Bench comes up big in win against Kent State

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A team will only go as far as its bench takes it.

It’s something that CMU women’s basketball head coach Sue Guevara is adamant about.

While Kent State’s bench outscored Central Michigan’s 22-14 on Saturday, it was the Chippewas role players that came up big when needed.

Each player on CMU’s (16-7 overall, 8-3 MAC) understands her role. Freshman guard Kylie Welch manages the game, sophomore guard Jalisa Olive provides energy on both sides of the ball and freshman forward Taylor Johnson uses physical play to haul down rebounds and helps contribute offensively.

On any given day any Chippewa can step up.

On Saturday, it was Olive’s turn.

The 5-foot-4 guard provided a much-needed boost of energy in the second half of its 78-72 win against the Golden Flashes.

“Her role is to defend and get everybody else involved,” Guevara said of Olive. “Her defense got us going.”

CMU found itself in a 10-point hole with 6:25 remaining.

At the 3:55 mark it was tied at 66. Within that 2:30, Olive had scored four points, got a steal and an offensive rebound.

“We were able to battle back and it’s a big confidence builder for this program,” Guevara said.

Olive had six points on 3-of-6 shooting in just 13 minutes.

Her ability to provide that spark on both sides of the ball is the main reason why CMU is 16-7.

Welch and Johnson struggled to get into any rhythm off the bench, but that’s the beauty of this team.

One night it’ll be Welch and her ability to find the open player, another night it’ll be Olive with a big steal, but the dangerous part is when a majority of the bench is in rhythm.

CMU has been committed defensively since its 92-89 loss against Buffalo on Jan. 26th. It’s on a four-game winning streak and has held three of those four opponents to less than 73 points, two of which were under 65.

Guevara made a defensive switch halfway through the second half, reverting from a 2-3 zone that proved ineffective against the Golden Flashes offense to a 2-1-2 zone. With a different lineup on the floor, the Chippewas were able to erase a 10-point deficit.

Equally as important, the bench is also getting the attention of the senior leaders of the team.

“It’s about our defense,” said senior forward Kaihla Szunko, who finished with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting and 11 rebounds for her 16th double-double of the season. “We won’t let teams take advantage of us.”