Bradford sits out, women's hoops loses second consecutive game
Poor shooting in the second half cost the Central Michigan University women's basketball team a 62-53 loss to the Toledo Rockets on Saturday.
The Chippewas were outscored 31-19 in the second half and allowed three Toledo players to finish with double-digits in CMU's final road game this season.
"It was frustrating to see us miss so many shots in the paint,” said Head Coach Sue Guevara. “We got the ball down to our post players, but we struggled to finish our opportunities.”
The loss drops CMU to 12-15 overall and 7-9 in Mid-American Conference play this season. Senior guard Crystal Bradford did not play due to a knee injury.
The Rockets started the game on a 13-3 run, led by freshman Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott. The Rockets' guard scored 11 points in the first eight minutes of the game.
The Chippewas responded with a run of their own. Senior Kerby Tamm hit a 3-pointer to cap off a 10-0 run with 7:57 left in the first half.
“It was senior day for Toledo, so I told our kids they were going to come out with a lot of energy,” Guevara said. “Toledo was looking to punch us in the mouth early and they did. We withstood it and took it one possession at a time.”
CMU took a 34-31 lead into the halftime break, but came out flat in the last half. The Chippewas went scoreless for almost seven minutes of game clock, as Toledo took a five-point lead and eventually put the game away.
"Toledo came out and slugged us in the first four minutes of the second half,” Guevara said. “We just couldn’t come back from that one.”
Guards Da’Jourie Tuner and Aleah Swary both finished the game with double-digit points. Turner finished the game with a team-high 22 points, while Swary added 14 points and shot 36 percent from beyond the 3-point line.
The Chippewas host Ball State University at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in McGuirk Arena.
