2008 Woodie Awards
Flash and Burn
By: Daniel Monson
Issue date: 2/13/08 Section: Sports
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It was something the men's basketball coach said he needed to do after what he had witnessed in CMU's 79-66 loss to Kent State.
"I'm going to fight for these kids," Zeigler said. "When I see and feel as though they're being wronged, I'm going to fight for them. There were plays throughout the game, but one play in particular down the stretch came when I felt Robbie Harman received a forearm shiver from one of their kids right on the sideline, and we have to play through that. At some point, I have to battle for my kids."
Zeigler was especially upset with the volume of fouls called against his team and the lack thereof on visiting KSU.
Less than six minutes into the second half, CMU had been called for eight personal fouls, while KSU had been called for five. Six technical fouls were called.
"It just shows that he's there with us too, and if he's going to be out there on the line for us, we need to give the same back," Harman said.
CMU battled a Kent State team that came into the game looking to win its 20th game for the 10th consecutive season. It did that by forcing Central into 37.1 percent shooting while attacking the basket and gaining good looks from less than 10 feet. KSU outscored CMU 46-30 in the paint.
"We were really hurried around the basket again," Zeigler said. "It put us in a hole."
KSU junior guard Al Fisher scored a game-high 28 points.
"We just have to learn from this and not allow us to deter what we're building," Zeigler said.
Central shot 10-of-32 (31.3 percent) from the field in the first half, but went to the break down just six, 35-29.
KSU started the game on a 12-2 run, a sight not uncommon for the Chippewas this season.
The rest of the half found both teams battling for open court on every possession. The high-intensity style of play flared some tempers.
"I thought it was a typical MAC game," said KSU coach Jim Christian. "Two teams that play a very aggressive style of basketball."
Senior guard Giordan Watson, who finished with 20 points, found himself surrounded by four KSU players after grabbing an offensive rebound under the basket. The ball was stripped loose, and the floor played host to the majority of players dressed in blue and gold.
"We just didn't capitalize on the things we could control," Zeigler said. "It was just frustrating that because our margin of error was so small, we weren't able to capitalize on the opportunities we had in transition and you just can't do that. This game, for all intents and purposes, should've been played in (KSU's) M.A.C. Center. That's the approach we had to play against."
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