Men's basketball collapses in road loss against Bowling Green
It was déjà vu all over again for the Chippewas.
It was déjà vu all over again for the the Central Michigan men's basketball team.
The Chippewas watched an 18-point lead slip away against No. 23 Buffalo last weekend.
A mere three days later, the Chippewas (16-8, 5-6 Mid-American Conference) led by as many as 11 in the second half before falling to Bowling Green (17-7, 9-2 MAC) on Feb. 12 on the road.
Strong start
The Chippewas got off to a speedy start, forcing a litany of turnovers in the the opening minutes that led to points in transition. A layup by junior guard Kevin McKay gave CMU a 15-4 lead with 15:42 in the first half.
The Falcons’ Dylan Frye quickly swayed the game’s momentum, draining 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions to bring the score back to 23-17.
CMU responded with a pair of baskets, but Frye remained red-hot. He hit two more shots and dished a smooth pass to senior forward Demajeo Wiggins.
Senior guard Shawn Roundtree, Jr. finished an acrobatic baseline drive to put CMU up ten with a minute to play in the first. On the next possession, he flipped a pass under the hoop to senior guard Larry Austin, Jr.
Austin laid the ball in and the Chippewas trotted into the locker room with a 42-32 halftime lead.
Second half lapse
To open the second half, a pair of Austin layups kept the lead at nine despite a series of close-range finishes by the Falcons.
BGSU’s Justin Turner faded away on a midrange jumper to make it 49-42. He then hit two free throws and a transition 3-pointer to pull within two of the Chippewas with 12:39 to play.
Another three points by Fields catapulted the Falcons into a 50-49 lead, but a Dileo triple and two Roundtree free throws helped CMU reclaim a four point advantage.
Junior forward Rob Montgomery struggled with foul trouble against Demajeo Wiggins, the Falcons’ immense center. Montgomery fouled out with just over five minutes in the game.
BGSU took advantage of Montgomery’s absence, punishing the Chippewas inside to take a 63-62 lead.
Slipping away
BGSU built up a 74-68 lead with 50 seconds left in the game, but Roundtree completed a three point play to maintain a one-possession game.
CMU fouled on the inbounds and watched as Wiggins split a pair of free throws. The Chippewas were unable to score, leaving it a 75-71 ballgame with 20 seconds to play.
From there, BGSU locked the game down, going 4-for-4 at the free throw line to end the game and defeat CMU, 79-72.
Roundtree led the Chippewas with 20 points, and DiLeo made four 3-pointers on his way to 13 points. Austin finished the game with 13 points and eight assists on the night.
For BGSU, Frye had 23 points and Turner contributed 20 more. Wiggins pulled down 11 rebounds and scored 15 points, going 11-of-12 from the free throw line.
CMU out-rebounded the Falcons 39-35 on the night. Davis praised his team for its intensity and effort on the boards against the nation's No. 3 rebounding team.
However, Davis' group has consistently struggled to finish games.
“We just have to get better on the side of execution to be able to win a couple games that we’ve let slip away,” Davis said.
The Chippewas (16-8, 5-6) have dropped both regular season games against BGSU (17-7, 9-2). With the win over CMU, the Falcons hold on to their tie with Buffalo atop the MAC standings.
Up Next
The Ohio Bobcats (11-11, 3-7) roll into Mount Pleasant for a 4:30 p.m. matchup against the Chippewas on Feb. 16 in McGuirk Arena.
