Fans, team celebrate first MAC West title since 2010


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Greg Cornwell | Staff Photographer Junior forward John Simons dribbles around Toledo forward J.D. Weatherspoon Tuesday at McGuirk Arena. The Chippewas defeated the Rockets, 85-77, to win the MAC West Division title.

Fans were asked not to storm the court near the end of Tuesday’s 85-77 victory over Toledo for Central Michigan University men’s basketball, but the excitement was far from over when the clock hit 0:00.

The win clinched the Mid-American Conference West Division title for CMU, and what followed was celebration from the team, the ceremonial cutting of the nets and Mount Pleasant’s biggest watch party of the Bowling Green-Kent State game.

“I think the snapshot that probably sticks in my mind is (what happened) after the game,” said Head Coach Keno Davis. “The pure joy that our players had, whether it’s the star of the team or whether it’s a guy that didn’t get a chance to play.”

As seniors Austin Keel and Tony Larkins climbed the ladder to cut down the nets, the attention was split between the scissors and the big screen. Kent State had inherited 3,793 new fans as it attempted to come back against the Falcons.

The fans knew a win for Kent State would put the Chippewas in control of their own destiny. After a back-and-forth affair with Kent State hitting a 3-pointer to take a one-point lead and a pair of missed free throws for the Falcons, the Golden Flashes cemented the 81-80 victory.

“Usually we try and not root for other teams that are in our conference unless this happens, I guess, then I guess we do root for other teams,” said junior forward John Simons, who scored a career-high 28 points on a conference-high eight 3-pointers. “We still have one more game to play that’s still a meaningful game.”

The Chippewas can clinch the top seed in the MAC and the outright MAC regular season title with a win at 7 p.m. Friday at Western Michigan. BGSU, KSU, Buffalo and Toledo lurk one game behind, although CMU holds the tiebreaker over Buffalo and Toledo.

Toledo players were already off the court and in the locker room when junior guard Chris Fowler pumped up and thanked the crowd and Davis addressed the crowd saying “We couldn’t have done it without you.”

Keel walked to the sidelines for the final time, greeted by a hug from his Dad. Redshirt freshman center Milos Cabarkapa high-fived a few excited children on the court.

“To share this with the University, especially the student body, it means a lot,” Fowler said. “It’s special they were here. It’s special that they stayed around and watched (the post-game activities). I hope it’s something that they remember, because we’ll definitely remember.”

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About Taylor DesOrmeau

Taylor DesOrmeau is a senior at Central Michigan University, majoring in integrative public relations ...

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