CMU women’s basketball drops back-and-forth season opener
Central Michigan women’s basketball tipped off its season in front of a raucous crowd of 4,761 fans, more than double the attendance of any women’s basketball game at McGuirk Arena last season.
However, the atmosphere was not enough to push CMU past the Old Dominion Monarchs, falling 62-58.
This was CMU’s 16th “Hoops for Hunger” game. Approximately 20 local schools took part in a food drive for the Isabella County Food Bank and then attended the game.
“It was just an awesome atmosphere,” CMU head coach Kristin Haynie said. “The kids were locked in the whole time, and so it was super fun. I know our players enjoyed being around it too.”
CMU got off to a hot start on both ends of the court in the first quarter, shooting over 50% from the field. Summer Davis and Indya Davis combined to score the first nine points of the game.
Defensively, the Chippewas forced the Monarchs into four turnovers and held them to 1-7 from three through the first 10 minutes.
Old Dominion narrowed the gap in the second quarter in which CMU shot just 12% from the field and only totaled five points.
The Chippewas still led 30-27 at halftime.
After scoring three points in the first half, Trinity Vance scored 12 in the second half for ODU.
The Monarchs outscored CMU by seven in the third quarter including a 10-0 run. ODU shot 71% from 3-point range in the third quarter.
The Chippewas started the fourth quarter on a 6-0 run to put themselves back in the lead with just under six minutes to go.
ODU forward Shadasia Brackens took advantage of nine CMU turnovers in the fourth quarter to retake the lead.
Down four with under a minute left, CMU’s Nevaeh Williams got a steal and passed it ahead to Summer Davis who made a fast-break layup. Summer Davis finished the game with 24 points, 9 rebounds and 6 steals, a career high for points and steals.
“Summer is a gym rat, so it’s not a surprise that she did what she did today,” Haynie said. “She plays on both sides of the ball, has a good eye for the ball, gets deflections, and so it was a good all around game for her.”
With CMU in dire need of a stop, ODU’s Dalanna Carter missed a 3-pointer, but Mia Davis , who finished with 15 points, grabbed the miss and put it in for the Monarchs.
CMU attempted three three-pointers in the last 20 seconds of the game, but wasn’t able to connect.
“We stayed in the fight until the very end,” Haynie said. “With 50 seconds left, down six, they could have easily given up, so I’m really proud of their fight, and just staying with it till the end.”
11 of the 13 players on CMU’s roster played in the season opener. Indya Davis had 10 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Forward Riley Smith had 13 points for the Chippewas and was also able to bring the ball up the court as needed to help break a heavily-used ODU press.
“She’s [Smith] not just a shooter for us anymore,” Haynie said. “She’s confident putting it on the ground and finishing, and that’s just a testament to her work ethic. Outside of practice, this summer she really put the time in, and it’s not just getting in the gym and shooting, but having a defender playing one-on-one so she can get comfortable with her body and finishing at the rim.”
CMU forced ODU into 24 turnovers, meanwhile, the Chippewas turned the ball over 13 times while also shooting 26% from the field.
“We didn’t take advantage of turnovers and converting points off turnovers,” Haynie said. “We had some open shots, some open layups that we just need to finish.”
This game marks the newest installment in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge. CMU lost both its games in the challenge last season. The Chippewas will play another game against the Sun Belt on Feb. 6 with the matchup to be determined. It was the first all-time matchup between CMU and ODU.
CMU enters a stretch of four straight games against power-conference opponents. The Chippewas will start by taking on Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 6:30 p.m.
