Lack of focus, miscues cost women's basketball in 'disappointing' loss to Memphis
With 16.1 seconds to go and the ball on its side, the Central Michigan women's basketball team called a timeout with the scored tied at 61 against Memphis.
Head Coach Sue Guevara diagrammed a play and made sure her two best 3-point shooters, freshman guard Presley Hudson and sophomore guard Cassie Breen, were on the floor. She also had freshman forward Reyna Frost and sophomore forward Tinara Moore in the post.
After catching the ball on the inbound pass, CMU senior guard Da'Jourie Turner committed the last of her team's 20 turnovers and Tigers guard Ariel Hearn took it the other way for a 3-point play.
A last second, desperation 3-pointer by Hudson fell short.
Turnovers, again, plagued the Chippewas as they fell to the Tigers 64-61 in the annual Hoops for Hunger game Tuesday at McGuirk Arena.
CMU has lost four consecutive games after starting its season 4-0 while Memphis moves to 5-5. CMU also sits at .500 with a 4-4 record.
“It was a very disappointing loss," Guevara said. "I told our team I feel like a very broken record when it comes to turnovers because the turnovers are killing us right now.”
Memphis Head Coach Melissa McFerrin was an assistant coach at CMU from 1984-1990.
How they came to 61-61
The Chippewas started the game with four turnovers within the first two minutes. Memphis jumped out to a 6-0 advantage early before Breen scored CMU's first eight points. CMU trailed 18-17 after the first.
“We did start off slow," Frost said. "We did have some high points in the game. We had some people who hit some shots but we’re not looking for the open people. We’re rushing the ball. We need to be more patient.”
In the second quarter, a jumper from redshirt junior Jasmine Harris tied the game at 24. Baskets by Moore, Frost and Hudson pushed the lead to 30-26 before a three from sophomore guard Aleah Swary pushed the lead to five. The Chippewas led 33-30 going into the break.
The Tigers came out of the locker room and scored four quick points in two minutes to take a one-point lead. Hudson hit two free throws late in the quarter to give CMU its own one-point lead, but the Tigers again scored four points to end the quarter and lead 51-48 heading into the final frame.
Swary hit back-to-back threes in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 54. She had nine points off three 3-pointers in 14 minutes of action.
“She’s a 3-point shooter," Guevara said. "That’s her job. I was pleased. It’s (about) looking for consistency.”
A 3-pointer from Frost and drive from Turner gave CMU a 61-56 lead before Memphis called a timeout. CMU was held without a field goal for the final 6:07 and missed three opportunities to score on its last possession.
“We kept pushing and towards the end we kind of fell apart," Breen said. "We just didn’t look for open people. It’s just a tough loss.”
Moore led CMU with 13 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. Frost added 11 points and eight rebounds in her first career start. Guevara is looking for more consistency from Moore and redshirt junior Jewel Cotton, who scored zero points.
“I hope I really irritated her so that she can get it through her head to come in and make a difference," Guevara said. "Why Jewel (Cotton) was not attacking is beyond me.”
Breen finished with 11 points after leaving the game with 5:57 left in the third quarter with an ankle injury. She returned later in the quarter after taping it up.
The Tigers were led by Hearn's 18 points.
The game featured 12 ties and eight lead changes. CMU outrebounded the Tigers 46-31, but only scored six points on 17 offensive rebounds.
“We need to do something with those rebounds," Frost said. "We need to limit our turnovers.”
Finals week struggles
Frost also said some players were not focused on the games but exams.
“Coach told us at practice we can’t focus (on exams during the game)," she said. "We need to save that for (Tuesday night) and the next few days. Some people just weren’t focused and we need to get better at balancing academics and schooling so we can come out and be strong.”
The game was the team's annual Hoops for Hunger event, which saw schools such as Central Montcalm, Harrison and Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart invade McGuirk Arena for the afternoon to make up an announced attendance of 3,000.
Prizes were given to the schools that brought the most food for the Hoops for Hunger event.
“It was great having all those kids there and I’m sure they loved it, at least it sounded like it," Breen said. "It was a great time (and) good experience for them."
The Chippewas now focus their attention to the rest of their exams and their next game, which is at 2 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 21 at McGuirk Arena against Southern Illinois University Evansville.
Guevara said she will continue to tweak her starting lineup until the early turnovers are eliminated.
“We’re on a roller coaster and right now we’re on a downswing," she said. "We have to go back to some basic fundamentals."
