Saturday, February 25
DeKalb, Ill.
2 p.m.
Central Michigan University
6-21,4-12MAC
80
at
84
Northern Illinois
15-12,7-9MAC
1
2
3
4
OT 1
OT 2
F
Central Mich.
11
17
19
20
6
7
80
NIU
18
21
13
15
6
11
84
Double-OT Heartbreak for CMU Women at NIU
2/25/2023 6:03:00 PM | Women's Basketball
DeKALB, Ill. – Saturday's 84-80 double-overtime loss at Northern Illinois may have ended any realistic hopes the Central Michigan women's basketball team had of earning Mid-American Conference Tournament berth.
But nobody can question the Chippewas' will and with a starting lineup featuring three freshmen, Saturday's loss in particular and the entire 2022-23 season in general will someday serve them well.
A'Jah Davis scored on a putback with 31 seconds remaining to put the Huskies up, 82-80, and then they added two game-icing free throws with 12 seconds remaining to end an intense back-and-forth battle during which CMU's Sydney Harris poured in a career-high 31 points, further solidifying her MAC Freshman of the Year Award candidacy.
"It's definitely disappointing, for either team, to lose that game because of the way they battled," CMU coach Heather Oesterle said after her Chippewas slipped to 6-21, 4-12 MAC with two games remaining. "I'm proud of the effort. They're getting unbelievable clutch-time experience that in the future will definitely pay off."
Freshman point guard Bridget Utberg added 19 points and seven assists for the Chippewas. She and Harris both played 49 of a possible 50 minutes and finished a combined 19 for 43 from the floor including 7 for 19 from 3-point range.
Sophomore Karrington Gordon came off the bench to finish with 13 points.
Harris hit a 3-pointer with 2:38 to play in the second overtime, tying the game 80-80. That, unfortunately, was the last time the Chippewas would score.
After Davis put NIU (15-12, 7-9) back in front, 82-80, the Chippewas had two chances to tie it or go ahead on their next possession. Anika Weekes rebounded an Utberg missed 3-pointer but could not covert and NIU rebounded.
Jayden Marable hit two free throws with 12 seconds remaining to ice it.
Davis, a 6-foot-1 senior who averages a double-double, reached that mark with 20 points and 19 rebounds. But the Chippewas limited her to just five points and six boards after halftime.
She sat on the bench for most of the third quarter in foul trouble, but when she was on the floor, CMU's Anika Weekes, Rochelle Norris and Jahari Smith took turns as her primary defender and did an admirable job of containing her over the final 30 minutes.
Her absence helped the Chippewas climb back in the game after they trailed by as many as 13 points early in the second half.
"We didn't look to double (team) her in the first half; we were kind of playing cat-and-mouse with her," Oesterle said. "But she has to have a double team. She is that good. She's strong and physical. Any time she caught the ball (after halftime) she had major congestion."
The Chippewas were down 10, 59-49, early in the fourth quarter when Utberg heated up. She hit back-to-back 3-pointers and then converted an and-one with 2:34 left in regulation to give CMU its first lead of the game, 64-63.
The rest of the way, neither team led by more than three points.
Davis hit a free throw to open the second overtime and then Marable made a jumper to give NIU a 76-73 lead. The Chippewas eventually tied it on Harris' triple with 2:38 left.
But nobody can question the Chippewas' will and with a starting lineup featuring three freshmen, Saturday's loss in particular and the entire 2022-23 season in general will someday serve them well.
A'Jah Davis scored on a putback with 31 seconds remaining to put the Huskies up, 82-80, and then they added two game-icing free throws with 12 seconds remaining to end an intense back-and-forth battle during which CMU's Sydney Harris poured in a career-high 31 points, further solidifying her MAC Freshman of the Year Award candidacy.
"It's definitely disappointing, for either team, to lose that game because of the way they battled," CMU coach Heather Oesterle said after her Chippewas slipped to 6-21, 4-12 MAC with two games remaining. "I'm proud of the effort. They're getting unbelievable clutch-time experience that in the future will definitely pay off."
Freshman point guard Bridget Utberg added 19 points and seven assists for the Chippewas. She and Harris both played 49 of a possible 50 minutes and finished a combined 19 for 43 from the floor including 7 for 19 from 3-point range.
Sophomore Karrington Gordon came off the bench to finish with 13 points.
Harris hit a 3-pointer with 2:38 to play in the second overtime, tying the game 80-80. That, unfortunately, was the last time the Chippewas would score.
After Davis put NIU (15-12, 7-9) back in front, 82-80, the Chippewas had two chances to tie it or go ahead on their next possession. Anika Weekes rebounded an Utberg missed 3-pointer but could not covert and NIU rebounded.
Jayden Marable hit two free throws with 12 seconds remaining to ice it.
Davis, a 6-foot-1 senior who averages a double-double, reached that mark with 20 points and 19 rebounds. But the Chippewas limited her to just five points and six boards after halftime.
She sat on the bench for most of the third quarter in foul trouble, but when she was on the floor, CMU's Anika Weekes, Rochelle Norris and Jahari Smith took turns as her primary defender and did an admirable job of containing her over the final 30 minutes.
Her absence helped the Chippewas climb back in the game after they trailed by as many as 13 points early in the second half.
"We didn't look to double (team) her in the first half; we were kind of playing cat-and-mouse with her," Oesterle said. "But she has to have a double team. She is that good. She's strong and physical. Any time she caught the ball (after halftime) she had major congestion."
The Chippewas were down 10, 59-49, early in the fourth quarter when Utberg heated up. She hit back-to-back 3-pointers and then converted an and-one with 2:34 left in regulation to give CMU its first lead of the game, 64-63.
The rest of the way, neither team led by more than three points.
Davis hit a free throw to open the second overtime and then Marable made a jumper to give NIU a 76-73 lead. The Chippewas eventually tied it on Harris' triple with 2:38 left.
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
Team Stats
CMU
NIU
FG%
.432
.426
3FG%
.296
.333
FT%
.500
.757
RB
35
51
TO
9
14
STL
9
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
31
FGM
12
3FGM
4
FTM
3
Pts
19
FGM
7
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG/F
/ Women's BasketballC
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballWBB Annual Golf Outing
Friday, September 12
WBB Practice
Friday, July 04
MAC WBB Tournament Press Conference
Wednesday, March 12
Video Podcast: Amy Folan Connection-Women's Basketball March Madness and the Growth of the Game
Wednesday, March 12