Chippewas defeat Eastern Michigan, stay perfect in conference play
Maddy Watters releasing a no-look pass during Central Michigan's Jan. 11 game against Miami (Ohio) in McGuirk Arena.
Central Michigan found itself behind heading into the fourth quarter for the second straight game.
Trailing 66-61 after three quarters, the Chippewas were once again forced to dig deep and mount a fourth quarter rally. They did just that with a 9-2 run to start the quarter.
Central Michigan (13-4, 7-0) outscored Eastern Michigan 28-16 in the fourth, finishing with an 89-82 victory over the Eagles (8-9, 3-3) Wednesday in the EMU Convocation Center.
The win is the Chippewas' seventh in a row and 13th in their last 14 games.
The two teams battled throughout the first quarter, which ended in a 22-22 tie after freshman guard Molly Davis drilled a triple from the top of the key. Davis had eight points in the first and finished the contest with 14.
Central Michigan was able to gain the lead late in the second quarter after falling behind. Junior guard Maddy Watters hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 33 and Micaela Kelly ended the half with four straight points, including a buzzer beating layup, to give her team a 40-38 lead going into the break.
The two teams remained close throughout the third as the Eagles quickly erased a 4-point deficit. Juantina Agosto hit a jumper as the quarter closed to give her team the five-point advantage heading into the final quarter.
However, led by senior Gabi Bird and Kelly, the Chippewas quickly took control.
Bird opened the fourth with a triple and Kelly followed with one of her own, turning their five point deficit into a one point lead. Following a triple by Eastern Michigan's Aaliyah Stanley, Watters hit one of her own to give her team the lead.
Eastern would take the lead again with a jumper from Areanna Combs, but Kelly hit two free throws to start a 10-0 run to give her team the lead for good.
Kelly finished with 29 points, 21 of them coming in the second half. Bird paired 17 points and 11 rebounds to notch her second career double-double. Watters finished with 10 points of her own.
Combs led Eastern Michigan with 19 points while Stanley added 13. Combs added 11 boards to finish with a double-double of her own.
The Chippewas open a doubleheader with the men’s team with their showdown against Toledo at 1 p.m. Saturday in McGuirk Arena. CMU’s men’s team plays Ball State after the women’s game at 4:30 p.m.
