The Central Michigan Chippewas stayed perfect in MAC play by defeating the Ohio Bobcats at McGuirk Arena in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. on Sunday. Kiyanna Black kept the scrappy Bobcats close for much of the game with timely three point shooting. Black led all Ohio scorers with 17 points. Destini Cooper added 15 points for Ohio, mostly from close range.
The story of the game was Jas'mine Bracey, who scored 18 hard-earned points and had a game high 12 rebounds for the Chippewas. Da'Jourie Turner scored a career-high 15 points and was a force as the Chippewas pulled away midway through the second half. Turner took over for point guard Jessica Green after Green was hobbled with ankle soreness in the first half. Green returned in the second half, but it was the timely contributions of CMU's youngsters Jewel Cotton and Green that set the pace for the Chippewas.
it is a rare game where Central Michigan star guard Crystal Bradford does not dominate the statistics. However, she left it up to,her teammates to star against Ohio. The most telling statistic of the game was the difference from beyond the arc, where CMU was 7-17 and Ohio was 8-31. Too much long-range shooting and one-shot trips down the floor doomed the Bobcats. They were forced into a long-range strategy because CMU was very effective at defending inside offensive attempts. Overall, Ohio was held to only 23 of 63 attempts leading to its overall offensive struggles.
It was a good effort by the young Bobcats. They were able to stay close until CMU's talented bench pulled away. The victory improves CMU's MAC record to 9-0. Ohio falls to 3-6 in the MAC with the loss.
