CMU women's basketball records most team assists since 2021
Central Michigan University Women’s Basketball players huddle during a game against Ball State in McGuirk Arena, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (CM-Life | Alivia Cranick)
For the first time this season, the Central Michigan women's basketball team (14-7, 8-3) had its highest-scoring game so far this season. The Chippewas made a statement at Buffalo on Wednesday, defeating them 90-59.
Despite an early 5-0 lead from the Bulls in the beginning minutes, the Chippewas were in the driver's seat for the remainder of the game and handed Buffalo its 14th straight loss.
Leading the front was sophomore guard Madi Morson with 23 and shooting 57.1% from the field. But it was a full-team effort, with all eight of the Chippewas dressed, putting up significant numbers.
"When you play as a team, it’s harder for teams to defend you,” head coach Kristin Haynie said. “We did a great job with our inside-out passing and finding the one more pass.”
Sophomore forward Ayanna-Sarai Darrington added 13 points and five rebounds.
Senior guard Taylor Anderson dominated the boards once again, grabbing 17 rebounds. This effort helped CMU pick up its fifth 50-plus rebounding game of the season. She also had five assists.
By anticipating Buffalo’s passes, picking up steals and going straight to the rim, CMU was able to take control and score 51 points in just the first half.
“The bench gave us a huge lift today,” Haynie said. “They all gave us a boost in different ways.”
CMU’s Sophomore guard Jada Mosley had a breakout game, scoring a career-high of 17 points and shooting 55.6% from the three-point line.
Junior center Taylor Johnson also provided the Chippewas with good minutes, getting seven points and seven rebounds.
“What I liked most was our assists. We played really well together, and this was [the] most assists we’ve had in a game in six years,” Haynie said.
Freshman guards Rylan Buschell and Lilah Turnbull led the offense well, both tying their career high in assists with five and six, respectively. Turnbull also added 10 points.
“We need to continue down this path, so we have it all together and have a lot of confidence by the time we get to Cleveland (Mid-American Conference Tournament),” Haynie said.
The Chippewas will take on the Marshall Thundering Herd this Saturday in McGuirk Arena at 1 p.m. This is the second round of the MAC-SBC Challenge in which teams from both the MAC and the Sun Belt Conference face off.
