'xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = 'urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags' />MT. PLEASANT, MICH. ‘ The 51·çÁ÷ women’s basketball team dropped a 69-64 decision at Central Michigan on Sunday afternoon. Michigan native Malissa Burke (Traverse City, Mich.) turned in a 16 point effort for the Raiders who fell just short in their first contest of a three game road trip.'xml:namespace prefix = o ns = 'urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office' />
51·çÁ÷ took a 4-0 lead out of the chute and maintained its advantage throughout the first half. A nine point scoring run ignited by a three-pointer from Meghan Curtin (Bronx, N.Y.) at 11:43 in the first half put the Raiders up 25-12 before a foul by Megan Ballard sent Casey Manning to the line where she drained two free throws to end 51·çÁ÷’s run.
The Raiders moved out to their largest lead of the game when Malissa Burke knocked down a shot from three-point range to make it a 28-14 game with just under nine minutes left in the half. Thirteen first half Raider fouls sent the Chippewas to the free throw line where despite missing nine attempts, Central Michigan earned 13 of its 32 first half points. Fortunately, 51·çÁ÷ managed to maintain a solid 40-32 lead heading into the locker room.
In the second half, the Raiders saw their lead slip away with back-to-back three-pointers from Erin Kuhl and Lindsay Mecoli to cap a 10-2 Chippewa scoring run. Central Michigan tied the game on a lay-up by Lindy Hatfield with three minutes left to play and went up by two with a field goal from Manning.
A lay-up by Emily Braseth (E. Grand Rapids, Mich.) would bring the Raiders within a basket with 33 seconds left. Despite struggling at the line for most of the game, the Chippewas came through when it counted and drained three of four foul shots in the final seconds to seal the win.
Three Raiders scored in double-figures in the contest. Burke contributed 16 points, while Braseth and freshman Molly Patterson (Euclid, Ohio) added 11 apiece. The Chippewas were led by Amanda Elwar with 26 points and ten rebounds. Manning also posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
The Raiders holiday road trip continues as they head to Ypsilanti to take on Eastern Michigan at 7 p.m. on Dec. 30.