Women's basketball opens MAC Tournament quarterfinals against Eastern Michigan


kjt-1737

Senior center Reyna Frost holds the ball away from a defender during a game against Eastern Michigan on Jan. 26 at McGuirk Arena.

College basketball players and coaches understand the difficulty of defeating one team three times in a row.

The No. 1 Central Michigan will be tasked with just that as they take on No. 9 Eastern Michigan in the Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinals at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

These two teams met on March 2 at the EMU Convocation Center and the Chippewas defeated the Eagles with an 87-60 thrashing. 

The March 2 game was much different than the Jan. 26 matchup in McGuirk Arena that saw the Chippewas score a 71-61 victory, where the Eagles made the game interesting in the final minutes but faced too large a deficit to complete the comeback.

Senior forward Reyna Frost averaged 23.5 points in those two victories over the Eagles this season, scoring 26 at home and 21 on the road. She also averages 14 rebounds per game, as she tallied that many in both contests.

On a somewhat contrary note, senior guard Presley Hudson scored just seven points in the March 2 contest after pouring in 21 of her own points in the Jan. 26 matchup. 

CMU secured a share of the MAC West Division title against EMU before winning the division outright against Western Michigan March 6, and the conference regular season championship in its finale on March 9 at home against Toledo. 

The regular season title put CMU as the top seed in the tournament and gave them a first-round bye. 

Despite finding success in the regular season, Hudson knows that the mindset must be one game at a time, and the team cannot set sights on the championship before getting there.

"Teams can quickly look ahead to the championship game but you have to win games to get there," Hudson said. "It's so important to make sure you focus on each game." 

CMU won its third consecutive regular season conference championship, and coach Sue Guevara said it did not cross her mind that her squad had won three in a row.

"It didn't cross my mind because I'm just so tunnel, just tunnel," Guevara said. "I think when it's all said and done, when we're all done and we go to our banquet and I sit back and reflect on everything that this senior class has accomplished then I'm sure that the floodgates will open."

The Chippewas are the defending MAC Tournament champions after earning last year's crown.

Chippewas to watch for

While Frost and Hudson have paced the Chippewas by scoring 21.7 and 20.5, respectively, they will need other contributions in the scoring department to be able to defeat the Eagles.

One of those major contributions should come from sophomore guard Micaela Kelly. She averages 14 points per game on the season. Kelly put down 21 points with five assists in the latest matchup against EMU. The Detroit native scored 11 points in the first battle.

Another sophomore guard for CMU can help contribute, not only with scoring but momentum, which is key in tournament play. Maddy Watters only averages 6.5 points per game but most of her points come from long range.

The Rockford native had easily her best game of the season the last time these two teams squared off. She scored a career-high 24 points by virtue of a career-high seven 3-pointers. 

Should Frost or Hudson find themselves in foul trouble in this game or tournament, Kelly and Watters will need to step up to fill the void left by the seniors.

Scouting the Eagles

The Eagles are led by their star senior guard Danielle Minott, who averages a team-best 13.6 points per game and is second on the team with 61 steals per game. 

Minott scored 21 points in the first matchup of these two teams while she only put in six in the latter matchup. She poses a defensive presence with her leadership and pick-pocketing ability.

Sophomore guard Corrione Cardwell is the opposite of Minott. She averages 12.8 points per game and leads the team with 68 steals. She, too, can create momentum on the defensive end of the floor. 

The Eagles bounced No. 8 Akron from the tournament in the first round on March 11 at James A. Rhodes Arena with a 61-59 thriller.

Game time

The Chippewas and Eagles tip off at noon on March 13 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The winner of this game will play the winner of the Kent State-Buffalo matchup in the semifinals.

Share: