CMU routs Illinois 82-51 before holiday break
Looking for a resume-building win against a Big Ten Conference opponent, Central Michigan women's basketball came to McGuirk Arena on Monday to take on Illinois.
The result was convincing.
The Chippewas defeated the Illini by a final score of 82-51. Sophomore guard Presley Hudson lead all scorers with 26 points while adding five assists. Hudson moved into tenth place in CMU history in 3-pointers with 113 total after making 6-of-11 Monday night.
CMU lead in almost every major statistical category. They won the turnover battle 16-15, out-rebounded the Illini 46-32, and CMU shot just over 47 percent (28-59) from the field while Illinois shot just under 30 percent (19-64).
Another huge factor in the blowout is CMU shot just over 48 percent (14-29) from 3-point range. Those 14 triples tied for the school’s fifth best all-time record in 3-pointers made in a single game.
Head Coach Sue Guevara said that was the main reason the team was able to pull away from the Illini in convincing fashion.
“Having four kids finish in double-figures without Jewel Cotton is huge and obviously shooting 48 percent from 3-point range will win you a lot of games,” Guevara said. “We’ve been struggling with that, but we moved the ball really well and were making the extra pass, showing this team is very unselfish.”
The Chippewas (8-3) after the win tonight split their two games played against the Big Ten, improving their home record to 6-1.
Besides Hudson, the Chippewas had three other players finish in double-digits. Junior guard Cassie Breen had 18 points while adding two rebounds. Junior forward Tinara Moore finished with 14 points and had eight rebounds.
Junior guard Aleah Swary (who replaced senior forward Jewel Cotton in the starting lineup) finished with 12 points and added five rebounds of her own. Sophomore forward Reyna Frost didn't quite reach double-digits in scoring with seven points, but had a career high in rebounds with 21 on the night.
Frost said it felt good to get back to getting the kind of production she wants on the glass, after not doing so the past couple of games.
“The past couple of games, I haven't been rebounding as well as I would of liked,” Frost said of her career night. “I really just wanted to come out in this game strong and I think we did as a team overall. This was the best we've played all year, we had energy on every quarter.”
Hudson also spoke on how big the rebounds are for the team’s shooting ability from deep range.
“Getting rebounds are big because it allows us to get more possessions,” Hudson said. “It gets us better shots and we are more open.”
Cotton, who has been dealing with a high ankle sprain over the past week, dressed but did not play tonight. According to Guevara, she was available if needed.
“She dressed and could've been available, but she wasn't quite one hundred precent,” Guevara said of the injured senior. “She has about five days to rest and hopefully that will help her back to one hundred percent.”
The Chippewas don't play again until Dec. 28 when they take on Middle Tennessee State on the road. Tipoff Is scheduled for 7 p.m.
