Excessive fouling leads to loss for CMU womens basketball
CMU Freshman center Desrae Kyles shoots agains Concordia-Ann Arbor's freshman forward Alexx Braddock (left) and senior guard Taylor Leatherman (right) during the women's basketball game against Concordia-Ann Arbor Tuesday, Nov. 14 in McGuirk Arena. The game was coach Kristin Haynie's first win as head coach. (Ella Miller | CM Life)
After their explosive win against Concordia Ann-Arbor, the Chippewas were swept by Cleveland State 96-57 on Saturday.
The Chippewas now stand at 1-3 in non-conference play.
CMU played a physical game totaling 24 fouls, sending Cleveland State to the free-throw line several times. Head coach Kristin Haynie stressed the importance of playing defense without fouling in the previous games and for future games.
“We didn’t do a good job,” Haynie said. “We weren’t disciplined on defense and fouled way too much. We’ve got to do a better job of carrying over from practice to games.”
The Chippewas were down in the first quarter 11-0 but came back with only a three-point difference going into the second quarter. However, CMU fell by 14 as halftime approached.
CMU has previously been able to dominate in the paint but lacked that team aspect as they only had 24 successful points in the paint.
“(Cleveland State’s) pressure got to our guards,” Haynie said. “We weren’t able to see the bigs when they were open. We have to do a better job getting the ball to them when they are open.”
CMU continues its non-conference schedule as it remains on the road as it faces UW-Milwaukee on Saturday at noon. The team is not expected to return to McGuirk Arena until Dec. 2 in a holiday special against Indiana State.
As they continue their tough road matches, the Chippewas focus will turn to becoming consistent in all aspects, especially collecting wins.
“We need to play how we play in practice,” Haynie said. “We have to do a better job of moving the ball and creating opportunities for each other. When we get those two things consistent, we are a different team.”
