Second-Half Rally Carries Women’s Basketball Past Purdue, 57-55

Sunday, November 30

Mount Pleasant, Mich.

1 p.m.

Central Michigan University

5-2,0-0MAC

Purdue

4-3,0-0Big Ten

Purdue

Central Mich.

Photo by: Kailey Hill '26 - @rahsignz

Second-Half Rally Carries Women’s Basketball Past Purdue, 57-55

11/30/2025 4:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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Chippewa defense allows five points in the fourth quarter; Darrington ties season-high 16 points, Anderson ties career-high 13 rebounds

By: Harrison LaLone

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — "If we were going to win this game, it was going to be on the defensive end."

Central Michigan Women's Basketball held Purdue to five fourth-quarter points to overcome a 16-point second-half deficit Sunday afternoon in McGuirk Arena, 57-55.

The Boilermakers charted their largest lead with 17 minutes left in the contest, 44-28.

"We didn't let the first half dictate the second half," Head Coach Kristin Haynie said. "I thought we came out in the second half and really poured it on defensively. We turned the ball over more than we should have, but we didn't let that effect our defense and eventually got us the win."

Ayanna-Sarai Darrington (Lexington, Ky. / Frederick Douglass) scored 12 of her game-high 16 points after halftime, claiming four of a perfect eight-for-eight from the free through line by the Chippewas in the second half. She added five rebounds, a block and a steal.

"Ana [Darrington] was super strong, super tough, super physical in the paint. We're proud of how she came out against a Big Ten opponent, how we finished the game."

CMU's last victory over a Big Ten team came in the 2018 NCAA Tournament run, at Ohio State in the second round.

Taylor Anderson (South Lyon, Mich. / East) was the catalyst for the energy Central Michigan needed to rally. The four-year Chippewa tied her career-high with 13 rebounds in the contest, more than half of the entire Purdue roster (24), to go with three assists, two steals and a block—all without a turnover.

"She was a dog in the second half. Getting deflections, getting stops, rebounding: that's the mentality we want the whole game."

The Boilermakers pulled ahead early with a pair of brief spurts—a 9-2 run from the opening tip, an 8-1 run early in the second—to float on near a double-digit lead most of the first half to a 35-25 intermission tally, then pushed out to a 44-28 lead with 7:09 to play in the third.

"They were getting downhill on us in the first half, our gameplan was to defend the three because they'd been making 11 a game the last couple games."

The Chippewas allowed two three-pointers on six Purdue attempts in the first half.

"So, we adjusted our defense to protect the paint."

CMU allowed 14 of Purdue's 34 paint points in the second half, but still just one three-pointer on five more attempts.

Usually a staple of a Chippewa rally, Madi Morson (Canton, Mich. / Salem), remained quiet from the floor with just six points on three-of-12 from the field. When push came to shove, it was Morson to go two-for-two in the final two minutes to seal it for Central Michigan, tying the game, 55-55, on a fastbreak finish then winning it on a pull-up jumper from the elbow with 23 seconds left.

"We have confidence in Madi whether she's 0-for-10 or 10-for-10. We know that next shot is going in. We knew that setting up a play for her would get a bucket."

An emphatic block by Nekhu Mitchell (Baltimore, Md. / McDonogh) on Purdue's final possession put the exclamation mark on the program's first victory over a power-conference opponent since Dec. 30, 2018 (at No. 24 Miami (FL); W, 90-80), and the first at home since a 92-75 victory over Vanderbilt on Nov. 14, 2017.

Mitchell finished with eight points, five rebounds, three assists and two of CMU's six blocks—the most since senior day 2024, though all six on that day were recorded by Rochelle Norris '24.

Central Michigan Women's Basketball returns to the road for three straight, the first two against nationally ranked programs. The Chippewas visit No. 6/9 Michigan Wednesday night (Dec. 3, 7 p.m. ET), then No. 16/15 Kentucky Sunday (Dec. 7, Noon ET).

CMU opens Mid-American Conference play at home against Northern Illinois (Dec. 20, 1 p.m. ET) after a trip to Valparaiso (Dec. 17, 7 p.m. ET).

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