Women's basketball returns to dominate ways with win against Kent State
Women’s basketball returned to its dominant ways with an overwhelming victory against Kent State on Wednesday, 87-53.
CMU squeaked by with wins in a pair of tight games against Northern Illinois and Bowling Green last week. The team's 3-point shooting was back against the Golden Flashes, as it cruised to their sixth straight Mid-American Conference win.
The Chippewas shot 48.4 percent from the floor and hit 12-of-30 3-pointers, while three players had double-figure nights. Junior guard Kerby Tamm led the 3-point attack, shooting 4-of-7 from behind the arc and finishing with 12 points.
Kent State (3-14, 0-6 MAC) jumped out to a 6-2 start as junior Montia Johnson scored a pair of buckets and assisted another. The four-point advantage was the largest of the night for the Golden Flashes, as the Chippewas (10-8, 6-0) controlled the rest of the game.
Junior guard Crystal Bradford quickly amassed 11 points, three rebounds, three steals and an assist in the opening seven minutes. She finished with 21 points in 28 minutes of play with five steals and three assists.
The reining National Player of the Week's early athletic display pushed the Chippewas to an 18-3 run, which extended the lead to 39-13 with 5:21 remaining in the opening half.
Kent State made a run of its own, but was unable to come close to the Chippewas and trailed 45-27 at the half.
CMU’s 3-point shooting kicked into gear in the second half as Tamm and junior guard Jessica Green combined for three straight from behind the arc to stretch the lead to 56-34.
With the long ball working, the team started to utilize their penetration ability.
Sophomore guard Da’Jourie Turner was able to dive in the lane and get to the free-throw line. She went a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe and finished with 10 points. Freshman forward Jewel Cotton had a monster night in the post, grabbing 10 rebounds in just 16 minutes of play.
Senior guard Niki DiGuilio also found her stroke in the second half. CMU’s all-time leading 3-point shooter was in a cold streak coming into the game, but finished shooting 3-of-5 from long-range with 9 points.
