Cotton leads Chippewas to victory in game one of Thanksgiving Chicago trip
Junior Jewel Cotton looks to pass the ball against Middle Tennessee State Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015.
The Central Michigan women's basketball team is thankful for a healthy Jewel Cotton as well as an undefeated start to its season.
Cotton, a redshirt junior forward who missed all but four games last season due to an ACL tear, scored 19 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Chippewas defeated Loyola Chicago 68-59, in the first of two games in the Windy City over the Thanksgiving holiday.
With the win, CMU improves to 4-0 this season.
“We had some mistakes that we could have fixed, but overall it was an ugly win," Cotton said.
The Chippewas scored the lowest number of points all season against the Ramblers, who Head Coach Sue Guevara called a "physical team."
"I think (LC's physicality) hindered us from penetrating like we usually do," Guevara said. "I thought we got a little bit frustrated. I thought we were taking some contested shots.”
CMU led 17-16 after the first quarter, which included two 3-pointers from freshman guard Presley Hudson and an additional six points from redshirt junior forward Jasmine Harris.
In the second quarter, the Chippewas scuffled. They only scored four points through the first seven minutes and finished the quarter with 10. A bank shot from Cotton as time expired gave CMU a 27-25 halftime lead.
CMU went to the free-throw line only twice in the first half and shot 50 percent from the charity stripe. The Chippewas only shot .280 from the field.
“We kept fighting and maintaining our composure in the first half," Guevara said. "I thought we came out and started attacking on both ends of the floor. We started going north and south instead of east and west.”
CMU pulled away in the third quarter and worked its lead up to as much as 16. The Chippewas outscored the Ramblers 26-13 in the quarter.
Loyola cut the deficit to seven in the fourth quarter but CMU hit five free throws down the stretch, including three from Hudson, to seal its fourth win.
Hudson finished with 15 points including four 3-pointers. Senior guard Da'Jourie Turner scored 12 points to go along with five assists and Harris totaled 10 points. Sophomore forward Tinara Moore brought down 10 rebounds.
Guevara said she was pleased with the play of sophomore backup guard Amani Corley, who scored two points and dished out three assists in only 11 minutes of play.
“I thought she did a nice job of attacking and hitting open players and those players finished," Guevara said.
Guevara said that her team struggled in the post, even though CMU outrebounded the Ramblers 45-42. The Chippewas also shot 35 percent from beyond the arc compared to Loyola Chicago's 29 percent.
“I thought we had some good shots that didn’t go and I thought we had some contested shots that didn’t go," she said. "In the second half, we played more poised and more composed.”
Guevara said Cotton was successful because she was able to take her time offensively.
“Once she slowed down, I thought she was more composed and she took good shots," she said. "She was able to finish her red-zone shots, which were right in the paint, and then she also finished layups.”
Cotton, who said she is not 100 percent yet, added she knows what her team can accomplish following Wednesday's win.
“We definitely tough things out regardless of any situation," she said. "We adapt and attack even harder on both ends.”
CMU will enjoy Thanksgiving on Thursday and return to the court at 4 p.m. on Friday against the University of Illinois at Chicago.
