Men's basketball prevails against Kent State, 84-74
Nothing clicked on offense for Central Michigan through the first 10 minutes.
As for Kent State, it couldn't generate much either.
A multitude of early misses from the field overruled what was expected to be a tight-knit battle between two teams each two games out of first place in their respective Mid-American Conference division.
But in a matter of one shot, Shawn Roundtree Jr.'s 3-pointer from the wing with 9:15 left until halftime, a spark was ignited. Each team began scoring at a high rate for the remainder of the contest.
Despite a back-and-forth affair and a six-point deficit down the stretch, the Chippewas (18-8, 7-6 MAC) rose above adversity in an 84-74 victory against the Golden Flashes (19-7, 8-5 MAC) on Feb. 19 at McGuirk Arena.
Roundtree, who capped off the game with a handful of free throws, led the Chippewas with 20 points and shot 4-of-7 from 3-point range.
Senior guard Larry Austin Jr. tallied 17 points, five rebounds and 11 assists while providing energy late in the game. Junior forward Rob Montgomery also added 19 points and eight rebounds.
"When you've beaten Kent State, you've done something," said CMU coach Keno Davis. "They're a tough matchup for everyone in the league. I liked our resiliency, and it's nice to win some games with our toughness."
Every game at McGuirk Arena features Davis' classic "stand for defense," calling fans to remain on their feet until the opposing team scores.
More often than not, it's a one-to-two minute process. This time it took 235 seconds, or just a few ticks less than four minutes. While CMU was sporting solid defense, which held Kent State star Jaylin Walker to three points in the first half on 0-of-7 shooting, Davis' team struggled to score.
"Everyone remained composed," Roundtree said. "We had a spurt where nobody scored. Our guys did a good job of staying composed."
Six offensive rebounds were split evenly between CMU and Kent State within the first eight minutes, but the two schools only managed to combine for 22 points.
Junior forward Rob Montgomery caught a pass at the wing from Larry Austin Jr. on a fast break, put his head down, bullied his defender and scored inside for a 24-18 edge with 7:50 remaining in the first half.
Kevin McKay picked up his third foul with 5:38 left in the half, but it didn't matter. His replacement, junior guard Dallas Morgan, scored seven points down the stretch to help deliver a 40-33 margin at halftime – in favor of the Chippewas.
With 13:51 to play in the game, sophomore forward BJ Duling sent Austin down to the hardwood on a layup attempt. CMU's leading scorer fell on his right elbow but managed to go 1-for-2 at the free throw line and score on his next possession to give CMU a 52-49 lead.
Kent State refused to go away.
On a mid-range jumper from junior guard CJ Williamson with 11:33 until the final whistle, Kent State had its first lead of the game, 55-53. It's not the first time CMU has gone down to the wire against a conference opponent.
"It's good and bad that we've been in this situation before," Roundtree said. "We are used to it. When that moment came, we had to regroup."
Roundtree's 3-pointer with 6:01 left put the Chippewas ahead by four, 69-65. From that point on, CMU never trailed.
Late free throws from Roundtree and junior guard Kevin McKay put the polish on CMU's 10-point win.
"We had to have composure to make free throws and make big plays at the end of games," Davis said. "We learned from games earlier in the year."
Walker came into the game averaging 22.2 points per game. He was held to 14 points on 2-of-16 shooting from the field against CMU. He was 10-of-12 from the charity stripe.
"Larry Austin started off on him, but Shawn Roundtree and Kevin McKay had matchups," Davis said. "Every time he went by us, we had other guys there to make sure he wasn't getting to the basket."
Next up
The Chippewas travel to Ball State for a 2 p.m. Feb. 23 matchup against the Cardinals at Worthen Arena.
