WBB Falls To Toledo

Wednesday, February 23

Mount Pleasant, MI

7 p.m.

Central Michigan University

4-22,2-15MAC

Toledo

22-4,16-1MAC

Toledo

Central Mich.

Photo by: Keara Chaperon '22

2/23/2022 9:59:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – For a long time, Central Michigan was the class of Mid-American Conference women's basketball.

The Chippewas have seen it from the other side in 2021-22. On Wednesday, it hit home as Toledo handed CMU a 76-52 MAC loss at McGuirk Arena. The Chippewas are 4-22, 2-15 MAC in a Murphy's Law season where whatever could go wrong, has.

The Rockets are 22-4, 16-1 and clinched a MAC regular season-title share with the win. They stand one win away from wrapping up the No. 1 seed in the league tournament.

It's a place CMU has so frequently been over the past decade.

"You look at Toledo … they've played together for three years," CMU coach Heather Oesterle said. "They're like a machine offensively and I hope someday we get our kids to that point. We're just not there. Last year (Toledo) didn't even make the MAC Tournament and now look at them; they're in first place. They're a well-oiled machine that's played a lot of minutes together."

The Chippewas started the game with seven healthy players and were down to six by the final horn as freshman Tiana Timpe left with an injury in the third quarter and did not return. Add to that the losses of senior Kalle Martinez and leading scorer Molly Davis, who missed her third straight game with an injury, and CMU finds itself having to dig deep down the stretch in the hopes of laying a foundation for next season.

Five of the seven Chippewas who dressed for Wednesday's game are freshmen.

"We have three games left and we have six healthy bodies," said Oesterle, who is in her third season in charge of the program after nine years as an assistant/associate head coach. "You just keep working at.

"(My players) still come in with great attitudes and great energy in practice; they want to get better, they're putting extra work in. I'll tell you what, our freshman class is ready to work this summer and get better to where we need to be. We all need to be on a mission to get this program back to the top next year. I think they see the great experience they're gaining, and I think they see that we're building toward something really special."

The Chippewas shot 36.4 percent from the floor and made just four 3-pointers against the Rockets, who made 50 percent of their field goal tries and were 9-for-22 from long range.

Jahari Smith scored 13 points on 6-of-10 shooting to lead CMU. All seven Chippewas scored.

"I like the fact that we get a lot of contributions offensively," Oesterle said. "Shooting percentage wise, we just have to be better. It's finding some consistency within everybody. I think (Smith has) been a pretty solid inside weapon for us, but sometimes we just really struggle shooting the ball."

Toledo ended the first quarter on a 7-2 spurt for a 16-11 lead and then outscored the Chippewas, 27-12, in the second stanza for a 43-23 halftime lead. CMU never got closer than 16 points over the final 20 minutes.