Central Michigan’s women’s basketball team allowed three three-point shots within the first two minutes of the game against Ohio State.
Head coach Kristin Haynie said this set the tone in a 103-36 defeat for the Chippewas, now 0-2 to start its season.
“Giving up three 3s at the beginning of the game just deflated us,” Haynie said. “In the first half we just couldn’t get in an offensive rhythm because the pressure was intense.”
CMU was aware of the challenge that the Buckeyes, ranked No. 18 by the AP and No. 20 by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, posed coming into the week.
Despite the preparation, Central Michigan was unable to slow down Ohio State on either end of the court. The Buckeyes quickly climbed out to a 34-8 lead by the end of the first quarter.
The Chippewas struggled to retain possession throughout the evening, committing 44 total turnovers in the game.
“We’ve just got to be stronger with the ball,” Haynie said. “We’ll continue to work on that in practice and be able to handle pressure defense when teams do that.”
OSU capitalized on its opportunities to score, making 46.2% of its shots from the field as compared to Central Michigan’s 29.3%. Five Buckeyes scored over double digits by the final buzzer.
Sophomore guard Lilah Turnbull found eight points and five rebounds coming off the bench. Jailenn Green, a sophomore transfer from Saint Leo, led the team with nine points on the day.
“She’s [Green] great for us on the floor … we can’t afford to have her on the bench,” Haynie said. “She has a midrange, she can shoot the three and she can finish, so we like that out of her.”
CMU managed less than ten points per frame in the first three quarters. However, the team found a heartbeat on offense in the fourth quarter, outscoring Ohio State 15-14.
“In the second half we settled in and we started playing better as the game went on,” Haynie said. “The effort in the fourth quarter is the effort we need to have at the beginning of the game.”
Central Michigan now looks ahead to hosting 2-0 Butler in McGuirk Arena at 1 p.m. Sunday.
“Butler is a great program and I’m excited to be back at our arena in front of our crowd,” Haynie said. “I’m excited to see the growth of our team and how we’re going to respond from this game.”
