Central Michigan Life – CMU runs into a storm; Women’s basketball drops game to No. 20 Iowa State

Just 1:34 into the game, Iowa State sophomore guard Arianna Jackson hit a 3-pointer to take a 5-3 lead to open the game. The 3-pointer sparked a 10-0 Cyclone run that put Central Michigan women’s basketball on the defensive 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 field with an 82:56 victory

“We played well for two quarters,” head coach Kristin Haynie said. “We didn’t play as hard in the first and third quarters, and I felt like we didn’t play as well as a team either. We just talked to them about being consistent. And if we are consistent, tough and determined on defense and then play well together on offense, then we will be a dangerous team.”

Despite hitting an early three-pointer to get on the board, the Chippewas struggled to make their shots early in the game. The Cyclones had no trouble finding the basket, however, as they quickly jumped out to a 15-3 lead early in 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 in giveaways.

The Cyclones shot 58.8% in the first period as Iowa State ended the quarter on a 14-4 run, giving them a 31-13 lead heading into the second period. The Chippewas struggled to make their shots, shooting just 35.7% from the field.

The Cyclones continued to extend their lead in the second half. Iowa State had three players score in double figures in the second quarter as the team shot 50% from the field.

With help from Lawson and Morson, the Chippewas found a bit of an attacking rhythm and began knocking down their shots.

Central Michigan shot a much more efficient 46.2% from the field in the second quarter while slowing the Cyclone offense down to just 18 points in the second quarter compared to 31 in the first quarter.

Iowa State ended the first half without scoring 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 the second half slowly, scoring a combined 0-6 away in the first two minutes after the break.

However, Iowa State got back into the swing of things shortly after, racking up points and taking complete control of the game. The Chippewas were only down to 13 points in the third quarter as the Cyclones led 70-41 heading into the fourth quarter.

Central Michigan continued to extend Iowa State’s lead in the fourth quarter, but the lead was too large to mount a comeback by the time the Cyclones closed out the game.

The Cyclones were particularly successful near the basket, scoring 50 points from beyond the basket.

“We have to get better in post-defense,” said Haynie. “We just have to make it difficult for the big guys to score on the block. That’s why we also have to provide better one-on-one responsibility in defense with our wide players. So just both.” “Inside (and) outside of the game, we just have to continue to be better defensively one-on-one.”

Freshman guard Jayda Mosley led the Chippewas with 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting and drained three three-pointers. Both Morson and freshman forward Ayanna-Sarai Darrington scored 10 points each, while senior guard Lisa Tesson scored nine points of her own.

For the sixth time this season, Central Michigan committed more than 20 turnovers in a game, giving Iowa State a big advantage. The Chippewas finished the game with 26 turnovers, which led to 29 points for the Cyclones.

“Some of those turnovers are us dribbling off the thighs or feet, going off the court, moving around, making three-second infractions (violations) or illegal screens,” Haynie said. “We just need to be more disciplined and control what we can control and just be generally healthy.”

The Chippewas, now 3-6 on the season, will be back on the road Sunday when they take on the Dayton Flyers at 1 p.m.