Women's basketball faces Ball State with MAC West title on the line

On Wednesday night, the Central Michigan women’s basketball team was tested by taking on Northern Illinois (18-8, 11-4 Mid-American Conference) who was one game behind them in the MAC West standings.

The Chippewas respond with a program record 72-point first half, owning the Huskies from start to finish, winning by a final score of 109-86.

So what does CMU get for its next game? Arguably their toughest test of the season.

CMU (21-6, 13-2) will take on Ball State at 2 p.m. Saturday at Worthen Arena. 

With two games left after this contest, the Chippewas can clinch a share of the MAC West title with a win over the Cardinals.

CMU, who has won the MAC West two out of the last three seasons, is riding a season-high seven-game win steak coming into the game.

Head coach Sue Guevara said she isn't paying any attention to the standings, but rather whatever the next game is.

“Everyone else can pay attention to the standings. I think we just need to stay in the game,” Guevara said of her teams focus. “If I start looking at the standings and seeing who is where, I guess I’m just not smart enough, maybe my brain gets too jumbled. It’s all just staying with what we have to do.”

As far as the Ball State game goes, Guevara said she knows it won’t be an easy place to play, just like anywhere else in the MAC.

“Is there an easy place to play in this conference? There just is not,” Guevara said. “Ball State has a nice inside game, they've got a pretty good inside game, so I anticipate this game to be just as good as the one that was played here.”

Here are some key points for this matchup.

Season Series

  • CMU defeated Ball State, 101-92, at McGuirk Arena on Jan. 11. The Chippewas made 17 3-pointers to set a program high for the most in a single game.
  • Sophomore guard Presley Hudson scored a program-record 43 points in the win. Renee Bennett led the Cardinals by scoring 22 points.
  • Rebounding was in favor of CMU 35-27 in the last meeting, but the Chippewas gave up 18 turnovers while the Cardinals only were forced into 10.
  • Both teams shot well, with CMU finishing at 58.1 percent from the field and 60.7 percent from 3-point distance, while Ball State finished at 53.6 percent and just 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.


A look at the Cardinals

  • Ball State has won two consecutive games, both on the road. The first was a 92-84 win over Northern Illinois, and 83-72 over Western Michigan.
  • Ball State has four players averaging double figures in scoring, with Bennett leading the Cardinals at 17.6 points per game, while Moriah Monaco is right behind her averaging 16. Jill Morrison checks in at 10.3 and Destiny Washington rounds out the group with an even 10.
  • The Cardinals have been good at home this season, where they check in with a 9-4 home record. CMU meanwhile is riding a three-game winning streak on the road, which has their away record even at 5-5.


CMU’s Latest Trends

  • The Chippewas, who rank second in the MAC and 16th nationally in scoring (78.7 points per game), have surpassed the 100-point plateau four times this season. All four of those occasions have come in their last 12 games.
  • CMU continues to climb the Mid-Major Top 25 to now No. 15 on the CollegeInsider.com. The Chippewas are the highest-ranked MAC team in the poll. Ohio is the closest behind them sitting at 17th.
  • Hudson still leads the team in scoring at 18.2 points per game, coming off of a 33-point performance against NIU. The next three Chippewas in line behind Hudson are junior forward Tinara Moore (15.6), junior guard Cassie Breen (13.9) and then senior forward Jewel Cotton (11.6).

Chasing a Record

  • Moore, who had her fifth double-double of the season and 24th of her career on Wednesday with 24 points and 15 rebounds, was just one block away from a triple-double with nine.
  • Moore has 60 blocks on the season, and needs just three more to break Ann Skufka’s record of 62 she set back in the 2006-07 season.

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