Central Michigan found out early on that it couldn’t stop the NIU women’s basketball team’s Kristen Wiener.

Midway through the first half, NIU guard Stephanie Raymond pushed the ball up court.

When she got close to half court, a pair of CMU gaurds were waiting. The Chippewas tried to pressure her into making a mistake.

Down low, teammate Wiener had her hand outstretched, begging for the ball. Her eyes were wide open just waiting to watch the ball come her direction.

Calm and cool, Raymond dished a high lob pass to the forward. It was all over then. Just a simple drop step, a baby hook and Wiener was running back down court to the cheer of the crowd.

It was just that easy for the junior all of Saturday’s game. Wiener exposed the post defense of CMU all game long and helped her team blow away the Chippewas.

Wiener finished the game with 22 points on 10 of 12 shooting from the field.

“I definitely give credit to my teammates,” Wiener said. “They got it in to me inside, and I have to put it back up.”

And putting it back up is what she did.

Throughout the game, NIU routinely pounded the ball down low. It didn’t matter how many people were guarding her, the game plan was to get the ball in Wiener’s hands.

When the Huskie guards would bring the ball up court, they never took their eyes off Wiener.

And the junior wasn’t shy about wanting the ball, either.

Wiener was constantly moving defenders out of her way to get postposition and throwing her hands high.

And if it wasn’t working so well, maybe the Huskies would have tried something new, but it was working.

Wiener hit all four of her shots in the first half. And in the second, she only missed two.

After the game, CMU coach Eileen Kleinfelter admitted she was tired of Wiener making every shot.

“They got the ball inside to her very effectively,” Kleinfelter said. “She was 10 of 12, my goodness, you expect her to miss a few.”