Chippewa Women Buckle Down For Win At Toledo

Wednesday, January 27

Toledo, OH

5:30 P.M.

Central Michigan University

9-5,7-3MAC

Toledo

8-6,4-6MAC

Central Mich.

Toledo

Molly Davis hit five 3-pointers in scoring 27 points on Wednesday as CMU won at Toledo.

Photo by: Benjamin Suddendorf

1/27/2021 8:17:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

By: Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com

TOLEDO, Ohio – In a game of runs, she who runs last generally wins.

Molly Davis scored 27 points and Central Michigan made a season-high 63 percent of its field goal attempts on Wednesday in downing Toledo, 83-74, in a Mid-American Conference game at the Rockets' Savage Arena.

It was the Chippewas' second-straight win as they improved to 9-5, 7-3 MAC. Toledo is 8-6, 4-6.

How It Happened
With CMU clinging to a 70-66 lead, Davis hit a 3-pointer with 3:45 left to trigger an 8-3 spurt that ended with the Chippewas up nine, 78-69, with just under a minute to play. CMU made five of its six free throw attempts over the final 48 seconds to keep Toledo at bay.

CMU, as it did on Saturday at Akron, started like a house on fire, leading 25-8 after one quarter and 48-30 at halftime. CMU hit six of its nine 3-point attempts and made 72.4 percent of its field goal attempts in the first half.

Toledo took its turn in the third quarter, making six triples in the 10-minute stanza in outscoring CMU, 29-13. The Rockets took their one and only lead of the game, 62-61, on a Soleil Barnes triple just 13 seconds in the fourth quarter.

It was the last of 12 3-pointers Toledo would make on the night as the Rockets missed their next seven from long range.

Tough Trip
The win came in what traditionally has been a difficult place for CMU to get them. The Chippewas have lost their last two games at Savage, and Wednesday's win was just the second in the last seven games there for the four-time defending MAC champions.

"I thought we came out in the first half really ready to play," CMU coach Heather Oesterle said. "The second half we didn't come out with as much fire; they went on their run, but we responded, and we hit some big shots down the stretch.

"This is a really tough to place to come in and win here. Just proud of the effort."

Davis on a Tear
Davis, a sophomore guard, made nine of her 13 field goal attempts and finished five of eight from 3-point range. It marked the fourth-consecutive game in which she has scored 20 or more points. She scored a career-high 32 points in Saturday's win over Akron.

She also led the Chippewas with eight rebounds.

Leaders
Micaela Kelly added 17 points and a season-high eight assists against just two turnovers for the Chippewas, while Jahari Smith had 16 points and Kyra Bussell added 14.

It was a season-high point total for Smith, a junior forward, who made eight of her 10 field goal attempts.

Inside Job
Smith and Bussell made a combined 15 field goals in 22 attempts. Each had six rebounds. It was Bussell's highest point total in six games. CMU finished with 42 points in the paint to the Rockets' 20.

"It was nice to have Kyra back," Oesterle said. "I thought she did a really nice job inside and out. And Jahari, she just gets better every game. If we can get a consistent Jahari, which we've been getting recently, that makes us that much better."

Numbers
• The Chippewas finished with 21 assists, matching their second-highest total of the season.

• CMU made 34 of its 54 field goal attempts including nine of 18 3-point attempts against the Rockets. In their last two games, the Chippewas are a combined 70 of 123 (56.9 percent) from the floor including a 19-for-41 clip (46.3 percent) from the 3-point line.

• In her last four games, Davis has made 36 of her 58 shots from the floor (62 percent) and in her last two games she is 11-for-19 (57.8 percent) from 3-point range.

Next
CMU, which is ranked 19^th in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25, entertains Buffalo at McGuirk Arena on Saturday at 1 p.m.

The Chippewas defeated the Bulls, 79-63, in Buffalo on Jan. 9. The 13^th-ranked Bulls are 9-4, 6-2. Their game with Kent State scheduled for Wednesday was postponed.