Women's basketball opens conference play against Kent State
The Central Michigan women's basketball team will have an opportunity to start 2016 with a new winning streak.
The Chippewas finished their nonconference schedule 6-5 and will begin their quest for a Mid-American Conference title against Kent State on Saturday at 1 p.m. at McGuirk Arena.
CMU comes into the match up winning two of its last three, dropping its final nonconference game 76-66 to Saint Joseph's on Tuesday in Philadelphia.
Last season CMU was picked to finish first in the MAC West Division, but injuries derailed its season and the team barely slipped into the tournament before being bounced by Western Michigan in the second round.
The Chippewas have been picked to finish fifth in the MAC West this season and their first chance to prove doubters wrong begins with a game against a struggling Kent State team.
The Golden Flashes stumble into the contest with a 3-7 record and are currently on a three-game skid. CMU swept Kent State during the 2014-15 campaign.
Kent State's defense has had trouble stopping teams as the Golden Flashes give up the most points per game in the conference at 70.9 points per contest.
Kent State also ranks last in defensive field goal percentage, allowing opponents to shoot 43 percent from the field.
The problems don't stop there.
Offensively, the Golden Flashes struggle shooting the ball from the 3-point line averaging a conference-low 25 percent per game.
However, KSU's tandem of sophomore Jordan Korinek and junior Larissa Lurken could cause problems for the Chippewas, as each player ranks in the top 10 in the conference in scoring. 
CMU ranks fourth in the MAC in scoring averaging 73.3 points per game. The Chippewas are led by freshman Presley Hudson, who averages 16.5 points per contest which is good for sixth place in the conference. Hudson is also the top free-throw shooter in the MAC at 91 percent. CMU Head
Coach Sue Guevara has also received positive contributions from sophomores Cassandra Breen and Aleah Swary, as well as freshman forward Reyna Frost.
If the Chippewas can take advantage of the Golden Flashes' lack of defensive efficiency and poor perimeter shooting, CMU could start 2016 with a new winning streak.
