Central Michigan University Athletics
Saturday, March 8
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
1 p.m.
Central Michigan University
14-16,9-9MAC
70
vs
61
Akron
10-21,4-14MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Akron
18
10
14
19
61
Central Mich.
17
21
14
18
70
Photo by: Lauren Verellen '26 - @laurenverellen_photography
Women’s Basketball takes down Akron, 70-61, on Senior Day
3/8/2025 4:57:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Lisa Tesson tied her career high of 13 points in both games of her final week of regular season games; Morson finishes with 23 points, 499 on the season
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Central Michigan Women's Basketball rounded out the 2024-25 regular season Saturday afternoon with a 70-61 victory over Akron in McGuirk Arena.
The program recognized the career of senior Lisa Tesson (Montreal, Quebec / Royal Crown) immediately following the game.
"Lisa has had a tremendous impact for us," Head Coach Kristin Haynie said of the four-year Chippewa. "She's a little on the quiet end, but this year she got outside of her comfort zone, and she was a vocal leader for us. Without that, we probably wouldn't be going to Cleveland. It's really good to see her develop and grow, not just as a basketball player, but as a person too."
Tesson tied her career high of 13 points for the second time this week, as she did the same in her late-game heroics that clinched the Mid-American Conference tournament berth at Miami (OH) on Wednesday.
Madi Morson (Canton, Mich. / Salem) led the offense with 23 points on an efficient 9-of-17 from the field, 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. She collected 10 points in the third quarter to keep the Zips at bay in the second half.
Morson's output finished her freshman regular season at 499 points (16.6 per game), just eight shy of tying the program's record for total points by a freshman (Sue Nissen, 507 points; 1987-88).
With its invitation to next week's Mid-American Conference tournament already in hand, CMU appeared to struggle at times against an opponent it defeated, 75-55, on the road in January without Haynie on the sideline. The contest opened with a 10-4 Akron run in the first five minutes.
"I thought we played flat sometimes in the game. Our defense wasn't as good as it should've been.
"We had great moments where we found each other; fifteen assists for us is pretty high. We made shots, so that was really good to see. I'm glad we were able to finish it on a high."
The Chippewas put it all together early in the second quarter with a 17-3 run that spanned from the final minute of the opening period to almost the midway point of the second. The run marked the first double-digit margin of the game, 31-21 CMU, with 5:48 to go. The final lead change occurred on a Morson three-pointer early in the second.
Three-point shooting played a key role in Central Michigan's control of the contest. The 17-3 run featured seven of Riley Smith's (Miamisburg, Ohio / Archbishop Alter) nine points while she, Tesson, Morson and Jayda Mosley (Cincinnati, Ohio / Purcell Marian) combined for 10-for-15 from beyond the arc in the game.
"Those players do an excellent job of getting in extra time in the gym. It's no surprise that they're knocking threes down. It's good to see them get rewarded because they are putting the time in."
The Chippewas' 62.5 percent clip from three-point range was the best in any game since Feb. 12, 2005 and the second-most all-time in games with more than 15 attempts behind a Western Michigan matchup on Feb. 19, 2002 (11-of-16; .688).
Haynie also unloaded the bench early and often, with all 11 players to see floor getting time before intermission. Smith and Mosley combined for 15 of CMU's 25 bench points to seven from the Zips.
"We need bench production for sure [when it comes to postseason play]. We just have to continue to stay with it. I felt like we shared the ball today, we were looking for other people, and that was good to see.
"We were moving without the ball, which is where we were getting some of our points too. Setting good screens and finding people when they're open is where we got better at today."
The emphasis for the Chippewas as they turn to next week's tournament will be maintaining their own standard.
"It's about us. If we dictate and don't play flat, we're pretty dangerous. We'll continue to work on taking care of the ball in practice and just preparing for our gameplan for Toledo."
Central Michigan Women's Basketball will battle the second-seeded Rockets in the third game of the MAC Championship Quarterfinals from Rocket Arena in the mid-afternoon Wednesday.
The contest will tip off at approximately 4:30 p.m. ET, following the day's opener (No. 1 Ball State vs. No. 8 Western Michigan, 11 a.m. ET) and the middle-seed game (No. 4 Kent State vs. No. 5 Miami (OH) that begins 30 minutes after the first game's conclusion.
The program recognized the career of senior Lisa Tesson (Montreal, Quebec / Royal Crown) immediately following the game.
"Lisa has had a tremendous impact for us," Head Coach Kristin Haynie said of the four-year Chippewa. "She's a little on the quiet end, but this year she got outside of her comfort zone, and she was a vocal leader for us. Without that, we probably wouldn't be going to Cleveland. It's really good to see her develop and grow, not just as a basketball player, but as a person too."
Tesson tied her career high of 13 points for the second time this week, as she did the same in her late-game heroics that clinched the Mid-American Conference tournament berth at Miami (OH) on Wednesday.
Madi Morson (Canton, Mich. / Salem) led the offense with 23 points on an efficient 9-of-17 from the field, 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. She collected 10 points in the third quarter to keep the Zips at bay in the second half.
Morson's output finished her freshman regular season at 499 points (16.6 per game), just eight shy of tying the program's record for total points by a freshman (Sue Nissen, 507 points; 1987-88).
With its invitation to next week's Mid-American Conference tournament already in hand, CMU appeared to struggle at times against an opponent it defeated, 75-55, on the road in January without Haynie on the sideline. The contest opened with a 10-4 Akron run in the first five minutes.
"I thought we played flat sometimes in the game. Our defense wasn't as good as it should've been.
"We had great moments where we found each other; fifteen assists for us is pretty high. We made shots, so that was really good to see. I'm glad we were able to finish it on a high."
The Chippewas put it all together early in the second quarter with a 17-3 run that spanned from the final minute of the opening period to almost the midway point of the second. The run marked the first double-digit margin of the game, 31-21 CMU, with 5:48 to go. The final lead change occurred on a Morson three-pointer early in the second.
Three-point shooting played a key role in Central Michigan's control of the contest. The 17-3 run featured seven of Riley Smith's (Miamisburg, Ohio / Archbishop Alter) nine points while she, Tesson, Morson and Jayda Mosley (Cincinnati, Ohio / Purcell Marian) combined for 10-for-15 from beyond the arc in the game.
"Those players do an excellent job of getting in extra time in the gym. It's no surprise that they're knocking threes down. It's good to see them get rewarded because they are putting the time in."
The Chippewas' 62.5 percent clip from three-point range was the best in any game since Feb. 12, 2005 and the second-most all-time in games with more than 15 attempts behind a Western Michigan matchup on Feb. 19, 2002 (11-of-16; .688).
Haynie also unloaded the bench early and often, with all 11 players to see floor getting time before intermission. Smith and Mosley combined for 15 of CMU's 25 bench points to seven from the Zips.
"We need bench production for sure [when it comes to postseason play]. We just have to continue to stay with it. I felt like we shared the ball today, we were looking for other people, and that was good to see.
"We were moving without the ball, which is where we were getting some of our points too. Setting good screens and finding people when they're open is where we got better at today."
The emphasis for the Chippewas as they turn to next week's tournament will be maintaining their own standard.
"It's about us. If we dictate and don't play flat, we're pretty dangerous. We'll continue to work on taking care of the ball in practice and just preparing for our gameplan for Toledo."
Central Michigan Women's Basketball will battle the second-seeded Rockets in the third game of the MAC Championship Quarterfinals from Rocket Arena in the mid-afternoon Wednesday.
The contest will tip off at approximately 4:30 p.m. ET, following the day's opener (No. 1 Ball State vs. No. 8 Western Michigan, 11 a.m. ET) and the middle-seed game (No. 4 Kent State vs. No. 5 Miami (OH) that begins 30 minutes after the first game's conclusion.
Team Stats
UA
CMU
FG%
.365
.451
3FG%
.235
.625
FT%
.524
.609
RB
35
37
TO
9
15
STL
10
2
Game Leaders
Pts
23
FGM
9
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
1
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's BasketballG
/ Women's BasketballF
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