It was the tale of two halves for the Central Michigan women’s basketball team as it dropped its season opener, 79-69, to Purdue before 2,035 on Friday at McGuirk Arena.
The Chippewas led by 16 points, 37-21, late in the first half, but the Boilermakers responded with a physical mentality that the Chippewas struggled to match in the final two quarters.
Purdue outscored CMU, 36-13, in the third quarter and the Boilermakers’ lead reached 13 points, 63-50, with under eight minutes remaining.
CMU managed to draw within six, 66-60, with under three minutes to play, but was outscored 13-9 down the stretch.