Central Michigan University Athletics
Saturday, February 8
Huntington, WV
1:00 PM
Central Michigan University
10-13,5-6MAC
73
at
68
Marshall
7-17,2-10Sun Belt
1
2
3
4
F
Central Mich.
21
18
15
19
73
Marshall
24
12
19
13
68
Photo by: Madison Davidson '25 - @_mld.jpeg
Late Rally Powers Women’s Basketball Past Marshall, 73-68
2/8/2025 5:08:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Darrington, Lawson each post a double-double and season-high 22 points, Morson posts 12 of 18 points in the second half; Chippewas log 16-2 run in final five minutes to recover from nine-point deficit
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Clutch play won the day as Central Michigan Women's Basketball took down Marshall, 73-68, in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge with a 16-2 run over the final 4:39.
"We told them if we want to win this game, we have to get stops," Head Coach Kristin Haynie said. "We talked about getting stops and rebound so we can start our break. Proud of them for not giving up and continuing to fight until the very end."
The run was powered by Saturday's leading trio: Jess Lawson (Las Vegas, Nev. / Legacy), Ayanna-Sarai Darrington (Lexington, Ky. / Frederick Douglass) and Madi Morson (Canton, Mich. / Salem). Lawson and Darrington each posted a season-high 22 points and a double-double; Morson put up 18 points, leading the Chippewas with eight in the fourth quarter.
Morson confidently converted a four-point play with just over two minutes to go, regaining the lead for Central Michigan, who was trailing by nine points just two minutes prior.
"Her confidence comes from preparation. Players say they want to be great, so what are they doing outside of practice to be great? Madi is staying in the gym and it's paying off for her."
Lawson scored all six of her fourth-quarter points from the free throw line, going 4-for-4 in the final 10 seconds to ice the game.
Darrington stole the show early, scoring seven of CMU's first nine points, had 11 with 90 seconds left in the first quarter. The Chippewas found assists on five of their first six buckets.
"Havin a post presence is huge. Anna has really stepped up her confidence and isn't playing like a freshman anymore."
Marshall kept up with an efficient offense, shooting 60 percent (12-for-20) from the floor through the first 12 minutes, broke out to its largest lead of the half, 29-23.
Lawson posted eight points, six rebounds in the second quarter as CMU responded with a 12-2 run, handcuffing the Herd to a 3-for-12 clip on field goals for the final eight minutes of the half.
"Jess is a worker, she's another one that will do everything you ask of her. She leaves it all out there every time she steps on the floor.
"To be her size leading the league in rebounding—I have never seen anything like that. That's just toughness, grit and having a 'want to' attitude to go get every rebound."
Darrington led all scorers into the half with 15 points, 6-for-7 from the field, while Lawson was already poised for her double-double at 12 points, seven rebounds: Marshall had answers for both to start the second half.
The Herd worked back up to a three-point lead with over three minutes left in the third quarter, powered mostly by over three scoreless minutes from Central Michigan in the heart of the quarter. Morson briefly put the Chippewas back up by three, 52-49, with the bucket that made her CMU's third in double-digits.
The fourth quarter saw a 9-0 run for Marshall that lasted from the one-minute mark in the third to 8:53 to go in fourth, 61-54. As Central Michigan worked to shift momentum, neither team scored for nearly three minutes until Darrington scored CMU's first points in the quarter, her first field goal of the second half.
Facing Marshall's largest lead, 66-57, the Chippewas unloaded a 10-0 run in just over two minutes, highlighted and capped by the Morson four-point play that led her to 12 points in the second half.
"We talked about getting defensive stops, that's what will win us the game, and the team did just that. I'm proud of their poise down the stretch, keeping their composure and focusing on one possession at a time."
Lawson hit four straight free throws in the final 11 seconds to go to ice the game and set a new season-high of 22 points, her second 20-point game of the season, in the last three games.
Central Michigan Women's Basketball will have a week to refocus on its conference slate before its rematch at Bowling Green next Saturday (Feb. 15).
"We told them if we want to win this game, we have to get stops," Head Coach Kristin Haynie said. "We talked about getting stops and rebound so we can start our break. Proud of them for not giving up and continuing to fight until the very end."
The run was powered by Saturday's leading trio: Jess Lawson (Las Vegas, Nev. / Legacy), Ayanna-Sarai Darrington (Lexington, Ky. / Frederick Douglass) and Madi Morson (Canton, Mich. / Salem). Lawson and Darrington each posted a season-high 22 points and a double-double; Morson put up 18 points, leading the Chippewas with eight in the fourth quarter.
Morson confidently converted a four-point play with just over two minutes to go, regaining the lead for Central Michigan, who was trailing by nine points just two minutes prior.
"Her confidence comes from preparation. Players say they want to be great, so what are they doing outside of practice to be great? Madi is staying in the gym and it's paying off for her."
Lawson scored all six of her fourth-quarter points from the free throw line, going 4-for-4 in the final 10 seconds to ice the game.
Darrington stole the show early, scoring seven of CMU's first nine points, had 11 with 90 seconds left in the first quarter. The Chippewas found assists on five of their first six buckets.
"Havin a post presence is huge. Anna has really stepped up her confidence and isn't playing like a freshman anymore."
Marshall kept up with an efficient offense, shooting 60 percent (12-for-20) from the floor through the first 12 minutes, broke out to its largest lead of the half, 29-23.
Lawson posted eight points, six rebounds in the second quarter as CMU responded with a 12-2 run, handcuffing the Herd to a 3-for-12 clip on field goals for the final eight minutes of the half.
"Jess is a worker, she's another one that will do everything you ask of her. She leaves it all out there every time she steps on the floor.
"To be her size leading the league in rebounding—I have never seen anything like that. That's just toughness, grit and having a 'want to' attitude to go get every rebound."
Darrington led all scorers into the half with 15 points, 6-for-7 from the field, while Lawson was already poised for her double-double at 12 points, seven rebounds: Marshall had answers for both to start the second half.
The Herd worked back up to a three-point lead with over three minutes left in the third quarter, powered mostly by over three scoreless minutes from Central Michigan in the heart of the quarter. Morson briefly put the Chippewas back up by three, 52-49, with the bucket that made her CMU's third in double-digits.
The fourth quarter saw a 9-0 run for Marshall that lasted from the one-minute mark in the third to 8:53 to go in fourth, 61-54. As Central Michigan worked to shift momentum, neither team scored for nearly three minutes until Darrington scored CMU's first points in the quarter, her first field goal of the second half.
Facing Marshall's largest lead, 66-57, the Chippewas unloaded a 10-0 run in just over two minutes, highlighted and capped by the Morson four-point play that led her to 12 points in the second half.
"We talked about getting defensive stops, that's what will win us the game, and the team did just that. I'm proud of their poise down the stretch, keeping their composure and focusing on one possession at a time."
Lawson hit four straight free throws in the final 11 seconds to go to ice the game and set a new season-high of 22 points, her second 20-point game of the season, in the last three games.
Central Michigan Women's Basketball will have a week to refocus on its conference slate before its rematch at Bowling Green next Saturday (Feb. 15).
Team Stats
CMU
Marsh
FG%
.373
.375
3FG%
.167
.250
FT%
.778
.682
RB
57
31
TO
13
8
STL
1
8
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
7
Pts
22
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
F
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