host to Akron in a conference game on Saturday.
The Chippewas are coming off a 104-73 loss at Northern Illinois. That loss knocked the Chippewas, who are 7-3, 5-1 MAC, out of first place and into a second-place tie with Buffalo.
Ohio is 5-4, 3-3 and tied for sixth in the 12-team league. Ohio finished second in the league preseason poll behind the four-time defending conference-champion Chippewas. CMU is ranked seventh in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25; Ohio is 11th.
Rematch
The Chippewas defeated the Bobcats, 90-87, in Athens, Ohio, on Jan. 2 in their MAC opener. Micaela Kelly scored 28 points to lead CMU, which held off Ohio in a game that featured 14 ties and 16 lead changes. Cierra Hooks scored 22 point and Erica Johnson had 21 for the Bobcats.
Numbers
Saturday's game pits the MAC's top two scoring teams in Ohio, which is averaging 80.8 points per game, and CMU (77.3). CMU is surrendering 73.2 points per game and ranks eighth in the league in that category; Ohio allows a league-worst 78.1.
The teams' scoring prowess is reflected in the deeper statistics. CMU is first in the league in field goal percentage, 3-pointers per game, and free throw percentage. Ohio is third in triples per game and fourth in field goal percentage.
Ohio is allowing opponents to make a league-worst 38.9 percent of their 3-point attempts.
Leaders
Kelly, the reigning MAC Player of the Year, scored 33 points in the Chippewas' loss on Wednesday at NIU. It was the second-highest point total of Kelly's illustrious CMU career. She ranks third in the MAC and 13 nationally in scoring at 23.4 points per game.
Kelly is fifth on CMU's career scoring list with 1,730 points. She is poised to move into fourth place where one of her former teammates, Reyna Frost, sits with 1,794 points. Frost is in her first season as coach Heather Oesterle's Director of Player Development.
Molly Davis and Maddy Watters, Kelly's backcourt mates in CMU's three-guard offense, are averaging 17.2 and 11.4 points per game, respectively. Kyra Bussell, who, like Kelly and Watters, is a senior, is averaging 12.1 points and shares the team rebounding lead (5.7 per game) with junior Jahari Smith.
Watters is third in the league in 3-point field goal percentage (.509).
Scouting
The Bobcats dropped an 88-85 overtime decision at home on Wednesday to Ball State. They won their previous two starts, 72-63 at Miami (Ohio) and 85-66 at home against Toledo.
Ohio features two of the league's top four scorers in Hooks, second at 24.2 points per game, and Johnson, fourth at 20.6.
Next
The Chippewas entertain Eastern Michigan in a MAC game on Wednesday, Jan. 20 (7 p.m.). The Eagles, 6-5, 3-3, are scheduled to play host to Akron in a conference game on Saturday.
Players Mentioned
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