Senior guards end Rose Arena career in spotlight, beat Western Michigan

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Saturday’s game against Western Michigan was a perfect example of the stock Ernie Zeigler places in his senior backcourt.

The CMU men’s basketball coach hugged Jordan Bitzer and Robbie Harman as they came off the court with 10 seconds remaining in CMU’s 74-66 win against Western Michigan.

They each scored 22 points. They each totaled four assists. They each had seven field goals. And they closed their home careers with a win that gives their team a chance to win the Mid-American Conference West Division.

“Straight down the middle,” Zeigler said after the game. “That’s how important they are to us. It’s one of those Hollywood-type stories.”

The duo’s performance in front of a crowd of 3,504 also prompted Zeigler to thank the team’s supporters over the loudspeaker after the game.

“Everything kind of came to me really quickly down the stretch,” Zeigler said. “The mic was sitting there and I said to myself, ‘This is a special time.’”

A few hours later, last-place Toledo defeated Ball State and made sure CMU’s Thursday game at Eastern Michigan (8-7 MAC) decides which team could own the division.

The Chippewas (14-14, 8-7 MAC) need a win Thursday and a Ball State (8-7 MAC) loss on the road against WMU to win the division outright and grab a first-round bye in the MAC Tournament. BSU owns a tiebreaker against CMU because its record against the MAC’s top teams is better than the Chippewas’.

Big buckets

Bitzer and Harman carried the majority of the scoring load, but it was an unlikely player who ensured the Chippewas escaped with the win.

Junior center Marko Spica scored four points with less than 2 minutes remaining to help seal the win. With WMU twice looking to cut into four-point leads, Spica hit two shots near the basket.

“Marko has a mini-me,” Zeigler said. “Unfortunately for him, his mini-me normally is the one that’s been showing up more than the Marko Spica we want to be here. But he responded. He has the capability of becoming a good player.”

A layup by Harman with 6 minutes remaining gave CMU a 59-58 lead it did not relinquish. Bitzer, who started the game shooting 1-of-8, followed on the next possession with a jumper, solidifying CMU’s chances. Harman started 2-of-7 from the field.

“Coach says you’re not going to make your next one if you don’t take it,” Bitzer said. “We’re shooters and we’re going to keep shooting. I think we did a good job of getting in the lane and dumping it off and getting fouled and getting to the free-throw line too.”

Staying Kool

A big first half by WMU senior guard David Kool allowed the Broncos (7-8 MAC) to lead by as many as 10 points. Kool scored 15 of his 31 points in the half.

But in the final 3:34 of the half, Harman checked back into the game with two fouls, and CMU closed the half on an 8-2 run to cut WMU’s lead to 34-30.

“Western came out with a lot of fire and a lot of passion,” said CMU junior forward Jalin Thomas. “We regrouped and realized that little run right before halftime really helped us.”

Kool, the MAC’s leading scorer who was averaging 20.2 points per game coming into the game, was able to get into the paint area without much problem in the first half. But near the end of the second half, Bitzer limited him to one field goal in the final 8:35.

“We just had to try to make him take tough shots,” Bitzer said. “He kind of went off on us tonight but, I think, overall, we did a good job of getting back and being physical and tough.”

It was the last game in a battle between the seniors, who went 4-4 against each other in four years.

“I have a great deal of respect for the guys, especially those two knowing what they’ve been through and the stories from where they’ve been,” Kool said. “It’s just a battle of perseverance. It’s just fun to play against people that you know respect the game and are going to play hard. That’s what Central does.”