CMU women's basketball lassoes Broncos in rivalry matchup
The Chippewas beat the Broncos on the road for third-straight win
The Central Michigan Women’s Basketball team huddles up after their win against Eastern Michigan University in McGuirk Arena, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (CM-Life | Alivia Cranick)
After losing ground and facing pressure in the third quarter, Central Michigan women’s basketball responded with a burst of offense to start the fourth.
A basket from senior Demetria Prewitt started what became an 11-0 run to open the final period of play, giving the Chippewas a cushion they would defend for the rest of the game.
Defense and dominance in the paint were the stories for Central Michigan as it took on the Western Michigan Broncos for the first time this season. Defending a two-game winning streak, the Chippewas crashed the glass and scored down low on the way to a 64-44 win against their rivals.
The win brings Central Michigan’s overall record to 12-6 and Mid-American Conference record to 6-2.
“ Super proud of our defensive effort, keeping them under their average (points scored),” head coach Kristin Haynie said. “We let the third quarter get away from us for a little bit, but we started the fourth quarter out hot. So, that was good that we were able to stop the bleeding.”
Central Michigan ended the game with a commanding edge in both rebounds and points in the paint. Over 40 minutes of basketball, the Chippewas crashed the glass for 46 rebounds, a stark contrast to the Broncos’ 27. Additionally, Central Michigan outscored Western Michigan 36-6 in the paint.
“We talk about out-rebounding teams and that was a huge emphasis for us, to dominate the boards on both ends of the floor, and then getting paint touches, whether that's getting our bigs the ball or our guards getting downhill and getting to the rim,” Haynie said. “So, we did a really good job of attacking them and getting downhill.”
Defensively, the Chippewas held the Broncos to just 28.8% from the field, lower than their average of 36.4%. Western Michigan was held to single-digit scoring in two quarters, scoring nine in the second and seven in the fourth. The Broncos' leading scorer Kailey Starks, who is averaging 11.3 points-per-game this season, managed only two in the outing, both of which were free throws.
Redshirt senior De'Ahna Richardson led Western Michigan in scoring with 17 points. Senior Alli Carlson followed her up with 12, but no one else on the team eclipsed five points.
Central Michigan's offense finished the game having shot 41.1% from the field. Sophomores Ayanna-Sarai Darrington and Madi Morson led the way in points, each scoring 16. Fifth-year Zareia Chevre and senior Taylor Anderson followed them up with 10 points apiece, and Anderson added 18 rebounds, setting a new career high.
Western Michigan found some of its players in foul trouble as the second quarter progressed. Notably, two of the top scorers for the Broncos, Starks and sophomore D’Myjah Bolds, sat for about half of the second quarter with two fouls each.
Bolds, who usually averages 25.7 minutes-per-game, played 16 total and only six in the second half, fouling out with four minutes left in the game. Bolds was held to just five points.
In the game overall, CMU shot 15-21 from the free-throw line.
“We just tell our players to attack and to be aggressive,” Haynie said. “We wanna get to the free-throw lines, and we did. … So, proud of our girls for getting to the foul line that many times and just knocking our free throws down.”
The Broncos came close to a comeback in third quarter after clawing into the Chippewa lead, largely thanks to three-point shooting. Western Michigan shot an efficient 5-10 from deep in the period with Carlson and Richardson each knocking down a pair.
With about a minute left in the third quarter, Western Michigan trimmed the lead down to five, but that’s the closest it would get.
Central Michigan responded to the pressure by slamming the door shut with an 11-0 run and stifling defense to start the fourth.
“ We told them that we want to start out (the fourth) hot,” Haynie said. “I think we ended the (third) quarter well, we stopped the bleeding, and we said we gotta get a hot start in this fourth quarter, and we did just that. We told them it started on the defensive end.”
Up next, the Chippewas will take on Ball State in Mount Pleasant on Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
