CLEVELAND – Western Michigan’s David Kool wasn’t going to lose his final game against his top rival without doing something about it.

Kool, who leads the Mid-American Conference in scoring with 20.9 points per game, was quiet in the first half of WMU’s 69-60 win against Central Michigan in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals at Quicken Loans Arena.

CMU’s defense was able to render him non-effective, holding him to only two points on 0-of-4 shooting. CMU led 31-22 at halftime.

Western Michigan senior guard David Kool drives against CMU's Robbie Harman on Thursday during the first half of WMU's 69-60 win. Kool had 26 points, including 24 in the second half, to lead the Broncos in the Mid-American Conference quarterfinals in Cleveland. (Daniel Monson/Senior Reporter)

It looked as though the MAC Player of the Year who scored 31 points in the teams’ previous meeting on Feb. 27 in Mount Pleasant was not going to be an issue for the Chippewas.

But Kool came out in the second half on a mission — to not let the game get away and, more importantly, put his team in a position to win.

“When we’re down by 10 points or so, I feel like it’s on me to get us back into it sometimes,”  Kool said. “Sometimes that’s what you go to do. (You have) to count on your teammates that when you get doubled you can pass the ball and they can make plays.”

After CMU extended the lead to 47-34, its biggest of the game, with 13:42 remaining, Kool realized it was time to do something.

Within 1 minute, he scored five consecutive points for WMU, including a layup that turned into a three-point play after a foul by junior forward Marko Spica. The play brought the Broncos  crowd to life and proved to be key in turning around the game.

“You knew they were going to start running and getting it into his hands,” said coach Ernie Zeigler.

After cutting CMU’s lead to single digits, Kool had another three-point play that brought WMU the closest it had been to the Chippewas since midway through the first half. All of a sudden, CMU’s lead was all but evaporated with 10 minutes to go.

“We were able to get out and run a little bit, and allowed to David to work it in a little bit more space, which was the game plan,” said WMU coach Steve Hawkins.

Kool’s six consecutive points late in the second half gave WMU its first lead of the game and put the Broncos up 58-54 with 3:42 to go. CMU could not overcome the scoring blitz, as he tacked on another five points through free throws to seal the win for WMU.

“It’s just a matter of the guys finding me a lot more and getting into space – just trying to make plays,” Kool said.

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Members of the women's basketball team react during the final minutes of their loss against Kent State on Wednesday during the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament in Cleveland. (Daniel Monson/Senior Reporter)

CLEVELAND — The Central Michigan women’s basketball team struggled all season with rebounding and turnovers. On Wednesday, deficiencies in those two areas ended its season.

CMU junior forward Kaihla Szunko, center, attempts to score against Kent State's Jamilah Humes, left, and Lorraine Odhiambo on Wednesday during the Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinals. Kent State overcame a seven-point halftime deficit to win 68-55 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Daniel Monson/Senior Reporter)

No. 6 seed CMU was eliminated from the Mid-American Conference Tournament after losing 68-55 against Kent State in the quarterfinals at Quicken Loans Arena.

“When you cause 30 turnovers, you’re supposed to win the game, aren’t you?” said coach Sue Guevara. “Unfortunately, we had 26 and we had them at some key times.”

Tied 40-40 with 10 minutes remaining in a game that went back-and-forth throughout, Kent State made three consecutive 3-pointers that proved to be the difference in the game.

“We could not answer that,” Guevara said. “Problem is, we come down on our end and turned it over. That happened three times in a row. It spiraled, and we just could not get out of it.”

CMU (12-18) tried to make a comeback, closing the lead to 51-45 with 6:46 remaining. But three missed shots and two turnovers on ensuing possessions allowed junior guard Jamilah Humes to hit a 3-pointer and secure the victory for Kent State.

Humes, who averages 14.4 points per game, scored a game-high 24 points after getting into foul trouble and scoring only four points in the first half.

CMU was outrebounded 47-30.

CMU sophomore forward Skylar Miller attempts to score against Kent State's Leslie Schaefer on Wednesday in Cleveland. (Daniel Monson/Senior Reporter)

“In the second half, we just struggled,” said junior forward Kaihla Szunko. “We seemed to want to do a lot of one-on-one play and you can’t go against five girls like that — that’s why we struggled scoring. We couldn’t get stops on the defensive end and that really hurt us.”

Szunko led the Chippewas with 16 points and seven rebounds. No other CMU players scored in double figures.

CMU took a 28-21 lead into halftime on 40.6 percent shooting, holding Kent State to 21.4 percent from the field in the first half.

“I told our team that we played pretty poorly in the first half,” said Kent State coach Bob Lindsay. “The second half was entirely different. I thought we played great defensively and went to the offensive boards with a lot more energy, and that was the difference in the game.”

Senior forward Britni Houghton, who started despite an injured left knee, scored six points and grabbed two rebounds in her final game. Houghton finishes her career second all-time in scoring at CMU with 1,555 points.

Fellow seniors Heidi Warczinsky and Kendra Holman scored seven and zero points, respectively.

“It’s been a good run but I wish we could have ended on a better note,” Houghton said. “I hope the seniors have left a legacy for our future teams to follow.”

Check back at cm-life.com on Thursday for coverage of the men’s quarterfinals as CMU goes against rival Western Michigan.

The CMU women’s basketball team looks to reach heights the program has not seen in 18 years on Wednesday.

No. 6 seed CMU meets No. 3 Kent State at about 2:30 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. CMU plays 30 minutes after Wednesday’s first game — No. 2 Toledo against No. 9 Ball State.

A win would give CMU its first trip to the MAC semifinals since 1992, when the Chippewas defeated Miami 69-59 in the quarterfinals. CMU has not reached the semifinals since it expanded to its current 12-team format in 2000.

“It’s another good step for our program,” said coach Sue Guevara. “This is the second year in a row we get to go to the second round.”

Kent State (19-9) finished the regular season in second place in the East Division with a 12-4 conference record and received a first round bye. The Golden Flashes won five of their past six games, including a 67-55 win against Buffalo on March 2 to close the regular season.

Juniors Taisja Jones and Jamilah Humes, a Saginaw native, lead KSU in scoring, averaging 14.9 and 14.4 points per game,respectively.

CMU (12-17) lost its only meeting with Kent State this season, 82-76 on Jan. 27 in Kent, Ohio. KSU shot 52.8 percent from the floor and jumped to a 17-point first half lead.

While CMU got offensive production from unusual sources — a career-high 18 points from freshman Rachel Mauk and 12 points from Kendra Holman — KSU limited senior Britni Houghton and junior Kaihla Szunko to single digits in points. Meanwhile, the Golden Flashes got a balanced offensive attack, with four players scoring in double figures.

CMU snapped a three-game losing streak Sunday with a 69-66 first-round win against Ohio.

Despite the team being 2-14 away from Rose Arena, Guevara said her team has a different mind-set heading to Cleveland.

“I don’t even think we look at it like we’re struggling on the road going to somebody else’s house,” Guevara said. “We get to go play these teams on a neutral court, not in their house. And that’s the best way to think about it.”

Notes

Britni Houghton, Kaihla Szunko and junior forward Shonda Long were named to the All-MAC third team by the conference on Tuesday. Rachel Mauk was named to the conference All-Freshman team.

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Wednesday’s MAC women’s quarterfinals
No. 2 Toledo vs. No. 7 Ball State, noon
No. 3 Kent State vs. No. 6 CMU, 2 p.m.
No. 1 Bowling Green vs. No. 8 Miami, 4 p.m.
No. 4 Akron vs. No. 5 Eastern Michigan, 6 p.m.

The CMU women’s basketball team is headed to the Mid-American Conference Tournament in Cleveland for the second consecutive season.

No. 6 seed CMU advanced to the quarterfinals Sunday by defeating No. 11 seed Ohio 69-66 in front of 416 at the final game played at Rose Arena.

“I want you to know how proud I am of this team,” said coach Sue Guevara. “They battled. They kept getting after it.”

Junior forward Kaihla Szunko led the Chippewas with her 11th double-double of the season, scoring a game-high 25 points and 11 rebounds.

After missing a pair of free throws that would have given CMU a lead with 49 seconds remaining, Szunko collected the rebound from her second attempt and went up for a layup while being fouled. She converted the layup into a three-point play, giving CMU a 67-65 lead and its 10th home win of the season.

“I got an instinct inside and I just went after the ball,” Szunko said. “I was a little nervous with my free throws since the game was on the line. I think it got to my head a little bit.”

CMU (12-17) had a tough time putting together momentum early on, committing seven turnovers and allowing Ohio to open a 20-13 lead with 6:59 remaining in the first half. With a lack of production from her guards, Guevara elected to put in freshman guard Jalisa Olive.

“We start off slow sometimes and then I come in, just bringing energy and bring everybody together,” Olive said.

Olive helped spark the CMU offense with a pair of 3-pointers and had a steal that resulted in made free throws. She finished with 14 points and three steals.

“She was shooting the ball really well today in shoot-a-round — she couldn’t miss,” Guevara said. “She came in and, defensively, she was all over them and was able to get some deflections.”

CMU could not sustain the first half momentum, however, as poor shooting (26.9 percent) and a lack of rebounding (25-13 edge for the Bobcats) allowed Ohio to go on an 11-2 run to close the half with a 36-25 lead. Ohio shot 43.8 percent from the floor, including going 5-of-12 from 3-point range.

“We weren’t attacking and we were trying to force things, trying to make something happen,” Guevara said. “And when you do that, you don’t really play the game.”

CMU showed a sense of urgency at the start of the second half, pressuring Ohio and forcing turnovers that allowed the Chippewas to get back in the game.

“We just came out with more momentum and were ready to play,” Olive said. “We weren’t ready to go home.”

Junior guard Shonda Long (12 points, seven rebounds) scored CMU’s first five points of the half, bringing the team back within striking distance of the Bobcats, where the Chippewas would stay before taking a late second-half lead.

“It was that attacking mentality that got us going,” Guevara said. “We were able to take care of the ball because we were jump-stopping and actually moving to go get the pass.”

CMU shot 53.3 percent from the floor in the second half, compared to Ohio’s 40.7 percent.

Senior forward Britni Houghton, still nursing an injured left knee, did not start for the second consecutive game. She tallied four points, four assists and three rebounds in 22 minutes.

St. Johns native Jenny Poff led the Bobcats with 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting from 3-point range. Junior center Thia Gholson scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Ohio (7-23).

“It was a tough game,” said Ohio head coach Semeka Randall. “Free throws down the stretch hurt us. Credit to Central … for stepping up and doing whatever it takes, whether that’s jumping on the floor for a loose ball, rebounding the basketball or going in and finishing free throws.”

CMU plays No. 3-seed Kent State at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Central Michigan women’s basketball team will have an opportunity to start with a clean slate Sunday when it hosts a Mid-American Conference tournament first round game.

No. 6 seed CMU (11-17, 8-8 MAC) stumbled down the stretch of conference place, but will play No. 11 Ohio at 5 p.m. Sunday at Rose Arena. The Chippewas have lost three consecutive games heading into the tournament, including a 77-74 loss against Ball State on Tuesday.

“For anyone, whether you win three in a row or lose three in a row, it’s a brand new slate for everybody,” said coach Sue Guevara. “Everybody comes in with a little bit of renewed energy and new hope. But what you do know is this is this: it’s one and done, so you have to give it everything you have.”

It will not be easy, however, as senior forward Britni Houghton continues to battle a knee injury suffered last week that limited her playing time and production in losses against Western Michigan and Ball State.

“Not really sure (on Sunday),” Houghton said. “We’re taking it day-by-day right now and we’ll see. Hopefully I’ll be ready to go.”

In addition, sophomore forward Skylar Miller, junior guard Camille Ramsey and freshman guard Jalisa Olive are all trying to fight through illness that hit them before Tuesday’s game at Ball State.

“They had two days to heal up so everybody’s been able to keep everything down and in,” Guevara said. “We’re a little bit better than we were last week, health-wise.”

Ohio (8-21, 4-12 MAC) comes off a 69-41 loss against Akron on Tuesday and has lost six of its last eight games. CMU defeated the Bobcats 59-56 on Jan. 23.

Senior guards Jenny Poff (10.9 points per game) and Jennifer Bushby (10.7) lead Ohio in scoring and are the pulse of a Bobcats offense that ranks last in the conference in scoring, averaging 57.1 points per game.

In the team’s last meeting, junior forward Kamille Buckner grabbed 10 rebounds and helped Ohio to a 39-30 rebounding advantage. Guevara said she will be a challenge on Sunday for forwards Houghton, Miller, Laura Baker and Kaihla Szunko.

“She dominated us,” Guevara said. “We have to do a better job of keeping her off the glass and knowing where she is.”

Ohio is no stranger to the CMU in the tournament, as it knocked the Chippewas out of the MAC tournament in the first round for four consecutive years from 2005-2008. CMU lost the conference tournament games in 2007 and 2008 by four and three points respectively, with an opportunity to tie the game in the final minute.

“We can’t take Ohio lightly,” Houghton said. “They’re coming in to our house and, knowing our record at home, we just got to continue with that and get another win. We beat them already at our house, so it should be in the back of their mind.”

A nationally televised Friday night game against Western Michigan highlights the Mid-American Conference portion of the 2010 CMU football schedule released Monday.

The game, to be televised on ESPNU at a time to be determined, is tabbed for Nov. 5 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. It is the second time in four years the game has not been played on a Saturday in favor of national television exposure.

“It’s an opportunity for the rivalry to stand on its own,” said Athletics Director Dave Heeke. “Have a national television audience, not have competition with other games in the state and put the rivalry and two great schools on, not only a statewide stage, but a national stage. We’ve played a Friday night game here before with Western and it fits — we’re not in favor of doing that game on a week night.”

CMU defeated the Broncos 34-23 on Oct. 17 in Kalamazoo and has won the last four meetings between the two schools.

“I think it’s awesome,” said senior linebacker Nick Bellore. “It’s a little different being on a Friday night. With me being a senior, not only is it the last home game of the season, but it’s by far the biggest game of the season.”

The Chippewas begin their conference schedule Sept. 11 against East Division opponent Temple, marking their first trip to Philadelphia since 2006 and the first of three games on the road.

They follow that with a visit to Ypsilanti on Sept. 18 against in-state rival Eastern Michigan, one of two Football Bowl Subdivision teams to finish the 2009 season 0-12.

CMU’s first conference home game is not until Oct. 2, when Ball State comes to Mount Pleasant.
The Cardinals, ranked 14th in the nation the last time they came to Mount Pleasant, defeated the
Chippewas 31-24 to clinch the West Division title at Kelly/Shorts Stadium on Nov. 19, 2008.

“We just have to go out and play our game,” Bellore said. “For the guys that played in the game, we remember how that felt. In this league, you have to win them all to get to the MAC championship.”

MAC play continues Oct, 16, when CMU hosts Miami (Ohio) and travels to DeKalb, Ill., to play Northern Illinois on Oct. 23. The Chippewas have won three consecutive games against the Huskies, including a 45-31 win Nov. 27 in Mount Pleasant.

East Division opponent Bowling Green visits CMU Oct. 30 before the Chippewas face Western Michigan.

Conference play concludes on Nov. 26 — the day after Thanksgiving — when CMU travels to the Glass Bowl to play Toledo in a game scheduled to be shown on ESPNU or
ESPN360.com.

Non-conference complications
Heeke said the non-conference game against Navy on Nov. 13 complicates things and excludes
CMU from midweek games, something that has become a staple with the MAC.

“The downside is that it limits our opportunity to be on television,” Heeke said. “The upside is that it places our games in more traditional slots on Saturdays. Some people may (look at that) as easier for fans.”

The rest of the non-conference schedule includes first-time games against Football Championship Subdivision opponent Hampton (Sept. 2 season opener), at Northwestern (Sept. 25) and at Virginia Tech (Oct. 9).

“It’s a very well balanced non-conference schedule,” Heeke said. “Our football program is in a strong position — we’ve proved we can play with any team in the country. It’ll be a good opportunity for our players, coaches and this program to go into some terrific environments and be tested.”

The CMU women’s basketball team will bring a three-game losing streak into the Mid-American Conference tournament.

The No. 6 seeded Chippewas host Ohio at 5 p.m. Sunday at Rose Arena for the first round of the tournament.

CMU finishes the season 11-17 and 8-8 in the MAC after a 77-74 loss to Ball State on Tuesday.

The guard tandem of senior Kendra Holman (13 points) and junior Shonda Long led a 3-point blitz that helped CMU open a 24-13 lead with 7:58 remaining in the first half. But the exit of junior forward Kaihla Szunko with two fouls allowed Ball State to go on a 12-5 run to get back into the game with 3:29 remaining in the first half.

“I wasn’t playing smart and had picked up those two early fouls, which was pretty frustrating, and had a few turnovers,” Szunko said.

CMU held on to a 38-30 lead at halftime after shooting 41.2 percent from the floor, including going 7-of-15 from 3-point range.

Szunko scored CMU’s first 10 points, but Ball State seniors Audrey McDonald and Danielle Gratton took over the game after being held scoreless in the first half. Gratton scored eight of her 11 points at the start of the second half to help close the Chippewas’ lead to four points, while McDonald hit a 3-pointer with 14:56 remaining in the second half to give Ball State its first lead.

“They did a really nice job with their size and physicality of beating us down low,” Guevara said. “With Shonda Long and Stefanie Mauk having to play down low, we’re just not as strong and big as Ball State was.”

After both teams traded leads for more than seven minutes, McDonald (13 points) hit a 3-pointer with 8:15 remaining to put Ball State up 61-58, a lead that CMU would never overcome.

Szunko led CMU with a game-high 22 points and 10 rebounds, her 10th double-double of the season. Long added 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting.

Ball State (13-16, 7-10 MAC) outrebounded the Chippewas 50-38, grabbing 25 offensive rebounds.

Senior Erika Schroll set a school record and helped lead a second-place finish for the CMU women’s track and field team at the Mid-American Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Schroll, named Most Outstanding Field Performer in Friday and Saturday’s meet at the Jack Skoog Track at the Indoor Athletic Complex, finished first in the women’s high jump (5-10 1/2) for the second consecutive year.
She placed fourth in the pentathlon, setting a CMU record jump of 6-0 1/2 in the high jump portion of the multi-event competition.

“I’m really honored,” Schroll said. “I never would’ve dreamt I would be doing this much stuff. I’m very privileged to be a part of this whole experience.”

A year after finishing seventh at the conference meet, the women’s team scored 100 points to place second, seven points behind champion Kent State (107).

“For them to come out here and believe in this coaching staff and believe in everything we’ve put together and come up short, it speaks volume of these young ladies,” said track and field coach Willie Randolph. “We’re excited about the fact that they’re moving in the right direction. They know what they have to do in order to win, and they know what they need to do to not be the same team that just went to a meet and hung out. I’m extremely proud of them.”

Western Michigan finished in third place (92), then Miami (OH) (79.5), Eastern Michigan (75), Akron (61), Buffalo (46), Toledo (44), Ohio (26.5), Ball State (25), Bowling Green (6) and Northern Illinois (1).

Junior Raeanne Lohner earned a spot on the second-team All-MAC team after finishing in second place in the 3,000-meter run (10 minutes, 0.06 seconds) and third in the mile run (5:00.18). Junior Shanaye Carr also finished first for the Chippewas in the 60-meter hurdles.

Men finish last

Sophomores Joshua Kettlewell and Christopher Thomas led a last-place finish (5th) for the men (49 points).

Kettlewell placed third in the heptathlon (5,003 points) while Thomas claimed third in the 400-meter run (49.41). Eastern Michigan won the men’s side with 171 points, followed by Akron (120), Kent State (113) and Buffalo (72).

Despite a last-place showing, Randolph said he was not disappointed in the team’s performance.

“The reality that we knew from the very beginning is that the fact that the men just had way too many holes going into the meet,” Randolph said. “I’m not disappointed with fifth place because of what we inherited and what points we got out of those kids — not having enough people to close up the gaps — you can only do so much.”

Senior Marcus Breidinger finished second in pole vault Friday while freshman Renaldo Powell finished fourth in the 60 hurdles Saturday.

CMU takes Carr, Breidinger, senior Riak Mabil and freshman Kevin Bacon to the Alex Wilson Invitational March 6-7 at Notre Dame in an attempt to qualify them for the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 13-14 in Fayetteville, Ark. Schroll has already qualified for the national meet.