KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan University women's basketball team kept things close through 30 minutes of action but did not find the last push in a 64-44 loss to the Central Michigan Chippewas.

The Broncos had their best game behind the arc in a month on Saturday afternoon. But 10 three-pointers were not enough to make up for a 28.8% overall shooting performance from WMU in the 64-44 defeat to Central Michigan. Senior forward De'Ahna Richardson led the Brown and Gold on offense with 17 points while adding two rebounds, two steals and an assist. The only other member of the Western Michigan roster in double figures was senior Alli Carlson with 12 points, three rebounds, and six assists.

Central Michigan struck first on Saturday with two layups. But it didn't take the Bronco offense long to get going as Richardson made her first of two threes to start WMUs scoring. An eight-point run for the Brown and Gold had them in the driver's seat for over four minutes. Western Michigan's defense held the Chippewas scoreless for five minutes to take a four-point lead. Yet CMU responded with a 10-2 run in the last three minutes of the first to make it a 14-10 game.

The Broncos retook their lead in the second quarter, again keeping Central Michigan scoreless two and a half minutes. WMU added its third three from sophomore forward D'Myjah Bolds to have a point advantage. But the Brown and Gold struggled to put together a scoring run in the back half of the frame. Western Michigan only scored four points in the final five minutes of the half, while CMU took a 12-point advantage into the locker room.

Junior guard Nile Muguira Orbe opened second half scoring with a three after a minute of play. The Chippewas responded with four points before the Broncos offense got going again. WMU put together a seven-point run midway through the quarter to get back within six. It was matching buckets for final three minutes of the third the Brown and Gold put together their best quarter of the afternoon with 18 points on 5-of-10 three-point shooting.

It was a slow start for Western Michigan in the fourth. Central Michigan broke away on an 11-point run in the first five minutes to make it an 18-point climb. The Bronco's offense briefly got back into the game with four points in a row. But WMU would not score over the next three and a half minutes as CMU grew its lead to 21 points. Freshman guard Olivia Flynn made the Brown and Gold's last bucket of the afternoon with her second career three-pointer with just under a minute left in the game. The Chippewas added two more at the line before the horn for the 64-44 final.

Western Michigan took the game advantage in ball control as the team forced 15 turnovers from Central while only giving up 15 of its own. Richardson and Bolds were the only players with multiple steals while the rest of the Broncos takeaways came off plays that went out of bounds. Under the glass senior forward Ariana Wilkes had her best defensive game of conference play with a team-high six rebounds.

WMU gets a week away from game action before returning to the floor on the road. The Brown and Gold will visit their other in-state rival Eastern Michigan for the team's only meeting of the season. Tip-off from the Gervin GameAbove Center between Western Michigan and the Eagles is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31.