Women's basketball looks to even all-time record with Western Michigan
Junior forward Reyna Frost keeps possession of the ball on Jan. 10 at McGuirk Arena.
The Mid-American Conference-leading Central Michigan women's basketball team looks to even its all-time record against rival Western Michigan this weekend.
The Broncos (11-8, 4-3 MAC) lead the all-time win column, 50-49, and CMU (15-3, 7-0 MAC) has a chance to even it up at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27 at McGuirk Arena.
Although it is a rivalry game, head coach Sue Guevara and her team said they want to enter the game with a business-like approach. CMU has responded to the pressure of being picked to win the MAC Tournament before this season.
“It’s just another game,” Guevara said. “If the emotion is really high, what happens on Wednesday when we play Buffalo?”
Guevara preaches staying in the moment and understanding the process.
“It’s great everyone else is treating this like a rivalry,” Guevara said. “For us it’s just another game that we have to play, and it just so happens to be against the Broncos.”
CMU Offense vs. WMU Defense
Central Michigan runs one of the top-scoring offenses in the MAC, while Western Michigan boasts one of the conference's top defenses.
The Chippewas lead the conference in scoring offense (83.1 points per game), free throw percentage (82 percent), field goal percentage (.458), 3-pointers per game (9.8) and sits second in 3-point field goal percentage (.386).
The Broncos rank third in the MAC for scoring defense (64.7 ppg) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.299). WMU also sits fourth in field goal percentage defense (.388) and blocks per game (3.9).
Keys for Victory
CMU will win this game if they tighten things up on defense and get production from their bench, Guevara said. Freshmen Kyra Bussell and Maddy Watters are the first two players off the bench for Central Michigan and Guevara has wanted to get them much needed experience.
“They’re freshmen so you’re going to get that uncertainty,” Guevara said. “I’d like to see them both play with a lot more confidence.”
Western Michigan may struggle to keep the Chippewas away from the glass. CMU leads the MAC in rebounding offense and scores in bunches when capable of grabbing offensive rebounds.
The Broncos are also one of the conference’s best rebounding teams, but will have to deal with former All-MAC selection Tinara Moore (tied for No. 2 in the MAC in rebounding) and Reyna Frost (No. 1).
Frost and Moore combine for nearly 400 of CMU's 763 total rebounds. Together, they average 32.1 points per game, 22.1 rebounds per game and 3.2 blocks per game.
