Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
1-23,0-13MAC
Central Michigan
11-14,6-7MAC
Lewis Scores Career-High 15 to Lead Eagles Against CMU
2/19/2025 8:43:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Freshman Bishop added a career-high 11 points
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Kyndal Lewis scored a career-high 15 points and freshman Chelsea Bishop added a career-high 11 points as the Eastern Michigan University women's basketball team fell to visiting Central Michigan University, 74-62, Feb. 19, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti. The Eagles (1-23, 0-13 Mid-American Conference) also received 10 points from Olivia Smith in the loss to the Chippewas (11-14, 6-7 MAC).
How It Happened
Central Michigan came out strong as the Chippewas shot 5-of-7 from the floor while the Eagles were 0-of-3 to build a 10-0 lead with 7:26 remaining in the first quarter. Smith's (Fort Wayne, Ind./South Side) scoop at the hoop ended the run right after the timeout and Jada Williams (Williamstown, N.J./Gloucester Catholic/St. Peter's) made two layups in a row to cut the deficit to six (12-6). From there, the Chippewas used a 13-4 run to close the quarter and take a 25-10 lead into the second.
EMU opened the second on a 5-2 run with Lewis (Belton, Mo./Belton) scoring on a post move before Bishop (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc) connected on a free throw and then tallied a layup after a CMU bucket. During the run, EMU forced three Chippewa turnovers to spark its offense. Olivia Westphal (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park/Duquesne) followed with her first hoop of the night to pull the Eagles to within 10 at the media timeout. Following the break, Elena Cabello (Malaga, Spain/IES Mediterraneo) got on the board before Lewis splashed home a three-pointer and Bishop brought her total to a career-high seven points as the Eagles trailed, 38-26, at halftime.
The visitors opened the third on a 10-4 run, including a 7-0 run that led to an EMU timeout with 6:24 remaining in the stanza. Smith scored all four points for the Eagles as three turnovers by EMU led to five of CMU's points. From there, the Chippewas extended their lead and took a 58-41 lead into the fourth.
After both teams traded early buckets, the Chippewas went on a 6-0 run with the Eagles being held scoreless for 3:30 before Brooklyn Thrash (Wayne, Ohio/Elmwood/Canisius) followed up her missed three-pointer by grabbing the offensive board and scoring the layup. Following a media timeout, Lewis drove to the hoop and scored her ninth point of the game to surpass her previous season best before Bishop added to her growing career-high total with a tough finish. Eastern closed the game on a 8-0 run with Lewis accounting for six of the points, but it was not enough as the visitors prevailed, 74-62.
Game Notes
» Kyndal Lewis led the way for the Eagles with a career-high 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting while adding two assists, three rebounds, and one steal. Lewis, who entered the game with a season-high eight points against Buffalo (Jan. 15), bettered the 12 points she scored against Ohio, Feb. 1, 2023. Her seven field goals also bettered her previous high of three as she entered the game with just 13 field goals this season.
» With 2:34 remaining in the second quarter, Kyndal Lewis drilled a three-pointer, marking her fourth make from distance this year, which is a season-best for the senior. Lewis, who finished the game a career-high 15 points and was 1-of-2 from three, was 3-of-12 last year (2023-24) and entered the game shooting 3-of-9 from deep this season.
» Chelsea Bishop finished the game with a career-high 11 points that included her bettering her previous career best midway through the second quarter. Bishop, who entered the game with a high of four points (at Kent State, Jan. 29), was the second-leading scorer on the team as she finished 5-of-9 from the floor while recording a team-high two steals.
» Olivia Smith tallied 10 points to bring her career total to 659, leaving her four points shy of entering the program's all-time top 50 scoring list. Smith is trailing both Kris Kachaturoff (1999-02) and Patrice McKinney (2005-07) for 49th on the program's career scoring ledger after both scored 663 points in their respective careers. Smith finished the game with a team-high four assists as well.
» Jada Williams made her first start for the Eagles and scored six points, just two shy of her season best. Williams, who earned 28 starts over the previous two seasons with St. Peter's, led the team with four rebounds while adding one steal.
» Olivia Westphal connected on two three-pointers in the game as she finished with eight points. The two deep shots marked the 17th time in 23 games this season she has made multiple three-pointers and the first since hitting three at Kent State, Jan. 29. Westphal leads the team with 54 three-pointers this year.
» Eastern sent eight different players to the floor with seven scoring points, all of which tallied at least five in the game.
» The Eagles finished 4-of-16 from behind the arc to extend their current streak to 127 consecutive games with at least one made three-pointer. Kyndal Lewis extended the streak with her fourth long-distance shot of the season and the eighth of her career. The last EMU failed to drain a long-distance shot came Nov. 29, 2020, when Eastern finished 0-of-15 from three-point range at home against UIC.
Historical Notes
» With the loss, the Eagles fell to 1-23 overall and 0-13 in the MAC while the Chippewas improved to 11-14 on the year and 6-7 in league play.
» The Eagles fell to 39-57 all-time against the Chippewas and have lost the last three meetings. Additionally, the all-time series is tied at 22-22 when the two teams play in Ypsilanti.
» Eastern Michigan is now 172-169 all-time against fellow Michigan schools and 0-5 this year.
Up Next
Eastern hits the road this weekend as the Eagles will venture to DeKalb, Ill., to face Northern Illinois University inside the Convocation Center for an EMU at NIU doubleheader. The women's game between the Eagles and Huskies is set to tip at 1 p.m. CT/2 p.m. ET with the men's game to follow at approximately 3:30 p.m. CT/4:30 p.m. ET. Along with the games being streamed live on ESPN+, fans can tune into WEMU (89.1 FM) and the Varsity Network for both games with Tom Helmer on the call.
