Kelly scores 29, CMU beats Miami (Ohio) to move to 2-0 in MAC play
Detroit senior Micaela Kelly drives the lane against Miami (Ohio) Tuesday, Dec. 15, at McGuirk Arena.
Miami (Ohio) looked to have the play locked up.
With each second ticking off the shot clock, it appeared the RedHawks were destined to get one last possession to get their deficit down to just three scores before heading into the locker room for halftime.
But CMU senior guard Micaela Kelly had other ideas.
Kelly came around a screen on the right wing and buried a back-breaking 3-pointer to push the Chippewas ahead by 12 points, a margin that would hold after a defensive stop to end the half.
"I had pretty good screens from my teammates," Kelly said, "and then I was making the reads as of how they were playing me. They were going under, so it gives us a chance to either shoot or attack."
Kelly finished with a game-high 29 points, and the Chippewas (3-1, 2-0) would hold off the RedHawks (1-3, 0-1) in the second half and win, 69-51, Tuesday afternoon in McGuirk Arena.
Early on, CMU did whatever it wanted to offensively. The RedHawk defense, which came in worst in the Mid-American Conference in terms of points allowed, switched a majority of the Chippewa ball screens. It allowed sophomore guard Molly Davis to get around bigger defenders and create opportunities for her and her teammates.
Junior forward Jahari Smith and senior forward Kyra Bussell were the beneficiaries of this switching early on, sliding to open spots in the paint and getting feeds from Davis. Smith finished with a season-high nine points. Bussell had her second straight double-double, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
"(Bussell)'s really picked it up," coach Heather Oesterle said. "Anything extra she can do, just to help our team."
Miami's offense revolved around the play of sophomore guard Peyton Scott, who took 24 shots and scored 18 points. Many of the team's early actions were isolation looks or Scott coming off a single ball screen.
The Chippewas led 16-13 after the opening quarter and used the strong efforts of Kelly down the stretch of the second to take a 37-25 lead into the break. Miami battled to stay in the game for much of the third quarter, but a early fourth quarter spurt led by senior guard Maddy Watters' 3-pointer put the game out of reach.
Watters scored six points, grabbed two rebounds and once again provided the steady presence Oesterle has spoken highly of this season. Meanwhile, Davis finished with 11 points, a season-low but a total that pushed her over the 500-point mark in her career. She also grabbed two rebounds and had three assists.
Outside of Scott, Miami was led by Kelly McLaughlin, who scored 13 points. Freshman guard Katie Davidson added 11. The Chippewa defense held the RedHawks well below their season scoring average of 66 points per game.
"I think they're doing a great job following the game plan," Oesterle said.
The Chippewas return to action at 5 p.m. on Dec. 18 at Michigan State.
