Women’s basketball fends off Northwood in exhibition
Taking a one-point edge with 56 seconds left in the third quarter, Northwood had the Central Michigan women’s basketball team on upset alert.
Moments later, sophomore guard Maddy Watters, fresh off the bench, pulled up and found the bottom of the net on an and-one 3-pointer from the left corner to put the Chippewas back ahead.
From that point on, CMU, led by now-12th-year coach Sue Guevara, never looked back in its exhibition match against Northwood University.
Even though the Timberwolves hung around for a majority of the game, the Chippewas eventually pulled away, earning a 74-61 victory on Nov. 1 at McGuirk Arena in the annual Hoops for Hunger game.
“It was great to be back in uniform,” Guevara said. “We have a long way to go. We shot 26 percent from the 3-point line, that’s not quite Central Michigan basketball. Again, it’s an exhibition, and it’s done.”
The game opening basket came from junior forward Gabrielle Bird, who got her defender in the air on a shot fake, took one dribble and scored.
Keeping the game close early was Northwood sophomore guard Kenzie Seeley. She went 5-of-6 from the field in the first half for 10 points.
Senior guard Presley Hudson, who knocked down 125 3-pointers last season, made her first of the new campaign to give CMU a 23-19 lead with 7:38 remaining in the second quarter.
The pick-and-roll combination between Hudson and senior forward Reyna Frost helped pace the Chippewas to an 11-point edge at halftime. Hudson had six assists at the break, and she finished with 15 points and accommodated teammates eight times.
But Hudson said a 15-point, eight-assist performance isn’t enough.
“Wasn’t pretty,” Hudson said of the exhibition. “We are going to focus on getting better and improving. We need to get better.”
Last season, Frost averaged a double-double. Against Northwood, she picked up where she left off by logging 17 points and 18 rebounds.
Northwood scored first in the second half on a right-handed finger roll on the left side of the lane from sophomore guard Ellie Taylor, cutting her team’s deficit to nine points. On the Timberwolves next two possession, Taylor dropped back-to-back 3-pointers.
Just as CMU’s advantage was trimmed to five points with 7:08 left in the third, freshman center Jahari Smith found the bottom of the net on an assist from Frost. Bird’s ensuing 3-pointer put the Chippewas back up by nine.
Following Watters’ clutch 3-pointer from the corner, Hudson exploded with back-to-back triples for a 12-point edge.
Hudson, a few plays following, pushed the ball up the floor and dumped it off to freshman center Jahari Smith, who spun around her defender and scored for a 66-50 advantage with just over six minutes to play.
In Smith’s first start of her CMU career, she scored 15 points and pulled down six rebounds.
“Every day over the summer, Jahari and I figured each other out,” Frost said. “She has good hands and can finish. I only expect her to improve from here.”
The Timberwolves, under head coach Jeff Curtis, were led by Taylor in the loss. She registered 16 points, five rebounds and one assist. Other double-digit scorers included Seeley, junior guard Adrianna Stolicker and redshirt freshman forward Brooke Ditto.
“We have to have better communication defensively,” Guevara said. “We need to switch tighter and get a hand up on shooters. Once someone hits one, get in her face and make her put it on the ground.”
Central Michigan will play Oakland University at 7 p.m. on Nov. 1 in the regular season opener at McGuirk Arena.
