Men’s basketball shuts down the Mid-American Conference’s top offense
The Central Michigan defense didn’t shut down Antonio Campbell on Saturday. The Bobcat junior forward surged for 17 points and 12 rebounds against the Chippewas.
The men’s basketball team halted the rest of the Bobcat offense, however, holding the rest to 32 points and a 11-of-38 shooting mark in CMU’s 72-49 victory.
Ohio entered Saturday with the Mid-American Conference’s top offense, with 79.4 points per game with a MAC-low of 69 points and a season-low of 65.
While the Bobcats raced out to a 13-6 lead, the Chippewas locked down defensively and translated the stops to transition buckets — including about a half-dozen .dunks from the sophomore forward duo of Luke Meyer and DaRohn Scott
“We came out and got punched in the face,” said Meyer, who finished with 14 points and six rebounds. “Since DaRohn and I ran so hard, we kind of tired their bigs out, so that’s why we were able to get some (dunks) at the end of the game.”
The dunks took the place of the 3-point shot in energizing the 3,333 fans at McGuirk Arena. The Chippewas went 5-for-20 from beyond the arc, just as they did in their Jan. 12 win over the MAC East favorites, Akron.
“You have the crowd behind you every time you do anything — whether it be a steal, a block, a score, a defensive stop, a rebound, anything — you get a cheer,” Meyer said. “That feels really good and it’s kind of deflating for the other team.”
CMU used the pick-and-roll to trip up the Bobcats. While the guards missed an open Scott and Meyer on the roll early on, they found the big men with more regularity as the game progressed.
“We went with that pick-and-roll almost exclusively throughout the game and found a way that we could be successful,” said Head Coach Keno Davis. “Although I don’t think it’s something you’ll see as much as you did tonight, it’s obviously something you’ll go to in key situations.”
While Ohio’s Campbell had a strong game for Ohio, Davis commended his team for how they defended the 6-foot-10, 260-pound forward, who recorded his ninth double-double of the season Saturday.
“We threw everything at him and he gets 17 (points) and 12 (rebounds),” Davis said. “If we hadn’t, he could have won that game by himself. Making him run up and down the court, making him guard on the ball screens, taking advantage of him being out there a long time was a big key, especially in that stretch in the second half.”
Meyer said the key was getting in position early defensively against Campbell.
“He’s a big fella, so you really have to focus on getting in position, especially with me being undersized, so that way, he can’t just seal you under,” Meyer said. “If I’m flat with him, he’s going to destroy me in there because he weighs 60 pounds more than me.”
While CMU’s leading scorer said Saturday’s game was one of CMU’s best of the season, he admitted his team isn’t where it wants to be, yet.
“Coach emphasizes being a championship team,” said Rayson, who had 14 points and seven rebounds. “We’re not there yet. We’re not where we want to be at the end of the season.”
