CMU gets caught in a storm; women's basketball drops game to No. 20 Iowa State
Only 1:34 into the game, Iowa State sophomore guard Arianna Jackson hit a 3-point shot to take the lead 5-3 to open the game. The 3-pointer sparked a 10-0 Cyclone run that put Central Michigan women’s basketball down big early.
No. 20 Iowa State continued to build its lead and never trailed for the rest of the game as its offense proved too much for the Chippewas. In the end, the Cyclones defended their home court in a 82-56 win
“We played well for two quarters,” head coach Kristin Haynie said. “The first and third quarter we didn't play as tough, and I felt like we weren't playing as well as a team either. We just talked to them about being consistent. And when we can be consistent, tough and gritty on defense, and then play well on offense together, then we're gonna be a dangerous team.”
Despite hitting an early three to get on the board, the Chippewas struggled to make their shots to begin the game. The Cyclones, however, had no problems finding the basket as they stormed out to a quick 15-3 lead in the early stages of the game.
Central Michigan’s two leading scorers, senior guard Jess Lawson and freshman guard Madi Morson, as well as junior guard Taylor Anderson did not play in the first quarter.
CMU turned the ball over nine times in the first and Iowa State took advantage, scoring 17 points off the giveaways.
The Cyclones shot 58.8% from the floor in the first as Iowa State finished the quarter on a 14-4 run, giving them a 31-13 lead going into the second. The Chippewas struggled to make their shots, shooting only 35.7% from the field.
The Cyclones continued to extend their lead in the second. Iowa State had three players enter double digit scoring in the second quarter as the team shot 50% from the field.
With the help of Lawson and Morson, the Chippewas found a little offensive rhythm and began knocking down their shots.
Central Michigan hit a much more efficient 46.2% from the field in the second while also slowing down the Cyclone offense, keeping them to only 18 points in the second quarter compared to the 31 in the first.
Iowa State ended the first half unable to score in the final three minutes of play, turning the ball over five times. Regardless, the Cyclones went into the locker room at halftime with a 49-28 lead.
Both teams started slowly to begin the second half, going a combined 0-for-6 from the floor in the first two minutes after the break.
Iowa State, however, found its momentum shortly after, and began to pile on the points, taking complete control of the game. The Chippewas were held to just 13 points in the third quarter as the Cyclones led 70-41 heading into the fourth.
Central Michigan continued to chip at the Iowa State lead in the fourth quarter, but the lead was too great to mount a comeback as the Cyclones finished off the game.
The Cyclones were especially successful scoring close to the basket, scoring 50 points from inside the paint.
“We gotta get better post defense wise,” Haynie said. "We just have to be able to make it difficult for the bigs to score on the block. So we have to, also, do a better job with one-on-one accountability on defense with our perimeter players, too. So just both, inside (and) outside game, we just have to continue to be better one on one defensively.”
Freshman guard Jayda Mosley led the Chippewas in scoring with 11 points off 4-of-5 shooting, knocking down three triples. Both Morson and freshman forward Ayanna-Sarai Darrington scored 10 points each while senior guard Lisa Tesson had nine of her own.
For the sixth time this season, Central Michigan committed over 20 turnovers in a game, giving Iowa State a big advantage. The Chippewas ended the game with 26 turnovers, leading to 29 points for the Cyclones.
“Some of those turnovers are us dribbling off of our thigh or feet, stepping out of bounds, travels, three seconds (violations), illegal screens,” Haynie said. “We just have to do a better job of being disciplined and controlling what we can control and just being fundamentally sound.”
The Chippewas, now 3-6 on the season, will again be on the road as they face the Dayton Flyers at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
