Women’s basketball looking for another win against NIU
Women's basketball is looking to continue its strong Mid-American Conference start at 2 p.m. Saturday in McGuirk Arena when Northern Illinois comes to town.
The Huskies come in as the hottest three-point shooting team in the MAC at 36 percent. Standing out for NIU is sophomore guard Amanda Corral, who is No. 6 in the MAC in scoring (13.1 points per game).
But, CMU is also highly touted offensively. The Chippewas are second in the MAC in scoring (73.7 points per game), third in field goal percentage (.416) and third in 3-point field goal percentage (.336) with Niki DiGuilio who is currently number eight in the country (46.9).
“If you look at both teams, how both teams play, it's an exciting brand of basketball," said head coach Sue Guevara.
The Chippewas are second in the MAC in scoring (73.8 points per game), second in field goal percentage (.415) and third in 3-point field goal percentage (.335) with junior guard Niki DiGuilio, who is currently No. 8 in the country (46).
Overall, they are one of the best offensive teams in the MAC, but they will be challenged against one of the toughest defenses in NIU, who has been holding opponents to an average of 57.9 points per game, good for No. 3 in the MAC.
The Chippewas currently lead the MAC West by a game over Toledo, while the Huskies are 0-3 in MAC play and have struggled away from home, with a 3-8 road record.
NIU comes into this game on a four-game losing streak as it lost to Valparaiso, Buffalo, Ball State and Akron.
"When we come out, we have to give our best shot," Guevara said. "Regardless of who we're playing."
After a big win at the Rockets and two home wins against Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan, CMU looks to increase its lead in the MAC West.
A large part of the success women’s basketball has been experiencing has been, in part, due to the play of Crystal Bradford.
Over the past three games Bradford is averaging 22 points including a career-high 27 against Toledo helping the team win at Savage Arena for the first time since 2006.
