By Staff
A 24-5 run to start the second half proved too much to overcome for Central Michigan University Saturday afternoon as Kent State University rolled to a 76-61 Mid-American Conference men's basketball win.
A near-capacity crowd of 5,046, including former NBA players Ben Poquette and Dan Majerle, helped the Chippewas celebrate 100 years of basketball.
The emotion of the pre-game ceremonies, complete with a reenactment of the famous toilet paper throw, coupled with 60 percent shooting from the field helped CMU to a 35-34 halftime lead.
However, the Golden Flashes bolted from the starting blocks in the second half to go ahead by a 58-40 margin with 9:24 to go. The closest the Chippewas got after that was 10 points at 69-59 with 1:57 to play.
The loss was CMU's 11th in a row, dropping its overall record to 3-18 and 0-11 in MAC action. Kent State remains atop of the MAC East with a 10-1 conference slate and a 17-2 mark for the season.
Kent State meshed 16-of-29 in the second half to finish the game at 46 percent on 29-of-63. CMU, on the other hand, hit 15-of-25 shots in the first half but made just eight-of-26 for 30.8 percent in the final half to shoot 45.1 percent on 23-of-51.
Two old problems plagued the Chippewas. The losers finished with 21 turnovers to KSU's 17. CMU was outrebounded by a 41-24 margin.
Niles High School graduate Gerrit Brigitha and Kevin Nelson shared game-high scoring honors for the Chippewas with 17 points each. Brigitha and Tony Bowne were tops in rebounds with five apiece.
The Golden Flashes used balanced scoring to trip the Chippewas, putting four men in double digits. John Edwards and Eric Haut led the way with 14 each followed by Jason Edwin with 13 and DeAndre Haynes with 12.
CMU returns to action tonight in another MAC clash when it entertains preseason MAC West favorite Northern Illinois University at 8 p.m. The game will be televised on FOX Sports Detroit and FOX Sports Chicago.
Kent State…………..76
Central Michigan….61
Kent State: Jason Edwon 5 2-2 13, Bryan Bedford 2 1-1 5, John Edwards 7 0-0 14, Eric Haut 5 0-0 14, DeAndre Haynes 4 3-4 12, Scott Cutley 1 0-1 2, Matt Jakeway 3 3-3 9, Armon Gates 1 0-0 3, Brian Howard 0 0-0 0, Clif Brown 1 2-2 4. Totals: 29 11-13 76
Central Michigan: Tony Bowne 3 0-0 9, Adam Dentlinger 1 0-0 2, Gerrit Brigitha 6 5-7 17, Kevin Nelson 6 2-2 17, Joe Carr 1 0-0 3, Sefton Barrett 2 0-0 5, Robert Sevalia 2 0-0 5, T.J. Meerman 0 0-0 0, Steve Harris 1 0-0 2, Marcus Moore 1 0-0 2, David Hoskins 1 0-0 2. Totals: 23 7-10 61
Halftime score: Central Michigan 35, Kent State 34
3-point shooting: Kent State 7 (Haut 4, Edwin, Haynes, Gates), Central Michigan 8 (Nelson 3, Bowne 3, Carr, Barrett). Team fouls (fouled out): Kent State 18 (none), Central Michigan 18 (none). Team records: Kent State 16-3 (10-1 MAC), Central Michigan 3-18 (0-11)