CMU women's basketball ends non-conference play with loss
Despite a fourth quarter run that put Central Michigan women's basketball within striking distance late in the game, CMU fell to North Dakota State 67-57 as it couldn't complete the comeback, leading to its sixth-straight loss.
As the Chippewas close out the 2023 calendar year, they move to 1-8 in regular season play.
CMU fell short in the first half with North Dakota State leading by 11 points. Throughout the season, the Chippewas have lacked first-half points, causing them to remain behind for the entirety of the game.
“We have been inconsistent all year,” head coach Kristin Haynie said. “Some games we start hot or sometimes we start slow and have a better second half. We have yet to put a full game together and we will keep working on that in practice.”
All season the identity of this team has been discussed from multiple aspects. One is their strengths that remain consistent throughout the season. Others include weaknesses that the team continues to struggle with.
CMU dominated on the boards once again, surpassing North Dakota by eight rebounds. Many of these rebounds came from forward Nadége Jean who ended the game with a team-high 11 rebounds.
“We always emphasize rebounds on both ends,” Haynie said. “I still feel like we could’ve done a better job rebounding on the offensive end to help us get another possession.”
Central Michigan continued its dominance in free throws shooting nearly 90%, their best record all season.
“Putting an emphasis on free throws in practice and getting a lot more reps during practice is what’s helping,” Haynie said. “But now we need to stay consistent with it.”
The Chippewas continue to struggle with three-point shots, only shooting 40% from beyond the arc. A stunning shot came from guard Capria Brown in the final second of the third quarter, sending them down 56-37 into the final quarter.
As the new year approaches, CMU will resume after the holidays with the Mid-American Conference opener against Bowling Green on Wednesday, Jan. 3rd at 7 p.m.
“We will have a week to work on us and what we need to get better at,” Haynie said. “We must do a better job taking care of the ball. There are flashes of domination with us, so we need to get that out of the players and start to be consistent on both ends of the floor.”
