Women’s basketball team advances to MAC quarterfinals in Cleveland

The CMU women’s basketball team is headed to the Mid-American Conference Tournament in Cleveland for the second consecutive season.

No. 6 seed CMU advanced to the quarterfinals Sunday by defeating No. 11 seed Ohio 69-66 in front of 416 at the final game played at Rose Arena.

“I want you to know how proud I am of this team,” said coach Sue Guevara. “They battled. They kept getting after it.”

Junior forward Kaihla Szunko led the Chippewas with her 11th double-double of the season, scoring a game-high 25 points and 11 rebounds.

After missing a pair of free throws that would have given CMU a lead with 49 seconds remaining, Szunko collected the rebound from her second attempt and went up for a layup while being fouled. She converted the layup into a three-point play, giving CMU a 67-65 lead and its 10th home win of the season.

“I got an instinct inside and I just went after the ball,” Szunko said. “I was a little nervous with my free throws since the game was on the line. I think it got to my head a little bit.”

CMU (12-17) had a tough time putting together momentum early on, committing seven turnovers and allowing Ohio to open a 20-13 lead with 6:59 remaining in the first half. With a lack of production from her guards, Guevara elected to put in freshman guard Jalisa Olive.

“We start off slow sometimes and then I come in, just bringing energy and bring everybody together,” Olive said.

Olive helped spark the CMU offense with a pair of 3-pointers and had a steal that resulted in made free throws. She finished with 14 points and three steals.

“She was shooting the ball really well today in shoot-a-round — she couldn’t miss,” Guevara said. “She came in and, defensively, she was all over them and was able to get some deflections.”

CMU could not sustain the first half momentum, however, as poor shooting (26.9 percent) and a lack of rebounding (25-13 edge for the Bobcats) allowed Ohio to go on an 11-2 run to close the half with a 36-25 lead. Ohio shot 43.8 percent from the floor, including going 5-of-12 from 3-point range.

“We weren’t attacking and we were trying to force things, trying to make something happen,” Guevara said. “And when you do that, you don’t really play the game.”

CMU showed a sense of urgency at the start of the second half, pressuring Ohio and forcing turnovers that allowed the Chippewas to get back in the game.

“We just came out with more momentum and were ready to play,” Olive said. “We weren’t ready to go home.”

Junior guard Shonda Long (12 points, seven rebounds) scored CMU’s first five points of the half, bringing the team back within striking distance of the Bobcats, where the Chippewas would stay before taking a late second-half lead.

“It was that attacking mentality that got us going,” Guevara said. “We were able to take care of the ball because we were jump-stopping and actually moving to go get the pass.”

CMU shot 53.3 percent from the floor in the second half, compared to Ohio’s 40.7 percent.

Senior forward Britni Houghton, still nursing an injured left knee, did not start for the second consecutive game. She tallied four points, four assists and three rebounds in 22 minutes.

St. Johns native Jenny Poff led the Bobcats with 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting from 3-point range. Junior center Thia Gholson scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Ohio (7-23).

“It was a tough game,” said Ohio head coach Semeka Randall. “Free throws down the stretch hurt us. Credit to Central … for stepping up and doing whatever it takes, whether that’s jumping on the floor for a loose ball, rebounding the basketball or going in and finishing free throws.”

CMU plays No. 3-seed Kent State at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.