Women's basketball dominates fourth quarter, earns comeback win over Western Michigan
Central Michigan guard Molly Davis drives past a Miami (Ohio) defender during the Jan. 11 game in McGuirk Arena.
Central Michigan never backed down from its rival.
After a back and forth first half between Mid-American Conference West Division rivals, Western Michigan used a 13-2 run to take a 55-44 lead with under a minute to play in the third quarter. WMU's run was capped off by a triple from Bronco junior Reilly Jacobson.
However, the Chippewas weren't going to head into the fourth quarter without a fight. Redshirt sophomore guard Sophia Karasinski hit a jumper and senior forward Gabi Bird came up with a steal on the ensuing Bronco possession.
Bird passed to freshman guard Molly Davis, who drove across half-court as the clock ticked toward zero. As the buzzer sounded, Davis drilled a 3-pointer in front of the Chippewa bench to cut the lead to just six points heading into the final quarter.
The Chippewas (12-4, 5-0) used the momentum from the late spurt to take control of the contest, outscoring the Broncos (10-6, 3-2), 31-15, in the fourth to remain unbeaten in MAC play and claim an 80-70 victory at Western Michigan's Read Fieldhouse on Saturday.
Junior guard Micaela Kelly continued her torrid scoring production, scoring 14 of her team's 18-first quarter points. Bronco guard Chelayne Bailey hit a jumper at the first quarter buzzer to give her team the 19-18 advantage heading into the second.
The two teams battled back and forth throughout the second quarter and into the third. The lead changed hands 14 times during the game and there were five ties. With the game tied at 42 apiece, Bronco senior guard Kamrin Reed hit two free throws to start her team's 13-2 run.
After Davis' buzzer-beating triple, the Chippewas started the fourth on a 20-4 run to take a 10-point lead. Davis scored 12 in the fourth and finished with 19 points, 17 of which came after halftime. Not to be outdone, Kelly scored 7 of her game-high 31 points in the fourth. Bird also scored 10 in the final quarter and finished with 13.
For the game, the Chippewas shot 42 percent from the field and 33 percent from beyond the arc. They outrebounded the Broncos, 38-36, and held a 9-7 advantage on the offensive glass. The Broncos shot 41 percent from the field and 28 percent from 3-point range.
Jacobson led the Broncos in scoring with 20 points. Reed and Jordan Walker each had 12 while Bailey and Leighah-Amori Wool finished with 11. Redshirt senior forward Breanna Mobley grabbed 16 boards. Chippewa junior forward Kyra Bussell finished a point short of a double-double, closing with nine points and 11 boards.
Following the win, the Chippewas hit the road again to take on Eastern Michigan at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the EMU Convocation Center.
