Women's basketball tops Oakland at home
The offensive troubles of the Central Michigan University women’s basketball team continued during the Chippewas 74-69 win over the Oakland University Golden Grizzlies on Sunday at McGuirk Arena.
The win moves CMU to 5-5 on the season, following loses in four of its previous five games.
The Chippewas squandered plenty of scoring chances shooting 33 percent from the floor and 3-for-17 from the 3-point line.
“I have challenged certain people on this team to use the backboard,” said Head Coach Sue Guevara. “I get very frustrated with finger rolls and tear drops."
Senior guards Crystal Bradford and Jessica Green combined for 14-of-38 from the floor. Both Chippewas finished with 20 points.
CMU's offensive struggles allowed the Golden Grizzlies to go on a 16-4 run in the second half, which virtually eliminated the 15-point lead the Chippewas had previously held.
CMU had a solid day at the free-throw line. The team shot 75 percent from the charity stripe with Bradford hitting all four of her bonus chances.
“With the way we shot, we shouldn’t have won this game,” Guevara said. “We also shot well from the free throw line. That’s basically why we won.”
Guevara had emphasized the importance of free throws during the opening weeks of the season and challenged the team to attack the basket, thus getting to the line more often.
“When we get there, we have to knock the shots down," Green said. "We did alright today, but we have to be more consistent and keep improving.”
Kerby Tamm, another CMU senior, had the best day from the free-throw line for CMU, hitting four critical opportunities inside the final minute of the game to secure a victory.
“Kerby is someone who has ice in her veins,” Guevara said.
The Chippewas will host Dayton at 1 p.m. on Wednesday in CMU's final nonconference game of the season.
