Women’s basketball blows past Oakland in season opener, 104-61
After the Central Michigan women’s basketball team struggled from the free throw line in its recent exhibition, coach Sue Guevara made it clear that the result would not win championships.
One week later, in CMU’s season opener on Nov. 8 against Oakland University, Guevara’s group hit the century mark with the help of sophomore center Annie Yost’s free throw.
Guevara watched the shot fall through the net and immediately smiled.
The Chippewas (1-0) defeated Golden Grizzlies (1-1) handily at McGuirk Arena, 104-61, behind senior guard Presley Hudson’s barrage of 3-pointers.
As a matter of fact, CMU’s first points of the season came on a triple from the hand of Hudson just four seconds into the game. She finished with 26 points and five assists on 6-of-12 shooting from 3-point range.
“It was a really special night,” Hudson said. “You could feel the energy. That’s what we want every game.”
Guevara’s highlights from the game included four players in double figures, 20 points from the bench and 10 players with double-digit minutes.
Down 8-3 early, CMU stormed back to an 11-8 edge on a two-step layup by Hudson courtesy of an offensive rebound from freshman center Jahari Smith, who registered 14 points and 11 rebounds in the win.
“I’m pretty comfortable,” Smith said following the double-double. “I’ve been playing this game a long time.”
Entering the second quarter up by nine points, the Chippewas jumped on a 14-0 run for a 37-14 margin with 8:00 left in the first half. During the stretch, Hudson made three 3-pointers.
Playing side-by-side with Hudson was sophomore guard Micaela Kelly. She went 4-for-4 from 3-point range on her way to a 20-point effort. Kelly chipped in seven rebounds and seven assists in the win.
“Presley gets so much attention that they don’t look at (Micaela),” Guevara said. “If you ever come to practice when she and Presley are on opposite teams, it’s a 3-point battle war.”
Hudson and Kelly, combining for 12 assists, found senior forward Reyna Frost a majority of the time. She finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds while going 2-of-4 from the 3-point line, an area Frost focused on during the offseason.
Smith’s layup with 5:11 left in the fourth quarter put CMU ahead 97-54 for its largest lead of the game.
Due to the situation of the game, Guevara was able to play everyone on the roster. While the reserves were in the game, Hudson and Frost were on their feet, cheering intently.
“They work really hard in practice,” Hudson said of the reserves. “They give us energy, so we want to give them energy. It’s an amazing feeling.”
Making the 100th-point was Yost, a walk-on player who does not travel with the team for road games. Guevara spoke highly of the Centralis Scholar Award winner during the post-game press conference.
“Annie works really hard,” Guevara said. “She gives us everything she has on every single day. For her to break the 100-point mark was pretty special.”
Yost is one of 20 in her class at CMU receive the Centralis Scholar Award, which is full ride scholarship. In order to qualify, a student must have at least a 3.7 grade-point average and a 27 composite on the ACT or 1260 SAT in high school.
Central Michigan remains at home in a 7 p.m. Nov. 12 battle against South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits are currently 0-1 on the season.
“I thought it was a good opener for us,” Guevara said. “We will take the first one and move on.”
