Wednesday, February 19
Ypsilanti, Mich.
6:30 p.m.
Central Michigan University
11-14,6-7MAC
74
at
62
Eastern Michigan
1-23,0-13MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Central Mich.
25
13
20
16
74
Eastern Mich.
10
16
15
21
62
Photo by: Lauren Verellen '26 - @laurenverellen_photography
Women’s Basketball Paces Eastern Michigan, 74-62
2/19/2025 10:26:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Darrington logs third 20-point outing of last four, Chippewas cruise after pair of 10-0 runs in the first quarter
YPSILANTI, Mich. — Central Michigan Women's Basketball took out Eastern Michigan, 74-62, in a rebound victory in Mid-American Conference play, vaulting back into seventh in the league standings.
Ayanna-Sarai Darrington (Lexington, Ky. / Frederick Douglass) recorded her third 20-point game in her last four outings to lead the way in scoring and rebounding (8)—shared with Jess Lawson (Las Vegas, Nev. / Legacy).
Darrington, the MAC leader in field goal percentage—near 59 percent on the season—and offensive rebounding—well-over three per game—shot 10-for-16 from the floor and aided CMU to an 18-5 advantage in second chance points with six offensive rebounds. She compiled her line in 18 minutes on the floor as she battled early foul trouble before the bench was unloaded late.
"She's doing a good job of being patient with the ball when she gets it and not rushing her shots," Head Coach Kristin Haynie said. "When we can get her the ball, she's pretty efficient in the paint."
The Chippewas finished the contest with a 46-36 edge in the lane, a 34-20 margin through the first three quarters. Of 30 field goals made, 23 were collected in the paint.
"We talk about getting the ball inside more. I thought we did a better job, especially in the second half, when they were able to vary their defenders."
The Chippewas opened the contest on a 10-0 run then, after some back-and-forth out of the first media break, they repeated the effort to end the first quarter.
"It's very important to start games out strong," Head Coach Kristin Haynie said. "Overall, we got the win, and we did some good things."
Darrington and fellow rookie Madi Morson (Canton, Mich. / Salem) each tallied eight in the opening quarter. Morson would finish with 16 on 6-for-12 shooting in a turnover-free 25 minutes.
CMU was up 15, 32-17, midway through the second quarter thanks to one of three long-range makes from Lisa Tesson (Montreal, Quebec / Royal Crown). Tesson and Jayda Mosley (Cincinnati, Ohio / Purcell Marian) combined for the Chippewas' five in eight attempts.
The Eagles had drawn back within 10 points early in the third quarter.
"We had a really good start, then we got flat in the second half. That's a work in progress for us and sometimes it happens in practice. So, for us to be consistent in games we have to be consistent in practice."
The Chippewas responded with a 12-2 run to double the advantage, 50-30. Their largest lead, 56-33, came late in the third quarter to allow the rotation to deepen. Nine different players collected at least 14 minutes.
"A lot of players got some good minutes, and they earned it in practice. If you earn it, you play well, you play hard, then you'll earn playing time in the game."
Central Michigan Women's Basketball turn around to host arch-rival Western Michigan, looking for a four-game sweep of its in-state MAC foes. Saturday's tip with the Broncos is set for 1 p.m. ET.
"We talk about wanting to be the best MAC team in Michigan, and we took care of that tonight. Now we have one more game, but we approach everything the same."
Ayanna-Sarai Darrington (Lexington, Ky. / Frederick Douglass) recorded her third 20-point game in her last four outings to lead the way in scoring and rebounding (8)—shared with Jess Lawson (Las Vegas, Nev. / Legacy).
Darrington, the MAC leader in field goal percentage—near 59 percent on the season—and offensive rebounding—well-over three per game—shot 10-for-16 from the floor and aided CMU to an 18-5 advantage in second chance points with six offensive rebounds. She compiled her line in 18 minutes on the floor as she battled early foul trouble before the bench was unloaded late.
"She's doing a good job of being patient with the ball when she gets it and not rushing her shots," Head Coach Kristin Haynie said. "When we can get her the ball, she's pretty efficient in the paint."
The Chippewas finished the contest with a 46-36 edge in the lane, a 34-20 margin through the first three quarters. Of 30 field goals made, 23 were collected in the paint.
"We talk about getting the ball inside more. I thought we did a better job, especially in the second half, when they were able to vary their defenders."
The Chippewas opened the contest on a 10-0 run then, after some back-and-forth out of the first media break, they repeated the effort to end the first quarter.
"It's very important to start games out strong," Head Coach Kristin Haynie said. "Overall, we got the win, and we did some good things."
Darrington and fellow rookie Madi Morson (Canton, Mich. / Salem) each tallied eight in the opening quarter. Morson would finish with 16 on 6-for-12 shooting in a turnover-free 25 minutes.
CMU was up 15, 32-17, midway through the second quarter thanks to one of three long-range makes from Lisa Tesson (Montreal, Quebec / Royal Crown). Tesson and Jayda Mosley (Cincinnati, Ohio / Purcell Marian) combined for the Chippewas' five in eight attempts.
The Eagles had drawn back within 10 points early in the third quarter.
"We had a really good start, then we got flat in the second half. That's a work in progress for us and sometimes it happens in practice. So, for us to be consistent in games we have to be consistent in practice."
The Chippewas responded with a 12-2 run to double the advantage, 50-30. Their largest lead, 56-33, came late in the third quarter to allow the rotation to deepen. Nine different players collected at least 14 minutes.
"A lot of players got some good minutes, and they earned it in practice. If you earn it, you play well, you play hard, then you'll earn playing time in the game."
Central Michigan Women's Basketball turn around to host arch-rival Western Michigan, looking for a four-game sweep of its in-state MAC foes. Saturday's tip with the Broncos is set for 1 p.m. ET.
"We talk about wanting to be the best MAC team in Michigan, and we took care of that tonight. Now we have one more game, but we approach everything the same."
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Team Stats
CMU
EMU
FG%
.492
.462
3FG%
.417
.250
FT%
.818
.714
RB
39
22
TO
18
17
STL
7
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
10
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Players Mentioned
F
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