Women's basketball defeats Iowa State, San Diego State to win Junkanoo Jam
Central Michigan women's basketball picked up its second win over a Power Five team in the Championship game of the Junkanoo Jam tournament on Nov. 25.
The Chippewas (4-1) defeated Iowa State (3-2), 81-60, to become tournament champions in Bimini, Bahamas.
CMU topped San Diego State in overtime on Friday, earning itself a spot in the torunament Championship game. Senior forward Tinara Moore scored 27 points and pulled down 19 rebounds in the overtime win after high-scoring guard Presley Hudson fouled out in the fourth quarter.
Head coach Sue Guevara said CMU was operating efficiently offensively and defensively against the Cyclones.
"I'm so happy and proud of our team," Guevara said. "We got running, we got going and we we're able to hit some shots, but what I was really happy with was (our defense)."
After a hot-shooting start by both teams, Hudson paced the Chippewas to a 25-21 lead with three 3-pointers and 11 points in the first quarter.
CMU made a late run capped off by a Kyra Bussel 3-pointer with 14 seconds remaining in the half to give CMU a 42-33 lead heading into halftime.
Cassie Breen scored a team-high 13 points in the third quarter, lifting the Chippewas to a 63-47 lead.
Breen picked up where she left off knocking down another 3-pointer for CMU in the fourth quarter. Hudson iced the game with 6:55 remaining by hitting a deep 3-pointer to give the Chippewas a 21-point lead.
"I don't think there's any doubt (these were two big wins)," Guevara said. "We're talking about two very respectable basketball teams in Iowa State in the Big 12 and San Diego State in the Mountain West."
Hudson scored 23 points while shooting 5-for-5 from three-point-range on her way to winning Tournament MVP honors.
Breen scored 22 points including 18 from three-point-range and Moore scored 15 points while adding 11 rebounds.
CMU has only lost one game this season when Purdue topped the Chippewas 79-69 on Nov. 10 in McGuirk Arena. Now, the Chippewas are sporting a four-game win streak.
Central Michigan returns to action to host Aquinas at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30 in McGuirk Arena. The Chippewas have six remaining nonconference games before starting Mid-American Conference play on Dec. 30.
