Road warriors: CMU basketball hits road to MSU, WMU on Friday
Going back to March 23, 2019 at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Indiana, Michigan State had earned an 88-87 win over Central Michigan in the NCAA Tournament.
Shay Colley laid in the game-winning layup with 7.6 seconds to play in the opening round game against the Chippewas. It turned out to be Sue Guevara's final game as the head coach. Heather Oesterle then took over.
CMU and MSU have battled 43 times in women's basketball dating back to 1970, the Spartans own a 30-13 record over the Chippewas in the 50 years.
The Chippewas and Spartans will tip off their 44th matchup at 5 p.m. on Friday in the Breslin Center.
Former CMU standout Suzy Merchant leads MSU into Friday's game as its head coach. Since taking over in 2007, Merchant has led the Spartans to nine NCAA Tournament appearances including the Sweet 16 in 2009. Merchant ranks second in CMU history with 463 career assists.
MSU (4-0) has outscored its opponents by an average of 21.7 points per game so far this season. The Spartans also shoot 30.8 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from 3-point range.
Junior guard Nia Clouden leads the Spartans with 19 points per game and has started all four games. Clouden put up a season-high 25 points against Minnesota on Dec. 9.
Alyza Winston, a sophomore guard, supplements the offense with 18.7 points per game. She, like Clouden, has scored in double figures in each game she has played -- Winston has played in three. Winston scored 25 in MSU's last game on Dec. 12 against Iowa.
CMU (3-1) has won each of its games by double figures and fought tough against Michigan in the opener before the then-No. 25-ranked Wolverines pulled away to win by double digits.
Senior guard Micaela Kelly is averaging 22.3 points per game to lead the Chippewas and sophomore guard Molly Davis averages 20.3 points per game. Both have started all four games this season.
As a team, CMU is outscoring its opponents by an average of 7.0 points per game. The Chippewas shoot 45.6 percent from the floor and 35.4 percent from beyond the arc.
CMU and MSU face off at 5 p.m. on Friday in East Lansing. The game will be shown on BTN+.
CMU men battle arch rival Broncos
Dating back to 1908, CMU and Western Michigan have battled 157 times in men's basketball. The Broncos own a 98-59 series lead.
However, the Chippewas have won six straight games over their arch rival dating back March 2017.
WMU (1-4) opened its season with a close loss to national and mid-major power Butler. The Broncos win came on Dec. 7 with a 20-point victory over Adrian at home. Since then, WMU has lost two in a row in Read Fieldhouse. The Broncos have lost three of their last four, with a Dec. 6 loss at Michigan State.
CMU, on the other hand, sits at 3-3 after winning its last three games -- two of which came at home.
The Chippewas and Broncos battle for the 158th time at 2 p.m. on Friday in Read Fieldhouse. Friday's game is the first Mid-American Conference game for each team.
As a team, WMU has a (-4.0) scoring margin. The Broncos shoot 41.8 percent from the floor and 34.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Sophomore guard B. Artis White averages a team-high 14.2 points per game on 46.7-percent shooting from the floor and 44.4 percent from 3-point range. Sophomore center Titus Wright averages 11.6 points per game and averages a team-best 7.6 rebounds per game.
For CMU, senior guard Travon Broadway Jr. averages 15.3 points per game to lead the team and has started each of the team's six games. Junior guard Caleb Huffman averages 12 points per game and has proven to be a solid force off the bench for coach Keno Davis.
As a team, the Chippewas outscore their opponents by an average 3.7 points per game. CMU has shot 45.3 percent from the floor and 37.4 from 3-point range.
One difference in Friday's game could be free-throw shooting, although neither team is great from the line. The Chippewas shoot 64.5 from the line while WMU shoots just 58.4
CMU and WMU tip off at 2 p.m. on Friday in Kalamazoo. The game will be shown on ESPN3.
