Wednesday, March 1
Kalamazoo, Mich.
7 p.m.
Central Michigan University
6-22,4-13MAC
65
at
74
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
Western Michigan
12-16,7-10MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Central Mich.
13
13
17
22
65
Western Mich.
21
15
18
20
74
Photo by: Sydney Kline '26 - @sydney.kline.photography
CMU Women Battle But Fall on Road at Western Michigan
3/1/2023 10:25:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Freshman Sydney Harris leads Central Michigan with 18 points, Bridget Utberg finishes with 14 points.
KALAMAZOO, Mich.— Hannah Spitzley scored a game-high 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Western Michigan to a 74-65 women's basketball win against Central Michigan Wednesday evening at University Arena.
One game remains for Central Michigan on Saturday against Akron for Senior Day at McGuirk Arena. The Chippewas will honor their seniors in a postgame ceremony.
Youthful Central Michigan drops to 4-13 in MAC play and 6-21 overall, while Western Michigan improved to 7-10 in the MAC and 12-16 overall.
Freshman Sydney Harris scored 14 of her team-high 18 points in the fourth quarter. She also grabbed seven rebounds and hit 6-19 field goals and 3-9 3-point field goals. Freshman Bridget Utberg finished with 14 points (3-9 3FG) to go along with three assists, freshman Taylor Anderson added nine rebounds and nine points, and senior Jahari Smith registered 10 points and four rebounds.
Western Michigan converted 51.0 percent (25-49) of its field goals to go along with eight 3-pointers by five different players. Spitzley hit 8-12 free throws and 8-13 field goals. Maddie Watters and Gabi Saxman both contributed nine points for the Broncos.
The difference in the game was free throwing shooting as Western Michigan hit 16 of 29 free throws, while the Chippewas were 5-10.
Western Michigan built an eight-point lead (21-13) after the first quarter. Three pointers by Maddie Watters and Spitzley and two Lauren Audino free throws closed out the quarter for WMU. In the second quarter, a 3-pointer by Utberg and a jumper by Smith cut the deficit down to six points, but the host Broncos responded with two field goals in the last minute to take a 36-26 lead into halftime.
Throughout the second half, Central Michigan battled and battled but could not cut the deficit below six points. An Utberg driving layup cut WMU's lead to 41-35 with 6:54 to play in the period. That was as close as the Chippewas came the rest of the game.
In the fourth quarter, Harris took over as she scored 14 of CMU's 22 points. CMU trailed by seven points several times but Western Michigan answered with field goals.
One game remains for Central Michigan on Saturday against Akron for Senior Day at McGuirk Arena. The Chippewas will honor their seniors in a postgame ceremony.
Youthful Central Michigan drops to 4-13 in MAC play and 6-21 overall, while Western Michigan improved to 7-10 in the MAC and 12-16 overall.
Freshman Sydney Harris scored 14 of her team-high 18 points in the fourth quarter. She also grabbed seven rebounds and hit 6-19 field goals and 3-9 3-point field goals. Freshman Bridget Utberg finished with 14 points (3-9 3FG) to go along with three assists, freshman Taylor Anderson added nine rebounds and nine points, and senior Jahari Smith registered 10 points and four rebounds.
Western Michigan converted 51.0 percent (25-49) of its field goals to go along with eight 3-pointers by five different players. Spitzley hit 8-12 free throws and 8-13 field goals. Maddie Watters and Gabi Saxman both contributed nine points for the Broncos.
The difference in the game was free throwing shooting as Western Michigan hit 16 of 29 free throws, while the Chippewas were 5-10.
Western Michigan built an eight-point lead (21-13) after the first quarter. Three pointers by Maddie Watters and Spitzley and two Lauren Audino free throws closed out the quarter for WMU. In the second quarter, a 3-pointer by Utberg and a jumper by Smith cut the deficit down to six points, but the host Broncos responded with two field goals in the last minute to take a 36-26 lead into halftime.
Throughout the second half, Central Michigan battled and battled but could not cut the deficit below six points. An Utberg driving layup cut WMU's lead to 41-35 with 6:54 to play in the period. That was as close as the Chippewas came the rest of the game.
In the fourth quarter, Harris took over as she scored 14 of CMU's 22 points. CMU trailed by seven points several times but Western Michigan answered with field goals.
—CMU—
Team Stats
CMU
WMU
FG%
.377
.510
3FG%
.348
.364
FT%
.500
.552
RB
37
37
TO
17
17
STL
7
12
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
10
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG/F
/ Women's BasketballF
/ Women's BasketballG
/ 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