Watson shines, rest of team is no help
Daniel AbbeySophomore Giordan Watson and Kent State’s DeAndre Haynes battled each other for the better part of two halves Saturday.
Watson won the individual battle, outscoring Haynes 30 to 20, but Haynes’ team won the game 66-60 at Rose Arena.
The loss is CMU’s fourth consecutive, dropping it to 2-9 overall and 0-3 in the Mid-American Conference.
“What a performance by Giordan,” said CMU coach Jay Smith. “It was probably the best guard performance since J.R. Wallace. He’s got to continue to lead this team.
“I apologized to him after the game that we don’t have a senior to lead them through it.”
Watson played all 40 minutes to score 19 of his career-high 30 points in the first half.
Point guard battle
CMU’s Giordan Watson
- 9-of-18 from the field
- 4-of-8 on three-pointers
- 8-of-11 on free throws
- 30 points (career-high)
KSU’s DeAndre Haynes
- 9-of-18 from the field
- 1-of-5 on three-pointers
- 1-of-2 on free throws
- 20 points
Only two other CMU players scored in the first half besides Watson. Freshman Chris Kellermann had five points and sophomore Justin Blevins had two. Still, Kent State only led 27-26 at halftime.
The Chippewas got off to a slow start, trailing by as many as 10 points, but Watson and the team’s defense kept the game close.
CMU closed the half on an 8-1 run, with six points coming from Watson.
“Being the point guard I just wanted to make things happen,” Watson said. “I tried to be more assertive, and in the second half I got my teammates involved a little more.”
The Golden Flashes led by as many as eight points midway through the second half, but a 9-1 CMU run tied the game at 52.
From there Haynes took the game over, scoring seven consecutive points, including a continuation basket after being fouled in the lane by Watson.
The made free throw put his team up five with 2:17 remaining and CMU never came within four points the rest of the game.
“DeAndre played a lot better for us,” said KSU coach Jim Christian. “I knew CMU would play well, but we just found a way to win.”
CMU did cure its turnover problems, as it only committed 13 the entire game, but it was outrebounded 40-to-29, including 11-to-6 on the offensive glass.
“(Offensive rebounds) were big for us tonight,” Christian said. “CMU hadn’t rebounded that well and we did a good job with it.”
Final Score
Kent State | 66
Central | 60
The Chippewas shot only 40 percent from the field and junior Sefton Barrett was the only other CMU player in double figures with 10 points.
Sophomore center Drew Walker had just four points in 16 minutes and was constantly pushed out of the low post by smaller players.
Still, Smith was impressed with his team’s performance after losing by 22 at Bowling Green Wednesday.
“I have to ensure that we are taking steps forward,” he said. “We can be a good basketball team. But it is no consolation to stay close and still lose. We are not satisfied with that.”
