CMU women's basketball falls short against Ball State
Chippewas can't make up ground in the fourth, drop game to the Cardinals
Central Michigan University sophomore guard Madi Morson, left, and sophomore forward Ayanna-Sarai Darrington, right, high-five during a game against Ball State University in McGuirk Arena, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (CM-Life | Alivia Cranick)
With time winding down in what had been a back-and-forth third quarter, Central Michigan women’s basketball was looking to close out the period down only three points.
Instead, Ball State junior Karsyn Norman sank a 3-pointer, increasing the lead to six and draining the energy from the crowd in McGuirk Arena.
In the end, six points was the difference-maker in what was a close matchup between the Chippewas and Cardinals, two teams near the top of the Mid-American Conference standings.
At the final buzzer, it was Ball State with the slight edge on the scoreboard, escaping Mount Pleasant with the 76-70 win.
“It was a great game between two really good teams,” Haynie said. “Ball State, they're tough, they're very talented. And we just had some mental errors… that added up to be a big difference in our game.”
The loss moves the Chippewas' overall record to 12-7 and 6-3 in conference play.
Sophomore Madi Morson was the driving force for Central Michigan, scoring 27 points. Despite only scoring six points in the first half, sophomore Ayanna-Sarai Darrington helped power the team in the second half and finished the game with 20. Darrington also finished the game having drawn 11 fouls.
“She was super consistent for us, 20 points, nine rebounds and just battling,” Haynie said. “It's a tough game, and for her to be that efficient getting rebounds and getting beat up, it is just toughness on her part.”
Outside of Morson and Darrington, the rest of the Chippewas combined for just 23 points.
“They just gotta shoot the ball better,” Haynie said. “There's no secrets. They're getting their shots, and they just gotta knock 'em down and be confident. We gotta get that third consistent scorer that'll help Anna (Darrington) and Madi out.”
On the other side of the hardwood, scoring was more of a team effort. The Cardinals finished the game with five players in double-figures. Norman led the way with 17.
After a narrow, defensive battle in the first half, the offenses exploded in the third quarter. Both teams shot 50% from the field in the period, scoring a combined 56 points. It was Ball State that found an edge, shooting 5-7 from behind the 3-point line and scoring 30.
The slight advantage found in the third proved to be enough for the Cardinals, despite a comeback attempt from the Chippewas in the fourth.
Haynie said she was proud of the way her team fought until the end and that how her team performed in the late stages gives her confidence that the team can close out close games in the future.
“We don’t let up,” Haynie said. “We say Chippewa basketball, Chippewas don't let up, and you saw that tonight. We could have easily folded being down 10 (with 2:22 left), but they stayed with it.”
Up next, Central Michigan will take on Northern Illinois in an away matchup on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
With the final full month of the regular season approaching, Haynie hopes her team can learn from this loss.
“ We're right there,” Haynie said. “We did some mistakes that we won't do again, and it might be a different ball game. So, we just gotta learn from it and not make the same mistake twice. We know in these big games where the team is talented, at the top of the MAC, our margin of error is slim. We have to just really do well and lock in on what the game plan is and just being disciplined throughout the whole game.”
