Bradford scores 34 as women win pair in Vegas
Women's basketball served up extra helpings of defense and long-range bombs as the Chippewas went undefeated at the South Point Thanksgiving Shootout in Las Vegas.
The Chippewas defeated Richmond 61-56 Thursday, then took down the University of Oregon 73-67 Friday.
The Chippewas take a 3-1 record into Memphis next week.
CMU Head Coach Sue Guevara said one of the keys to the women’s success was the ability to find production deep within the lineup.
“I think I got a great look at the depth of our team,” Guevara said. “It was a matter of being able to play nine people double-figure minutes. Being able to play nine to ten kids makes a big, big difference.”
That depth helped the Chippewas outlast its opponents this weekend as the women were able to rotate numerous players late into each contest.
“We’re doing a good job in the second half of wearing teams down,” Guevara said. “We were able to get them to make mistakes. We just kept the defensive pressure up and ran the floor.”
Squashing the Spiders
The Chippewas had to squeak out a victory over a relentless Richmond squad to open the tournament.
With CMU’s offense stagnant,the women’s defense rose to the occasion against the Spiders, holding Richmond to 35 percent from the field and 20 percent from the 3-point line.
“The Richmond game was a grinder,” Guevara said. “We really struggled to score, but our defense really hung in for us down the stretch.”
Bradford scored 12 points and grabbed 15 rebounds against RU, while Green led the team in points with 13 points in that game.
CMU’s Da’Jourie Turner scored nine points, and freshman Cassandra Breen added eight off of the bench for the Chippewas as they outscored Richmond’s bench 25-13.
Overall, Guevara said she was impressed with her team’s resolve and ability to perform in high-pressure moments in an intimidating environment.
“I think the thing I found out the most was that this is a very resilient basketball team,” she said. “They’re grinders. We’re working on giving 100 percent at 100 percent of the time, and just always attacking.”
Ducks get Dumped
Senior guard Crystal Bradford recorded a double-double against Oregon scoring 34 points, grabbing 15 rebounds and adding four assists. Bradford’s three blocked shots moved her into a tie for first place in career blocks at CMU, with 160.
“(Bradford) put up a good line against Oregon,” Guevara said. “I was really happy with the fact that she only had two turnovers today as opposed to what she had against Richmond.”
Bradford’s performance against the Ducks from the 3-point line was impressive. She went 6-for-10 from behind the arc.
“Big players make big plays,” Guevara said. “I thought her shot selection was good. I thought she let the game come to her.”
The women’s defense stepped up in the second half and held Oregon to 2-for-13 shooting from beyond the arc after allowing the Ducks to go 8-for-16 from from long range in the first half.
The Chippewas outscored OU 40-27 in the second half after trailing 40-33 at intermission.
