Women's basketball wins eight straight, eyes remainder of schedule
Eight games and not one loss.
It’s a feat accomplished only twice under women's basketball Head Coach Sue Guevara, who took over the program in 2007.
The other time was during the 2013-14 season when former CMU star Crystal Bradford led the Chippewas to 12 consecutive wins from Jan. 4 to Feb. 15.
The Chippewas finished 21-12 that season, going 16-2 in Mid-American Conference competition, but the fate of this year’s team has yet to transpire.
The winning streak began Jan. 20. After a two-point win at Western Michigan Jan. 27 and one-point wins at Eastern Michigan Feb. 3 and at home against Bowling Green Feb. 6, the Chippewas escaped DeKalb Saturday with another come-back victory, 73-67.
Despite her team coming back from an 18-point second-half deficit, Guevara said her team must be more aggressive as the MAC Tournament approaches.
“I told our kids, 'A cat only has nine lives and we’ve used about five of them,” she said. “We’ve got to come out earlier and throw the first punch. Lessons have to be learned quicker.”
Senior guard Da’Jourie Turner said the team’s most recent win is a momentum builder heading into the final stretch of the season.
“It means a lot to be able to pull this one out,” she said. “We just stayed focused and stayed together. Not once did we think we were going to lose that game, and with that mentality it showed on the court.”
With no game this Wednesday, the Chippewas will have a week to learn the lessons Guevara referenced before they finish out the five remaining games on their schedule.
| Feb. 20 | vs. Toledo | Mount Pleasant | 1 p.m. |
| Feb. 24 | vs. Ball State | Mount Pleasant | 7 p.m. |
| Feb. 27 | at Western Michigan | Kalamazoo | 2 p.m. |
| March 2 | at Toledo | Toledo, Ohio | 7 p.m. |
| March 5 | vs. Eastern Michigan | Mount Pleasant | 1 p.m. |
Central Michigan is 11-2 in MAC play and 17-7 overall, which positions it in first in the West Division and second in the conference behind Ohio (19-4, 11-1 MAC).
If the MAC Tournament began today, Central Michigan would receive a bye in the first round (March 7) and go directly to Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland to play at noon (on March 9) as the second-seeded team.
Guevara said her team has to avoid slow starts to avoid an early elimination from the tournament.
“It’s something we’ll talk about and address,” she said. “The best thing is we have a week off. This team is pretty smart, so they’ll get it.”
