BGSU 71, CMU 58: Men's hoops shoots 23 percent in first half, drops fourth straight
A conference season that once appeared promising is now fading -- and quickly.
The Central Michigan men’s basketball team dropped its fourth consecutive game Wednesday, shooting 36 percent in a 71-58 loss against Bowling Green before 2,009 at the Stroh Center in Bowling Green, Ohio.
The Chippewas fall to 7-12 overall and 2-4 in the Mid-American Conference, a full two games behind MAC-West leading Ball State.
“I thought we came out with really good energy to battle, get rebounds and put ourselves in a position to make some plays defensively,” CMU head coach Ernie Zeigler said afterward. “Unfortunately, we could not make buckets in the first half. We just struggled, struggled, struggled ... (there) was like a lid on the basket."
The Chippewas came out scrappy, outrebounding Bowling Green 25-19 in the first half – they even converted 12 second-chance points off 10 offensive rebounds. But every other shot, it seemed like, would not fall.
CMU shot a paltry 23.5 percent (8-for-34) and fell behind 31-21 by halftime.
The second half wasn’t much better, despite an offensive flurry from sophomore guard Trey Zeigler. After BGSU opened up a 16-point lead early in the second half, Zeigler, battling the flu all week, and junior guard Finis Craddock helped cut the deficit to 9 points with 10:40 to go. The Falcons responded with a 10-2 run and maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
Zeigler finished with a game-high 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting and 10 rebounds, his fifth double-double of the season. The rest of the CMU team shot 15-for-39 (30 percent) and 4-of-7 in 3-point attempts.
“He’s trying to respond, he’s trying to mature,” Zeigler said of his son. “We all know what he’s capable of. He gave us everything he had out there. If he continues to give that type of effort, it’s going to allow him to grow and hopefully affect our play as a team as well.”
BGSU (9-10, 3-3 MAC) had four players in double figures, with forwards Scott Thomas and A’uston Calhoun and guard Jordan Crawford each scoring 14 points. Calhoun added 11 rebounds for a double-double, while Crawford added seven assists for the Falcons.
Senior forward Andre Coimbra (12 points, most of which came in the first half) was the only other CMU player to score in double figures. Guards Derek Jackson and Austin McBroom each scored 3 points. The Chippewas outrebounded BGSU 41-29 for the game.
Suspension
Redshirt freshman Auston Barnes did not make the trip to Bowling Green with the team after he was suspended by head coach Ernie Zeigler for what CMU is calling "a violation of team rules."
Barnes, a 6-foot-6, 196-pound forward from Lansing Waverly High School, has played a total of 67 minutes in 16 games this season. He played 10 minutes Saturday against Western Michigan, recording a pair of steals and rebound in the Chippewas' 64-61 loss to the Broncos.
The Chippewas return home to host MAC East-leading Akron on Saturday. Tipoff against the Zips (13-7, 5-1 MAC) is set for 7 p.m. at McGuirk Arena.
