First-Place Chippewa Women Return Home

Wednesday, January 6

Mount Pleasant, Mich.

2 p.m.

Central Michigan University

Akron

Photo by: Benjamin Suddendorf

1/5/2021 1:43:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Central Michigan Game Notes Akron Game Notes Game Program

Akron on deck for Wednesday matinee

By: Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Central Michigan women's basketball team will look to remain perfect in the Mid-American Conference on Wednesday (2 p.m.) when it welcomes Akron to McGuirk Arena for a league game.

The Chippewas are 5-2, 3-0 MAC and coming off a dramatic 90-87 victory at Ohio on Saturday. Akron is 3-3, 0-3. The Zips fell at Toledo, 65-57, on Saturday. Wednesday's game is CMU's first at McGuirk Arena in three weeks.

CMU shares the top spot on the league with Bowling Green, Buffalo and Kent State. All are 3-0 in league play. CMU is ranked seventh in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25.

Delivering
CMU senior guard Micaela Kelly has lived up to the billing this season as one of the top players in the nation, let alone the MAC.

Kelly was named on Tuesday the MAC Player of the Week after her 28-point, six-rebound, four-assist performance on Saturday at Ohio. Kelly, the reigning MAC Player of the Year, was named before the season to the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List and was ranked 23^rd on ESPN's list of the top 25 players in the nation. The Lieberman award goes to the top point guard in women's college basketball.

Kelly is averaging 23.7 points per game, ranking third in the MAC and 13^th nationally. She also averages 5.6 rebounds per game and is fourth in the league with a .468 field goal percentage.

Plenty of Support
Certainly, Kelly is garnering much of the attention – deservedly so – when it comes to the Chippewas, but she is far from a one-woman team.

Sophomore guard Molly Davis is eighth in the conference in scoring at 17.9 points per game and is third in assists (4.6). Two other Chippewas, seniors Kyra Bussell (13.3) and Maddy Watters (11.0), also score in double figures and Bussell is the Chippewas' top rebounder at 7.0 per game.

Watters is making 54.1 percent of her 3-point attempts, ranking fifth in the league in that category.

The Chippewas are expected to be at full strength on Wednesday. Bussell, who missed Saturday's game at Ohio, is expected to play.

Where They Stand
The Chippewas rank second in the league in scoring at 76.9 points per game and are eighth in points per game allowed (72.4).

CMU is holding opponents to a .257 3-point field goal percentage, the best in the MAC. The Chippewas are making 37.9 percent of their 3-point tries and are averaging 11.6 triple per game. Both marks are best among MAC teams.

Good Competition
The Chippewas' two losses came to Michigan State and to Michigan, two teams that are a combined 15-0. The Wolverines are ranked 15^th; MSU is 23^rd.

Scouting
The average margin of defeat in the Zips' three MAC losses is just 7.6 points and they held the lead in the fourth quarter in two of those games.

Jordyn Dawson, a 5-foot-11 senior, leads Akron in both scoring (17.5 points per game) and rebounding (8.8); Lonasia Brewer, a 5-11 sophomore, is second in both categories (14.8 points; 6.3 rebounds).

Akron is averaging 72.7 points per game and ranks fifth in the league in scoring, and is surrendering 68.7 per game, ranking sixth. The Zips are second in the league (behind CMU) in field goal percentage at .431 and they are third (.366) in 3-point field goal percentage. The Chippewas (.379) are second.

The Chippewas have won six consecutive games against the Zips.

Next
CMU is scheduled to go to Buffalo on Saturday (1 p.m.) for a MAC game. The Bulls, who are 6-2 overall, are scheduled to play at Eastern Michigan on Wednesday.