CMU women's basketball falls to Ohio in overtime heartbreaker
The Central Michigan University women’s basketball team hosts Eastern Illinois University at McGuirk Arena on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. After a tight battle, the team defeated Eastern Illinois 60-54. (CM Life | Jasmine Brookins)
The Central Michigan women's basketball team suffered an 85-83 overtime loss to Ohio University (7-4, 1-0) on Wednesday afternoon. This New Year's Eve battle puts the Chippewas at 1-1 in the Mid-American Conference and 7-5 overall.
With two seconds on the clock and the ball belonging to Ohio, all CMU had to do was play honest defense and secure the win. Although, Ohio’s junior guard Bailey Tabeling had other plans: drilling a deep three and sending the game into overtime.
“You have to take the lessons and learn from them and hope you don’t make the same mistakes twice. Some of the things we did a really good job of executing, but we just gotta keep that execution consistent on both ends of the floor,” head coach Kristin Haynie said.
CMU was unsuccessful in overtime, allowing Ohio to gain the early lead and maintain momentum for the remainder of the game.
“They do a really good job of finding each other and shooting threes,” Haynie said about their opponent. “We knew that they either shoot threes or finish at the rim.”
Despite some challenges, CMU had plenty to be proud of in this game, including their aggressiveness on the boards, defensive effort and composure in some high-pressure situations.
“It’s all about defense. We were getting stops to start the second quarter, and it was giving us momentum on offense,” Haynie said. “That’s what we need to do for 40 minutes, just lock in and execute the game plan defensively.”
Sophomore forward Ayanna-Sarai Darrington led the Chippewas with a career high of 27 points. She also dominated the boards with 21 rebounds.
“You can’t teach that; she’s the one who goes up and gets it,” Haynie said. “She was like a glove. I’m super proud of her for being relentless on the glass and just staying with it.”
Sophomore guard Madi Morson had 23 points and was able to sink five three-pointers.
Senior guard Taylor Anderson chipped in seven points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Fifth year senior forward Zareia Chevre grabbed eight rebounds.
Haynie has a few resolutions for her team going into the new year.
“Our defense to continue to get better, specifically our transition defense and defending people one-on-one,” Haynie said. “On the offensive end, taking care of the ball. We have to keep it simple and take care of the ball, so we don’t give teams easy buckets.”
The Chippewas are back at it this Saturday, taking on the Bowling Green Falcons at 2 p.m. on the road.
