Central Michigan University Athletics
Wednesday, January 4
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
7 p.m.
Central Michigan University
79
vs
62
Northern Illinois
Rochelle Norris finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks on Wednesday as the Chippewas downed NIU at McGuirk Arena.
Photo by: Sydney Kline '26 - @sydney.kline.photography
All Good, All Around
1/4/2023 10:37:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Norris posts double-double as women's basketball hits on all cylinders in winning MAC opener
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Contributions from every corner, even one who didn't play.
The Central Michigan women's basketball team turned in its best performance of the season on Wednesday in posting a feel-good 79-62 victory over Northern Illinois in the Mid-American Conference opener at McGuirk Arena.
It was the second straight win for the Chippewas (3-9), who took their lumps with a relatively young lineup against a rugged nonconference schedule.
"Jahari told us, 0-0 in conference, new year, new team," said CMU's Rochelle Norris, referring to injured teammate Jahari Smith. "I think we needed just one little spark and once we had that one little spark we'll just keep going and going."
The Chippewas got plenty of sparks all around, most notably from Norris, a 6-foot-5 junior transfer from Virginia Tech who made a major impact with 17 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks. All three totals were career bests as she made six of her seven field goal attempts and was 5-for-6 from the free throw line.
It was the first collegiate double-double for Norris, who didn't appear in a game last season at Virginia Tech while rehabbing an ACL injury, the second of her career.
"How she played today is what she does in practice," CMU coach Heather Oesterle said. "She hadn't played in like two years, so she had to get back in game shape and be confident in games. She's coming along really well. We know what she's capable of. She can have a pretty special year if she keeps improving."
Norris came off the bench and logged 35-plus minutes, controlling the paint on both ends and defending NIU's 6-1 A'Jah Davis, who finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds, but had to scrap and claw for everything she got.
"We worked a lot in (practice) on how to defend her, and to win we had to stop their best players and (Davis) is one of them," Norris said. "I was going to D up, do my best, and help this team win."
The Chippewas concentrated heavily on stopping NIU guard Chelby Koker, one of the league's top all-around offensive players. Koker scored eight points in the first quarter but had just two in the second and third quarters combined and finished with 15.
Credit for that went primarily to CMU freshman Taylor Anderson, who bird-dogged Koker for much of the night.
"We threw a lot of different bodies at her," Oesterle said. "I thought Taylor played a hell of a game on defense. We were trying to wear her down. We've got some long athletic players and they're tough on the ball. When they get aggressive, we can be disruptive."
"(Anderson) wants to be a great defender. I give her a ton of credit."
Sydney Harris scored 21 points, Bridget Utberg added 16, and Anderson added 14 for the Chippewas. Harris and Utberg combined to finish 8-for-16 from 3-point range.
The Chippewas came out on fire, making 70.4 percent of their field goal attempts – including a 6-for-8 performance from 3-point range – in building a 46-32 halftime lead. The 46 points was by far CMU's season high for a half this season.
CMU led by as many as 21 points in the third quarter before NIU (8-4) drew to within eight, 66-58, with under eight minutes to play in the game.
After a Chippewa timeout, Anderson scored on a runner and then Anika Weekes scored on a baseline drive to restore the lead to double digits, 70-58.
Those two buckets triggered a 10-0 CMU run after which the lead swelled to 76-58 with under two minutes remaining. NIU went scoreless for more than six minutes while the Chippewas pulled away.
"Those were two big plays, two big possessions and we kept our composure," Oesterle said. "I love how we share the ball. It doesn't get stuck in anybody's hands. It was a fun game for everybody, and our bench had great energy too."
The Chippewas shot 57.7 percent from the floor overall and 52.9 percent from 3-point range, both season bests. Their 79 points were one shy of their season high which came in Sunday's nonconference win over Chicago State.
"I think we just needed to see the ball go in the basket the last couple of weeks, just to get our confidence," Oesterle said. "Our people are accepting their roles. Our drivers are getting to the basket, our shooters are knocking down shots, and our inside play is coming alive. Feels really good to get this one.
"We have to keep building off this. We can't get complacent. We outworked them today, I thought, and that was the main goal and we've got to keep doing that."
The Central Michigan women's basketball team turned in its best performance of the season on Wednesday in posting a feel-good 79-62 victory over Northern Illinois in the Mid-American Conference opener at McGuirk Arena.
It was the second straight win for the Chippewas (3-9), who took their lumps with a relatively young lineup against a rugged nonconference schedule.
"Jahari told us, 0-0 in conference, new year, new team," said CMU's Rochelle Norris, referring to injured teammate Jahari Smith. "I think we needed just one little spark and once we had that one little spark we'll just keep going and going."
The Chippewas got plenty of sparks all around, most notably from Norris, a 6-foot-5 junior transfer from Virginia Tech who made a major impact with 17 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks. All three totals were career bests as she made six of her seven field goal attempts and was 5-for-6 from the free throw line.
It was the first collegiate double-double for Norris, who didn't appear in a game last season at Virginia Tech while rehabbing an ACL injury, the second of her career.
"How she played today is what she does in practice," CMU coach Heather Oesterle said. "She hadn't played in like two years, so she had to get back in game shape and be confident in games. She's coming along really well. We know what she's capable of. She can have a pretty special year if she keeps improving."
Norris came off the bench and logged 35-plus minutes, controlling the paint on both ends and defending NIU's 6-1 A'Jah Davis, who finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds, but had to scrap and claw for everything she got.
"We worked a lot in (practice) on how to defend her, and to win we had to stop their best players and (Davis) is one of them," Norris said. "I was going to D up, do my best, and help this team win."
The Chippewas concentrated heavily on stopping NIU guard Chelby Koker, one of the league's top all-around offensive players. Koker scored eight points in the first quarter but had just two in the second and third quarters combined and finished with 15.
Credit for that went primarily to CMU freshman Taylor Anderson, who bird-dogged Koker for much of the night.
"We threw a lot of different bodies at her," Oesterle said. "I thought Taylor played a hell of a game on defense. We were trying to wear her down. We've got some long athletic players and they're tough on the ball. When they get aggressive, we can be disruptive."
"(Anderson) wants to be a great defender. I give her a ton of credit."
Sydney Harris scored 21 points, Bridget Utberg added 16, and Anderson added 14 for the Chippewas. Harris and Utberg combined to finish 8-for-16 from 3-point range.
The Chippewas came out on fire, making 70.4 percent of their field goal attempts – including a 6-for-8 performance from 3-point range – in building a 46-32 halftime lead. The 46 points was by far CMU's season high for a half this season.
CMU led by as many as 21 points in the third quarter before NIU (8-4) drew to within eight, 66-58, with under eight minutes to play in the game.
After a Chippewa timeout, Anderson scored on a runner and then Anika Weekes scored on a baseline drive to restore the lead to double digits, 70-58.
Those two buckets triggered a 10-0 CMU run after which the lead swelled to 76-58 with under two minutes remaining. NIU went scoreless for more than six minutes while the Chippewas pulled away.
"Those were two big plays, two big possessions and we kept our composure," Oesterle said. "I love how we share the ball. It doesn't get stuck in anybody's hands. It was a fun game for everybody, and our bench had great energy too."
The Chippewas shot 57.7 percent from the floor overall and 52.9 percent from 3-point range, both season bests. Their 79 points were one shy of their season high which came in Sunday's nonconference win over Chicago State.
"I think we just needed to see the ball go in the basket the last couple of weeks, just to get our confidence," Oesterle said. "Our people are accepting their roles. Our drivers are getting to the basket, our shooters are knocking down shots, and our inside play is coming alive. Feels really good to get this one.
"We have to keep building off this. We can't get complacent. We outworked them today, I thought, and that was the main goal and we've got to keep doing that."
Players Mentioned
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