MOUNT PLEASANT, MICH. -- Jewel Cotton poured in a game high 26 points and Central Michigan used dominant front court play to power past Furman, 81-71, in Preseason WNIT consolation round action Friday evening at McGuirk Arena.

Furman will conclude its Preseason WNIT play on Saturday with a 4:30 p.m. matchup against Eastern Washington at McGuirk Arena

Cotton, a 6-foot-2 fifth-year senior, connected on 11-of-14 shots and added six rebounds to pace the Chippewas (1-1), who dominated the Paladins (0-2) on the boards, posting a 46-30 advantage, including a 19-9 margin on the offensive glass that led to 27 second chance points.

Furman was paced by freshman Le'Jzae Davidson, who scored 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting from 3-point range.  Whitney Bunn added 15 points and 10 assists, and Cierra Carter also contributed 15 points to round out the Paladins' double figure scoring effort.

Freshman small forward Tierra Hodges finished with eight points and topped Furman with 10 rebounds, but the Paladins could not counter the taller Central Michigan inside presence led by Cotton, 6-foot forward Reyna Frost's eight points and 11 rebounds, and 6-3 forward Tinara Moore, who finished with 14 points and eight caroms.

The rebounding differential helped Central Michigan negate a solid shooting effort by Furman, which converted 45.0 percent from the field (27x60) and 13-of-25 attempts from beyond the arc (52.0%).

Furman trailed 24-18 after one period but rallied to tie it at 27-27 on a layup by Stephania Oramas with just over five minutes remaining in the half.

The Chippewas' Cassie Breen, who finished with 16 points, broke the deadlock with a pair of free throws and later added a 3-pointer for a 32-27 lead, and CMU took a 37-32 advantage into the halftime.

Central Michigan took control of the game to start the second half, using an 11-2 run to open up a 48-34 lead following a layup by Cotton less than three minutes into the third period.

A Davidson 3-pointer at the 6:52 mark halted the run, and a Carter 3-pointer on the Paladins' next trip down the court pulled Furman to within 48-40.

The Paladins got with 50-44 on a Hodges layup with 4:36 to go, but an 8-0 Chippewa run, capped by two free throws by Cotton at the 2:06 mark, blunted the Paladins' rally.

Furman center DeAnneisha Jackson, the victim of early foul trouble after scoring 16 points in the Paladins' season opener against Fordham, tallied only four points and two rebounds in 21 minutes of action.