2008 Woodie Awards
Miami next for Central after first road win
By: Daniel Monson
Issue date: 2/8/08 Section: Sports
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Now, Central gets another chance to prove itself in enemy territory 4 p.m. Saturday against Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
Junior forward Nate Minnoy's last-second putback forced overtime in Bowling Green, Ohio, and CMU went on to beat Bowling Green 81-77. Minnoy finished with 18 points and five rebounds.
"It was huge, because we knew this was going to be the toughest stretch for us as we start the second half of conference play," said CMU coach Ernie Zeigler. "With having two road games, if we were going to have any chance to compete we were going to have to get a win on the road. Getting this first one definitely helps our confidence as we go to one of the toughest - if not the toughest place - to play in the conference in Oxford."
After senior guard Giordan Watson put CMU ahead one with 38 seconds remaining, BGSU's Joe Jakubowski made a layup and was fouled for a 3-point play with 24 seconds left.
Watson missed a shot on the Chippewas' final possession, but Minnoy was there for the game-tying layup.
"Getting out and making shots and establishing an inside post presence with Marko (Spica) definitely gave us confidence, particularly when Bowling Green went on a run and got back in the game," Zeigler said. "We knew we were able to persevere all the way throughout and then into overtime."
Central (10-11 overall, 5-4 MAC) jumped to a 19-4 start before BGSU battled back to within one, 33-32 at halftime.
Along with Minnoy's contributions, Spica added 16 points and two rebounds.
"They did a good job of scoring in the paint and around the basket, which is something we've been needing a lot of lately," Watson said. "It was a big win for us to still put ourselves in a position to compete and get a good seed in the MAC Tournament."
Bad trips
CMU has not beat the RedHawks in a 12-game span that included two overtime losses and CMU's 2002-03 MAC Championship. The Chippewas last beat MU 86-75 in 1997 at Rose Arena.
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