New Season, New Start

Thursday, November 1

Mount Pleasant, Mich.

12:00 p.m. ET

Central Michigan University

Northwood (EXH.)

Photo by: Mary Lewandowski

11/1/2018 3:51:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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Looking-ahead Chippewas top Northwood in exhibition game

By: Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Looking back?

Look at the back, and you'll see where the focus is for the 2018-19 Central Michigan women's basketball team.

On the back of the warmup shirts worn by the Chippewas, it reads TEAM 51, a tangible visual reminder that CMU has turned the page after Team 50 produced the best season in program history, capped by a run to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.

The Chippewas unveiled those tops in a Thursday exhibition matinee with Division II Northwood before an enthusiastic crowd, the vast majority of which were area elementary-school children enjoying a day-after-Halloween respite from the classroom.

CMU downed Northwood, 74-61, behind a 17-point, 18-rebound performance from Reyna Frost, one of three returning starters.

"New season, new team," said CMU coach Sue Guevara after the game, a period which served as the Chippewas' annual media day. "We cannot get caught looking in the rearview mirror. And I don't think we have. I don't think our players are thinking that way whatsoever. If anything we're moving forward. It's time for a new team to leave whatever legacy that they are going to leave."

After winning a program-record 30 games and sweeping the Mid-American Conference West Division, overall regular season, and tournament championships a year ago, the Chippewas know full well they are the red-letter date on every opponent's schedule.

There is no concern, Guevara said, about what other teams may throw at the Chippewas – they know they're going to get everybody's best shot – but rather about what CMU does.

"It's about us: what do we need to do to improve," Guevara said.

THE GAME
The Chippewas got what they expected from their big three – Frost, Presley Hudson and Micaela Kelly. Hudson had 15 points and eight assists, while Kelly had 11 points and six assists.

But the Chippewas got a somewhat surprising contribution from freshman Jahari Smith, a 6-footer who drew the start at center.

Smith scored 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting and grabbed six rebounds. The Chippewas got 40 of their points in the paint.

"I was worried coming in about our inside game because the last time we scrimmaged we didn't have much of an inside game," Guevara said. "Today I thought we were stronger and we were able to finish inside."

Maddy Watters came off the bench to score four points for the Chippewas. She hit a 3-pointer and then made the and-one with under a minute to play in the third quarter to put CMU in front, 51-48.

The Chippewas never relinquished the lead. They bumped their advantage to double digits with just under 8 minutes to play and were never seriously threatened after that.

"Give Northwood a lot of credit," Guevara said. "I thought they did a great job of shooting the 3 ball and exposing our one-on-one penetration defense. That's why you play teams like this, so you get a barometer of where you are and we have a long way to go."

CONTRIBUTIONS
Watters' four-point play essentially swung the game in CMU's favor, and the bucket came from one of the few subs who logged significant playing time in 2017-18.

Guevara said it is critical that the Chippewas get more from their bench than they did a year ago, or even on Thursday when CMU subs scored a combined seven points.

"I've said to our players, 'I don't want to just play five people; I don't want to just play seven,'" Guevara said. "But we need some production, we need some consistency and that's what I would like to see from the kids who, for the most part, have been working their tails off in the summer – the returners who didn't play a whole lot. Well guess what? Now's your time; but you've got to produce."

GETTING THE START
Gabrielle Bird, a 6-foot junior, started along with Smith, Hudson, Kelly and Frost and scored nine points. She hit two of her five 3-points.

Bird appeared in 16 games a year ago, averaging 5.3 minutes.

"I thought Gabby had a tremendous summer, shooting the ball, worked on her released, worked on her conditioning, got leaner … and playing with a tremendous amount of confidence," Guevara said, adding that Bird's development has been a pleasant surprise.

"Eventually all the work that she puts in is going to pay off with her shooting the 3 ball. I didn't think she took any bad shots today. She took shots that just didn't go in. … you've got to keep shooting the ball."

GOING FORWARD
The Chippewas play host to Oakland in their season opener on Thursday, Nov. 8 (7 p.m.). Prior to the game, the Chippewas will raise a banner inside McGuirk Arena commemorating the 2017-18 season.