CMU women's basketball blown out by No. 19 Notre Dame
Turnovers were a major problem for the team in the 83-51 loss
Central Michigan sophomore guard Madi Morson shoots a layup during the Central Michigan versus Notre Dame women’s basketball game at the Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Indiana, on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025. Morson went 5-14 from the field. (CM-Life | Mark Hoover)
With less than a minute to go in the first half, the Central Michigan women’s basketball team was falling behind after giving up three straight baskets to Notre Dame.
With a single second left on the clock, sophomore Madi Morson sank a three-pointer to cut the Irish lead down to just 11 going into the break.
Overall, an abundance of turnovers made it difficult for Central Michigan to keep up with the Irish and led to a dominant, 83-51 win for No. 19-ranked Notre Dame.
"I thought we did a really good job fighting,” Head Coach Kristin Haynie said. “I think our defense in the quarter court was pretty good, and we just had way too many turnovers. Thirty-five points off our turnovers, hard to win ball games like that. So, we're just proud of their fight and really locking in on the game plan.”
With the loss, the Chippewas fall to 4-2 on the season.
It didn’t take long for the Irish to get themselves on the board, sinking a three-pointer on their first possession. A turnover by CMU on its first possession of the game led to a second quick bucket for Notre Dame.
Turnovers, which are a problem that often creeps up on Central Michigan, showed themselves early in Monday’s matchup. The Chippewas committed two in the first two minutes of the game, and added four more before the end of the first quarter, leading to nine extra points for Notre Dame in the first period alone.
Unfortunately for the Chippewas, the problem never went away, and the team ended the game having given the ball away 28 times, leading to 35 extra points for the Irish.
“I mean, Notre Dame, give them tons of credit,” Haynie said. “They're just (a) super scrappy, defensive team, and everyone knows that in the country. We just gotta be stronger with the ball, protect the ball, keep it more simple on the offensive end and just try not to make heroic passes and thread the needle.”
Despite the early giveaways, the Chippewas used a strong, 7-13 field-goal percentage to keep up with Notre Dame for the entirety of the first quarter. At the end of the period, Nekhu Mitchell sank a layup as the buzzer went off, cutting the Irish lead to five.
The second quarter featured extended runs from both squads. Notre Dame used a 13-0 run that took up almost five minutes of the period to balloon the lead to 17. Central Michigan had an 8-0 run of its own, but offensive production took a slight dip in the quarter as the team only hit four of its eleven shots from the field.
With time winding down in the first half, Morson knocked down the triple with one second left to cut the Irish lead down to 11 before the teams took a break for halftime.
The second half of the game took a much different shape. After CMU hit the first bucket of the third quarter, Notre Dame wasted no time taking control, going on a 12-0 run by hitting five buckets in a row, two of which were from distance.
The game was never really close after the burst from the Irish. Notre Dame kept a steady 16-plus lead throughout the rest of the third and fourth quarters, waltzing to its fifth win of the season.
Notre Dame’s offensive efficiency stood out in the win, with the team shooting above 50% from the field in every quarter of the ball game. In addition, Notre Dame bullied the Chippewas in the paint, scoring 48 of their 83 points from inside. In total, the Irish had five players reach double-digit scoring, led by junior Hannah Hidalgo, who finished with 25.
Paint defense was also strong for the Irish, holding Central Michigan to only 18 points down low.
“They did a really good job of forcing our guards just out of the paint,” Haynie said. "We couldn't get (Demetria) Prewitt the ball on the block as much as we would like to. She's shooting a really good percentage in the paint, so we wanted to get her more touches, but because of their ball pressure on the ball, it was hard for us to look at her in the post.”
Central Michigan had only one player register over ten points, with Morson leading the way on offense with 15. Mitchell and Taylor Anderson were the next closest, scoring eight apiece.
Up next, the Chippewas return home for yet another matchup against a team from Indiana, this time the Purdue Boilermakers. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday.
