Women's basketball team hosts Spartans
Today's word is rebound.
That will definitely be the key word tonight in Rose Arena as the CMU women's basketball team looks to come back from a 37-point loss to Eastern Michigan on Saturday.
Head Coach Fran Voll's team (1-3) has no easy chore though as the Michigan State Spartans (6-0) come calling tonight in a 6 o'clock tip.
"This is a real good Michigan State team and we're excited to play them," Voll said. "We're especially excited to be taking on a team like this at home."
Former Michigan Miss Basketball winner, and All-Big Ten selection, Maxann Reese leads the Spartans with 16.7 points per game.
MSU also brings in an imposing pair of twin towers to the contest in 6-3 center Becky Cummings and 6-4 forward Kristin Rasmussen. Combined, the duo is averaging 26.5 points per game and 14.2 rebounds per outing.
"We must play hard, focused and can't give anything up," he said. "We have to go after every rebound, every loose ball."
To combat the height of the Spartans, Voll said that CMU's own tower of strength 6-3 senior Shelly Woods, the team's leading scorer at 12.8 ppg, will return to the Chippewa starting lineup after coming off the bench in Saturday's 92-55 loss to the Eagles.
Woods continues her quest for 1,000 career points tonight against the Eagles. With 791 the Midland native should pass the 800 point mark in tonight's game.
State and the Chippewas have met one common opponent this season, the University of Detroit. The Spartans blasted the Titans 74-52 while Detroit topped Central 72-58 in the season-opener for CMU.
At the beginning of the season, Voll said that the starting lineup would vary throughout the season and already it has. Nine of CMU's 12 active players have started at least one game this season. Senior Jodi Culbertson and sophomore Vershaun Jones are the only Chips who have started in all four games.
Culbertson's streak though could be in jeopardy after she received a minor concussion in warmups before Saturday's game in Ypsilanti. Voll said the senior guard practiced on Tuesday and would likely play although he was unsure if Culbertson would start against MSU.
She was able to keep her streak of consecutive games with made three-pointer going as she drained one en route to five points, her lowest output of the season.
Culbertson currently sits eighth in career three-pointers made with 47, a strong senior campaign could vault her into the top five although Carrie Isanhart's record of 128 between 1990-93 is likely out of reach.
Michigan State holds a 26-13 lead in the all-time series against the Chips. The teams have met for three straight years with MSU picking up the three wins. CMU last defeated the Spartans in Rose on Nov. 29, 1993 by a 60-59 score.
In the last meeting in Mount Pleasant Reese, then a sophomore, led the Spartans with 32 points on 10 of 13 shooting from the floor as MSU outlasted Central 89-82. Woods topped the Chippewa scorers with a career-high 23 points.
Last season Central opened the season in East Lansing, falling to the Spartans 73-48.
Central has a 32-52 all-time record against the Big Ten with winning records against Minnesota (2-0), Purdue (3-2) and Wisconsin (1-0).
Later this season, the Chips will host the other half of Michigan's Big Ten combination as the U-M Wolverines visit Rose Arena on Dec. 19.
Following the game, the team will head out on the road for the Hatter Classic hosted by Stetson University.
