Sealing the deal: Chippewas thrive in late situations to secure road victory over Buffalo
Central Michigan had been there before.
There was an early Chippewa lead, a big opponent run erasing a double-digit lead and a half-court buzzer-beater to end the third quarter.
All of these characteristics were present in the Chippewas' season-opening loss to Green Bay. However, the similarities don't stop there. Junior guard Micaela Kelly fouled out early in the first overtime. When the game remained tied after the first overtime, it was deja vu inside Buffalo's Alumni Arena.
Central Michigan had a chance to fully avenge its mistakes from early in the season. In the loss to Green Bay, the Chippewas shot just 18-for-25 from the free throw line and struggled to score without both Kelly and junior guard Maddy Watters, who also fouled out, on the floor.
However, on Wednesday at Buffalo, the Chippewas took the proverbial next step and finished the job without their star on the floor.
Led by the efforts of a competitive freshman and an unlikely hero off the bench, Central Michigan was able to close the deal on the road and secure a 98-93 double-overtime victory over Buffalo on Wednesday.
With Kelly fouled out, sophomore guard Kalle Martinez stepped onto the floor. Martinez set career-highs in points and minutes Wednesday night, scoring seven points in 14 minutes.
First, she stole the ball and tied the game in overtime with a layup. It was her only made field goal of the night, but she was far from done with her scoring contribution for the Chippewas. She was 4-of-4 in the second overtime at the free throw line and finished 5-of-6 overall from the line.
"(I'm) just going to do whatever the team needs me to do," Martinez said. "I'm there to get rebounds, play defense (and) if they need me to score. I'm just blessed to have the team that I have to allow me to just play a part."
Freshman guard Molly Davis scored 28 points, including seven in overtime. She fell a minute short of her career-high in minutes, playing 48 as opposed to her 49 minutes played in the opener against Green Bay. Against the Bulls, she hit a career-high six 3-pointers, including two pivotal shots when her team needed them most.
After Buffalo's Elea Gaba made a layup with just four seconds to go in the third quarter, Davis caught the inbound pass and answered with a buzzer-beating triple from beyond half court to put her team in front, 66-61, heading into the final stanza. She also hit a go-ahead triple in the second overtime period and put her team up three minutes later with two clutch free throws.
Davis, who was haunted in the loss to Green Bay with two missed free throws in overtime, moved past the season-opener to deliver clutch free throws to seal wins in the Chippewas' last two games over Toledo and the Bulls.
In addition to Davis' success, junior guard Maddy Watters and junior forward Kyra Bussell each finished with double-digit scoring efforts. Bussell earned her fourth double-double of the season after pulling down 17 rebounds in addition to her 15 points. Watters poured in 16 points and hit three 3-pointers in the win.
Kelly finished with her first career triple-double with 14 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds. To round out the team's double-digit scorers, senior forward Gabi Bird put up 15 points and was a rebound shy of a double-double.
The Chippewas were able to piece together solid performances from a multitude of contributors in order to secure a road win and stay undefeated in Mid-American Conference play.
