Frost, Hudson excel as women's basketball dominates Akron
Central Michigan women's basketball started off 2019 with their Mid-American Conference opener against Akron.
The Chippewas (10-3, 1-0 MAC), coming off their 90-80 road upset of the Miami Hurricanes on Dec. 30, dominated the game with a 91-74 victory over the Zips (9-3, 0-1 MAC) on Jan. 5 at McGuirk Arena.
Coach Sue Guevara's group executed with a strong shooting performance from two star players.
The Chippewas had a slow start, falling behind by as many as 13 points towards the end of the first quarter. They shot 7-16 from the field, and the Zips shot 11-16 while taking an edge.
"We just had to pick up the defensive intensity," sophomore guard Micaela Kelly said. "If you get stops, the offense will come."
CMU began making shots and building confidence as the first quarter ended. The Chippewas continued more of the same, opening the second quarter on a 6-0 run led by senior forward Reyna Frost.
The second quarter was the opposite of the first, as the Chippewas turned their offensive efforts around and more than doubled-up the Zips by halftime.
Frost continued her impressive season, dropping in 18 points going to the break. Most of her points came in the paint. She ended the game with a career-high 31 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for a double-double.
Frost became the MAC career rebound leader and was honored after the game.
"I owe that all to my teammates," Frost said. "Everyone was giving me good passes down low, that's all to them."
Kelly's strong performance proved to be pivotal, as she contributed 11 points in the opening half. She hit the first of two 3-pointers in a momentum turning sequence. On the other 3-pointer, senior guard Presley Hudson stole the inbound pass and hit from downtown to give the Chippewas a lead late in the first half.
Hudson struggled in the first quarter but turned her game around in the second. She went to the locker room with 10 points.
The Chippewas went to halftime with a 46-38 lead, and looked as if though they would carry the momentum with them.
As the teams returned for the second half, the Zips came out hot and brought the score to within one possession, but Frost, Hudson and Kelly led the Chippewas – scoring at will.
The Chippewas took control of the game and dominated most of the second half. The defense was the foundation for the domination.
"(Kelly) got us going a little bit with her defense with the deflections she was able to get," Chippewa head coach Sue Guevara said. "I knew were going to be able to score early, and we got (Frost) the ball in the paint."
CMU will hit the road on Jan. 9 to take on the Ohio Bobcats in Athens, Ohio.
