Women's basketball throttles Ball State after poor start, 81-63
Oshlynn Brown swatted Maddy Watters on a layup attempt. Moments later, she did the same to Kyra Bussell. By halftime, Ball State was ahead, 34-33.
The Cardinals, just 7-14 overall and 2-7 in the Mid-American Conference, were giving MAC West Division leader Central Michigan all they had. Head coach Brady Sallee, boasting an aggressively motivating persona, was the catalyst.
On the other end was CMU coach Sue Guevara, screaming out plays, arguing calls and stomping her feet in disgust.
When it comes to women's basketball in Mount Pleasant, winning is the culture – losing is unacceptable. This is especially true when the Chippewas (16-5, 7-2 MAC) take on inferior opponents, much like Ball State.
But the Chippewas escaped, outscoring their opponent by 10 points in the final 10 minutes.
Senior forward Reyna Frost paced CMU's 81-63 victory on Feb. 6 at McGuirk Arena with her 18th double-double of the season, pouring in 28 points, 20 rebounds and a career-high five blocks.
"They were the much tougher team in the first half," Guevara said. "They were knocking the ball out of our hand. We were soft. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard."
Frost's fellow senior, guard Presley Hudson, chipped in 21 points and nine assists.
Keeping it close
Throughout the first half, Ball State nearly perfected the art of the double team. When Hudson carried the ball up the floor, two Cardinals were there to meet her. As an ensuing pass was thrown inside to Frost, multiple defenders swarmed.
"Getting double teamed means they've given me respect, but it also allows me to kick the ball out to my teammates for shots," Frost said. "I think they started moving really well when I was getting double teamed."
CMU associate head coach Heather Oesterle said before the second half tip that the Chippewas were getting outworked and struggling to make open shots.
"I thought they wanted it a little more than we did in the first half," Guevara said after the game.
In order to double team Hudson and Frost, Sallee's group was forced to leave sophomore guard Maddy Watters open on the perimeter.
Watters missed four wide-open first half 3-pointers and finished 0-for-5 from downtown on the night.
At halftime, Guevara consulted her team in the locker room.
"I basically told them, 'They want it a whole hell of a lot more than we do right now,'" Guevara said. "We had to make sure in the second half we switched our defense and how we were playing."
Second half push
Sophomore guard Micaela Kelly stole the ball, threw a lob pass to Frost, who banked a layup with her left hand while drawing a foul with 5:36 remaining in the third quarter.
Frost's free throw to complete the and-one gave the Chippewas a 48-41 edge.
Throughout the full 20 minutes of first half action, Ball State only had four turnovers. However, in the first four minutes of the second half, the turnover total jumped to eight.
As CMU's defense intensified, the offense capitalized.
"Our transition game got us going, and we were scoring," Guevara said.
CMU increased its lead to 10 points, 52-42, on a layup from Kelly with 2:42 left in the third quarter. Ball State slowly trimmed its deficit, but Hudson flipped the momentum back to the Chippewas on a layup as time expired to end the third quarter ahead, 57-49.
Fifty-two seconds into the fourth quarter, CMU's explosive offense forced Sallee to call a timeout.
The stoppage in play wasn't enough to change the course of the game, as the Chippewas continued to extend their lead with authority on both ends of the court.
For the final few minutes of the game, Guevara sat star players Frost, Hudson and Kelly on the bench for a crew of reserves.
Passing Dan Majerle
Making two free throws with 2:53 remaining in the first half, senior guard Presley Hudson tied Dan Majerle (1984-88) with 2,055 points – the second-most in CMU men and women's basketball history.
She passed Majerle on a free throw midway through the third quarter.
Hudson's final scoring record challenge is to top Melvin McLaughlin's 2,071 points, which he acquired from 1980-83. She's seven points away.
Up Next
The Chippewas remain at home for a 1 p.m. Feb. 9 battle against Ohio. The Bobcats are 18-2 overall and 7-2 in the MAC.
One of Ohio's two losses was to CMU on Jan. 9 in Athens, 88-70.
"Obviously we beat them on their home floor, so they are going to want to take one from us," Frost said. "We have to be ready."
