CMU women's basketball starts conference 0-2 after loss to Ball State
Central Michigan dropped their second MAC game against Ball State
Central Michigan women’s basketball traveled to Ball State University on Saturday to take on the Cardinals in the Chippewa’s second conference game.
The Cardinals held the upper hand for much of the game as CMU struggled with turnovers. In the end, Ball State held the advantage in points at the final buzzer, winning the game 72-61.
“We played better as far as competing,” head coach Kristin Haynie said. “We felt like in Buffalo we didn't compete every possession consistently. And for the most part, I mean, you make mistakes for sure throughout the game, but we were competing and we had energy and so that was really good to see.”
Ball State kicked off with a quick basket on its first possession. Despite the early offensive look from the Cardinals, both teams struggled to make their shots as the game progressed through the first quarter. Central Michigan was unable to hit its first basket of the game until about the six-minute mark of the first quarter.
At the halfway mark of the first quarter, Ball State held a 6-4 lead over the Chippewas.
Ball State began to find an offensive rhythm as the quarter moved along and finished a 12-0 run to take a 16-4 lead heading into the second quarter.
The Chippewas struggled from the field in the first, going 2-11 and 0-4 from beyond the arc.
Central Michigan found more offensive success to begin the second quarter as junior forward Demetria Prewitt hit a layup followed by two free throws.
The Chippewas then went on a 10-5 run, trailing 14-21 before a media timeout with 5:51 left in the half.
The Cardinals built back a nine-point lead with minutes left in the half. As time winded down, CMU brought the score back with the Cardinals only leading by five heading into the locker room.
The Chippewas had a tough time keeping possession of the ball in the first half. Having committed an average of 20.5 turnovers per game in its previous outings, CMU continued its turnover struggle with over 18 in the first half alone against the Cardinals.
“It's just been our Achilles heel and we just got to watch the tape and just learn and try and not make the same mistake twice," Haynie said. "But, you know, our travels we can control. So, we've got to go back and do some fundamental footwork stuff. But I was proud that we didn't let our turnovers affect our defense because that's been happening.”
The Chippewas came out hot to start the third quarter, hitting all three of their first shots to bring the score within three.
Despite CMU’s attempts to keep the game close, Ball State ended the third quarter on an extended 15-6 run to give them a 51-37 lead going into the final quarter of play.
Despite a strong final quarter from the Chippewas in which they outshot the Cardinals, Ball State retained control of the game until the final buzzer, handing Central Michigan its ninth loss on the season.
Freshman guard Madi Morson led the team in points against the Cardinals, scoring 18 on the day. Freshman forward Ayanna-Sarai Darrington scored 12 points while also grabbing seven rebounds.
The Chippewas finished the game with a season-high 31 turnovers, gifting the Cardinals 22 points off of the giveaways.
“We play with that effort on the defensive end and offense, we play well together and we just take care of the ball and who knows what the end of the score will be. So, we just keep with that effort and being locked in and focused and we can beat anybody.”
The Chippewas will look to bounce back against Miami (Ohio) in their next outing at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at McGuirk Arena.
