Watters settles into new role as Chippewas blow past Western Kentucky


0f4a2220
Sophomore guard Maddy Watters shoots a three-point basket against Western Kentucky on Nov. 17 at McGuirk Arena.

From Monday to Saturday, the glaring growth in sophomore guard Maddy Watters’ game was her confidence and newfound lack of hesitation. 

Watters finally settled in after going 1-of-5 from 3-point range during a nail-biting loss to South Dakota State in her first career start. The shot opportunities were the same, but this time the ball fell through the net.

She came up short on her first attempt but then dropped in four-straight 3-pointers – leading Central Michigan’s stunning 38-point first quarter effort and setting a tone for her peers.

Finding her role on the team, Watters’ 18 points helped the Chippewas (2-1) to a 108-90 victory over Western Kentucky on Nov. 17 at McGuirk Arena. 

“Western Kentucky has a pretty aggressive zone (defense), and we were able to shoot them out of it in the first quarter,” said CMU coach Sue Guevara. “There was no hesitation to shoot the ball or not.”

Watters, jogging from right to left on the baseline, put her defender in a daze, found an opening in the Hilltoppers’ (0-4) defense and fired off a 3-pointer. 

Her shot sunk through the net, as did the next three to give the Chippewas a 29-18 edge just seven minutes into the game. 

“I’m learning to take those shots,” Watters said. “With more playing time (than last year), I can produce more. My teammates kept telling me to shoot more, so I was just trying to find the open spots.”

Watters wasn’t called on to play 38 minutes of defiant basketball like Monday night. She took a break from time-to-time, giving senior Presley Hudson and sophomore Micaela Kelly a chance to shine from beyond the arc.

As expected, Hudson and Kelly did just that. 

The two guards were in double-digit scoring as individuals at halftime, and they combined for 53 points when the final whistle sounded at McGuirk Arena. On her own, Hudson logged 34 points, four rebounds and six assists. She was 8-of-14 from the field, 6-of-11 from 3-point range and 12-of-12 from the free throw line. 

“Presley’s always ready,” Guevara said. “When your seniors are pretty locked in, it helps everyone else.”

Freshman center Jahari Smith hurried down the lane as Watters flipped a one-handed pass from below her waist. Smith received the ball cleanly and scored for a 55-39 edge as four minutes remained in the first half.

Smith finished with 19 points, while senior forward Reyna Frost chipped in 10 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists – her 33rd career double-double. 

Senior guard Presley Hudson drives past a defender on Nov. 17 at McGuirk Arena.

Going further than Watters’ offensive bombardment was her tenacious, down-your-throat defense – giving Kelly and Hudson steal opportunities on errant skip passes. But the rising star’s six assists, one turnover performance was highly impressive to Guevara.

The Hilltoppers, down 18 points earlier in the contest, fought back for a seven-point deficit on a layup by Dee Givens from the left side of the lane with 1:45 remaining in the third quarter – forcing Guevara to burn a timeout. 

Attempting just one 3-pointer in the second and third quarters, Watters opened the fourth with a corner triple. To nobody’s surprise, it rattled home for an 86-73 edge. Her next shot did the same for a 16-point Chippewa lead with under 7:15 to play.

At one point near the end of the game, Hudson said someone yelled out, “It looks like Cassie Breen out there, but that’s Maddy Watters.”

Breen started all 35 games as a senior in 2017-18. She scored 12.1 points per game, a majority coming from the 3-point line. Breen held the CMU program record for career 3-pointers made until Hudson passed her up earlier this season with 304 triples. 

Through a barrage of free throws, CMU maintained its edge for a 108-90 win against Western Kentucky. Givens paced the Hilltoppers with 23 points, five rebounds and two assists on 9-of-16 shooting from the field. 

The Chippewas’ next game is 5 p.m. Wednesday against Central Florida at McGuirk Arena. 

Share: