CMU men's basketball picks up first MAC win at Ball State
With 15 seconds left in the game, Ball State looked to tie up the game at 67 as it faced a two-point deficit. While Cardinals' guard Jalin Anderson backed down Anthony Pritchard in the post, Aidan Rubio helped on defense and stole the ball away from the BSU offense.
Central Michigan men's basketball was then quickly fouled and Pritchard was sent to the free throw line where he knocked down both attempts, sealing the 71-65 win for the Chippewas.
The win brings CMU to 6-8 record on the season and 1-1 in Mid-American Conference play.
“We played with a lot of fight, a lot of resilience, a lot of heart,” head coach Tony Barbee said. “This was the first time all year where we put it all together, that when adversity hits, we didn't fold up like a cheap tent and go away. We kept swinging and we stood our ground.”
Both teams got out to a slow start in the matchup as there was a combined 22 points scored through the first 10 minutes of the game. During this time Ball State created its largest lead of the game at the with 9:25 remaining in the half by a score of 15-9.
The scoring picked up in the last seven minutes of the first half as a combined 31 points were put on the board with CMU going into halftime with a 31-30 lead.
Five minutes into the second half, the CMU offense found a spark as it went on a 10-1 run, giving the Chippewas a 10-point lead, the biggest of the game for either side.
Throughout the remainder of the second half Ball State continued to pick at CMU’s lead, cutting it down to two points with less than a minute to play but could not overtake the lead.
The Chippewas used a spread-out scoring attack in the win as three players had double-digits while two others came within two points.
Rubio, who started the season as a starter came off the bench as he returns from injury, led the Chippewas. Rubio had 18 points, while shooting 4-of-6 from three and had two big steals in the final moments of the contest.
“He (Aidan Rubio) had a nagging deal going on from the first game of the season as well, so we had to shut him down,” Barbee said. “This is who he is, a fearless offensive player that’s not afraid of the moment.”
Junior guard Anthony Pritchard filled up the stat sheet, as he scored 15 points, on an efficient 55 percent shooting, while also adding six rebounds, five assists and two steals.
CMU continued to handle the ball well as it was the second-straight game the team had less than 10 turnovers. On the defensive side, the Chippewas forced BSU into 13 turnovers.
An area where CMU improved on this game was free throw shooting. A problem for the Chippewas all season as they only convert 65 percent of their shots from the spot.
However, against Ball State the players stepped up and hit their shots at the right time shooting 82 percent (14-17), going 4-for-4 in the final 15 seconds of the game.
The Chippewas will be back in action on Tuesday when they travel to Ypsilanti to take on in-state rival Eastern Michigan at 7 p.m.
