After long road trip, women's basketball returns home to host Miami (Ohio)
Central Michigan guard Micaela Kelly and forward Kyra Bussel high-five after scoring against Marist on Nov. 30 at McGuirk Arena.
Central Michigan's women's basketball team last hosted a game on Dec. 5.
In that game, a 70-50 victory over Iona, senior forward Gabi Bird led the way with career-high 21 points while junior guard Micaela Kelly had 17. Since then, the Chippewas have played six consecutive road games.
Over the course of a road trip that has taken the team to South Dakota, Florida and Ohio, coach Heather Oesterle and company went 5-1, with the lone loss coming at the hands of UCF in a 64-58 defeat.
The Chippewas' road swing ends when they host Miami (Ohio) Saturday in McGuirk Arena. Due to the forecasted winter storm, the game was moved to noon from its originally scheduled 1 p.m. tipoff.
Kelly scored 30 points or more in three games on the road trip, including a career-high 38 points in the Dec. 14 victory over South Dakota State.
Freshman guard Molly Davis also set a new career-high in scoring with her 23-point effort in CMU's Dec. 28 win at Bethune-Cookman.
In the Chippewas' most recent game, Bird was the hero. By scoring 17 points over a career-high 35 minutes, Bird provided a spark for the Chippewas, who sputtered offensively out of the gate. Bird hit the game-winning 3-pointer with just seven seconds left, lifting her team to a 73-71 victory over Ohio.
Kelly ranks second nationally in scoring to this point in the season by averaging 24 points per game. Rider's Stella Johnson leads the country averaging 27.8 points per game.
Junior forward Kyra Bussell averages 13.5 points and a team-high seven rebounds while Davis scores 11.9 and dishes out 4.8 assists per contest.
The RedHawks come in at 8-6 on the year and 1-1 in the Mid-American Conference. In Miami's last game, the team overcame a 14-point deficit to win over Northern Illinois. Junior guard Monique Esbrand won the game for her team with a last-second layup.
Miami is led by DeUnna Hendrix, who is in her first season with the team as its head coach. Hendrix came to Miami after spending seven seasons at High Point University in High Point, North Carolina. In her time with High Point, she compiled 125 wins.
Senior guard Lauren Dickerson leads the RedHawks in scoring with 16.7 points while senior forward Savannah Kluesner averages a team-high 8.7 rebounds per game. Freshman guard Peyton Scott has averaged 12.4 points while junior forward Kelly McLaughlin, who measures at 6-foot-3, averages 8.3.
The Chippewas average 75.2 points as a team while the RedHawks score 71.7 per game. The teams post nearly identical defensive numbers from a scoring perspective, as Central Michigan allows 70.9 while Miami allows 69.5.
The RedHawks hold a significant advantage when it comes to offensive rebounds, averaging 14.8 per game. Central Michigan allows nearly that on average, meaning that controlling the offensive boards will be pivotal.
Meanwhile, the Chippewas shoot 37% from beyond the arc, while the RedHawks shoot just 29%.
Following Saturday's game, Central Michigan takes on Ball State at 7 p.m. Wednesday in McGuirk Arena.
