March 7, 2010
Final Stats
MT. PLEASANT, Mich.-Central Michigan's Kaihla Szunko had a game-high 25 points and 11 rebounds to propel the sixth-seeded Chippewas past 11th-seeded Ohio 69-66 Sunday evening in the first round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
CMU improved to 12-17 overall and will face third-seeded Kent State Wednesday at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Bobcats, who were led by Thia Gholson's double-double effort of 16 points and 10 rebounds, finished their season at 8-22 overall.
Ohio enjoyed a solid night shooting, finishing at a 42 percent clip overall. The `Cats also got a strong effort on the glass, outrebounding the Chippewas 41-33 on the night. CMU finished the game shooting 41 percent from the field, including a sizzling 53 percent in the second half. As had been its achilles' heel, the Green and White finished at 53 percent from the free throw line, including a 5-of-11 mark in the second half.
Jenny Poff tallied (St. John's, Mich.) 17 points, including 5 3-pointers, and four steals to pace four `Cats in double figures. Gholson (Louisville, Ky.) added her 16 and tied a career-high two blocks while picking up her second career double-double. Kamille Buckner (Chicago, Ill.) finished with 10 points and eight rebounds, while Carolyn Barnett (North Chicago, Ill.) chipped in 11.
Ohio's starting post players got the `Cats off to a good start as Buckner and Gholson combined for the team's first 10 points. Poff knocked down an early trey to give Ohio a 13-8 lead with 13:38 left in the half. Barnett knocked down a three to keep the Green and White advantage at five, before the Chippewas battled back to pull within three.
The `Cats kept their lead altering between five and seven points before the Chippewas came back to pull within two at 25-23 with 3:52 remaining in the first half. The Green and White responded with a big 11-2 run to close out the half and take a 36-25 lead into the lockerroom. Ohio finished the half shooting 43 percent, including five 3-pointers. The `Cats' defense, meanwhile, turned in a solid effort, holding CMU to just 27 percent shooting from the field. Poff led all players with 11 points in the frame.
CMU could not be shaken, however, as it rolled off a quick 7-0 run to start the second half and cut the lead to four with 17:57 left. The `Cats responded with four quick points to go back up by eight, but that was as big a lead as Ohio was able to get as the Chippewas kept methodically cutting away. Szunko converted on a layup to tie the score at 49 with 7:59 left.
Action went back and forth over the next few minutes. A big Barnett three with 4:27 left put Ohio ahead 60-57. CMU pulled back to within a point, before Poff knocked down her fifth trey of the game with 2:24 left to put the `Cats on top by four. The Chippewas responded with a huge 8-2 run to take a 67-65 lead with 48 seconds left. Ashley Fowler (Cincinnati, Ohio) knocked down a free throw to pull Ohio to within one with 27 seconds left. CMU's Heidi Warczinsky then knocked down two free throws with 21 seconds left. The `Cats had one last chance, but Jennifer Bushby's three-point attempt with a second left bounced off the rim, and the Chippewas escaped to advance to Cleveland.
Szunko's 25 led three CMU players in double digits, while Jalisa Olive chipped in 14 and Shonda Long added 12.
The game marked the final game in the careers of Poff and Bushby. Poff finished her Bobcat career as one of the most prolific 3-point shooters in school history, finishing second on Ohio's all-time list. She also holds two of the program's top five single-season records for 3-pointers made, including her 64 treys this season. Bushby finished her career 12th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,086 points. She also finished as just one of two players in program history with 1,000 points, 300 assists and 150 steals.
Ohio returns all but two players for next season, while also adding transfers Tenishia Benson (Akron, Ohio) and Alesia Howard (Columbus, Ohio), who will become eligible after sitting out this season to NCAA transfer rules.
