Moore, Hudson combine for 49 points, not enough as Chippewas lose at Toledo 76-72
Central Michigan women’s basketball had to win Wednesday night to claim the Mid-American Conference West Division, but will have to wait until Saturday to attempt winning a championship again.
CMU went into Savage Arena and dropped the season series against the Toledo Rockets, falling 76-72. Toledo earned a bye in the MAC tournament with the win.
Sophomore forward Tinara Moore had her 16th double-double of the season and led all scorers with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman guard Presley Hudson had 23 points.
CMU (19-9, 13-4 MAC) turned the ball over seven times in the first quarter. Three of those were from Moore. The Chippewas were down by five at the end of the first.
By the end of the second quarter, the Chippewas cut UT's lead down to three points, 38-35. Coming off the bench was redshirt junior forward Jewel Cotton, who had seven rebounds at the end of the first half.
Once the third quarter started, Hudson took over the game. She had 14 of her 23 points in the third quarter, four of her made shots being 3-pointers.
The Rockets (17-11, 12-5 MAC) led for most of the game — 29 minutes and 28 seconds — but the Chippewas made it close in the fourth quarter as Moore, who went 10-16 on the night, had six of her field goals in the fourth quarter.
Sophomore guard Cassie Breen got fouled and made both free throws, tying the game at 64 with nearly three minutes left to play. From there, CMU and Toledo exchanged shots until the game was tied at 72. Breen ended the game with five points.
Toledo freshman center Kaayla McIntyre, who averages just 6.1 points per game, came into the game with 27 seconds left. McIntyre got an offensive rebound and laid in the go-ahead layup with 1.7 seconds left. She finished with 18 points.
After a CMU timeout, Hudson's inbound pass to a backdoor-cutting Jasmine Harris became wedged in between the backboard and rim. The possession arrow pointed towards the Rockets. A CMU intentional foul and two UT free-throws sealed the game's decision. Rockets win 76-72.
CMU will return home for its final game of the season on Saturday at 1 p.m. against the Eastern Michigan Eagles (19-9, 10-7 MAC). CMU can still win the MAC West Division with a win over EMU or a Toledo loss.
Follow CM Life and @CMLifeSports for more coverage of Wednesday's game and comments from Head Coach Sue Guevara.
