Williams’ 3-pointer gives men’s basketball win over Wofford, 98-94
Senior forward Cecil Williams dunks during the basketball game against University of Buffalo on March 8 at Quicken Loans Arena.
In the second round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, the Central Michigan men’s basketball team pulled out a late win, advancing head coach Keno Davis’ team to the CIT quarterfinal game.
The Chippewas (21-14) defeated Wofford (21-13), 98-94, March 16 at Richardson Indoor Stadium in Spartanburg, South Carolina on a 3-pointer by senior forward Cecil Williams with 47 seconds left.
"It's always enjoyable to be able to get road wins," Davis said. "It's great to do it in front of your fans, but winning on the road is pretty special. All we did was put up 57 points in the second half. I'm proud of this team."
Senior guard Josh Kozinski got the Chippewas going with back-to-back 3-pointers to start his team with a 6-4 lead. Moments later, Sophomore guard David DiLeo went back-to-back from downtown as well, giving CMU a 14-6 edge with 15:37 left in the first half.
Following DiLeo’s triple, senior forward Luke Meyer made one of his own to give the Chippewas an 11-point lead, which was the largest of the game for Davis’ squad.
In spite of being down 11 points early, Wofford battled all the way back. Junior guard Fletcher Magee dropped in a corner 3-pointer to give the Terriers a 42-41 margin at halftime.
"Both teams were scoring at will," Davis said. "Good shooters were making shot. Magee is a big time player. Late in the game, we went to a box-on-one. We weren't going to let him score 50 (points) on us."
With just over 12 minutes to go in the CIT second round game, Kozinski made a 3-pointer on an assist from sophomore guard Kevin McKay for his 300th career triple. He is the only player in CMU history to reach 300 made baskets from deep.
Williams attacked the basket and scored, but was fouled in the act of shooting. He completed the old-fashion 3-point play to take a 66-65 lead with 11:24 to play in the game.
Sophomore guard Storm Murphy, who finished with five points for the Terriers, scored with 6:50 to play, knotting the game between Wofford and CMU, 75-75.
Magee and Murphy went back-to-back from 3-point land, putting Wofford ahead, 83-77, with just over five minutes to go.
Williams answered Magee and Murphy with a triple of his own. Then, McKay scored on a dish from Williams to give CMU the lead, 84-83. The bucket forced Wofford to call a timeout with 3:37 left in the CIT second round.
Magee finished the game with 31 points, two rebounds and three assists. Junior forward Cameron Jackson was right behind Magee, dropping in 22 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
CMU jumped out to a 10-0 run late in the game, extending its lead to 87-83 with 2:09 to play. Sophomore guard Trevor Stumpe respond with a triple, cutting Wofford’s deficit to one-point with 1:47 remaining.
After being tied 87-87, Williams made a 3-pointer with 47 seconds to play, giving the Chippewas a 90-87 edge over the Terriers.
Late free throws secured the 98-94 win for CMU.
"It's nice to have a good free throw shooting team as a coach," Davis said. "We didn't even sub at the end because all those guys can make free throws."
DiLeo led the way for the Chippewas with 22 points, six rebounds and one assist. Junior guard Shawn Roundtree added 11 points and seven assists, while Kozinski tossed in 18 points on six triples.
With the win, CMU advances to play in the CIT quarterfinal game.
"It was nice to be able to adapt and make some big plays," Davis said. "It was a good team win today."
