Women’s basketball bounces back against Marist
After consecutive losses, Central Michigan women’s basketball righted the ship with a 56-50 win over Marist on Sunday in Poughkeepsie, New York.
The Chippewas improve to 2-3 on the year. Marist falls to 2-4 and have now lost three-straight games.
How it happened
Both teams struggled to find the bottom of the net throughout the first, with CMU holding a slim advantage. Then with a minute remaining in the quarter, Marist made its move snatching a 10-9 lead as the buzzer sounded.
The Chippewas opened the second in attack mode, taking back the lead and stretching it to five. However, Marist managed to keep pace from the free-throw line as the fouls piled up for CMU. The Red Foxes turned the momentum in their favor and tied things at 28 before the break.
Looking to take control, the Chippewas leaned on senior forward Jahari Smith. Smith crashed the offensive glass with reckless abandon, sparking a 9-0 run. Marist slowly chipped away at the margin, cutting it to six points as the third quarter wrapped up.
A raucous home crowd helped the Red Foxes outscore CMU 10-6 through the first nine minutes of the fourth quarter. However, with 27 seconds left on the clock and Marist down 52-50, junior guard Molly Davis flexed her clutch gene and sealed the game from the free-throw line. Marist tried to foul and rally late but couldn’t find the bucket as CMU held on to win.
Key Performers
Davis led all scorers with 21 points while adding eight rebounds, three assists and a steal. Smith recorded her first double-double of the season, finishing with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
Redshirt junior Anika Weekes led all players in rebounds with 15 while adding nine points and two steals.
Zaria Shazer finished the game with 11 points and was the only Marist player to reach double-figures in scoring.
Key Stats
CMU finished with nine more offensive rebounds than the Red Foxes and won the rebounding battle 46-31.
Marist recorded 22 bench points compared to five for the Chippewas.
What’s Next
The Chippewas will take on the Cincinnati Bear Cats in Cincinnati, Ohio, Wednesday at 7 p.m.
