'The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat.'
Homesickness returns as Chippewas stunned by Golden Flashes at the buzzer
The Central Michigan University men's basketball team sits on the sidelines watching their teammates play against Northern Illinois University in McGuirk arena on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (CM-Life | Claire Vachon)
A 19-point cushion wasn’t enough to end Central Michigan’s road drought Tuesday night, as the Chippewas surrendered their first-half dominance and fell to Kent State, 83-81.
After a missed free throw gave the Golden Flashes one final possession, forward Rob Whaley Jr. backed into the post and rose over forward Nick Mullen’s outstretched arm, drilling the go-ahead jumper in the closing seconds.
“Tears your stomach apart,” head coach Andy Bronkema said to the CMU Chippewas Sports Network. “The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat… too much agony.”
The 83-81 loss sits the Chippewas 9-19 on the season and 0-14 on the road.
The Chippewas turned the ball over five times, including twice in the last three minutes. Bronkema also said that the turnovers down the stretch were a factor in the loss.
Sophomore guard Phat Phat Brooks led the Chippewas in scoring and assists with 20 points and seven assists. Senior guard Tamario Adley had 15 points and led the team in rebounds with six.
On the front-court, they were not as fortunate. Senior Nathan Claerbaut fouled out with two and a half minutes left.
“Guys need to start practicing a little bit harder,” he said to the CMU Chippewas Sports Network. “Because when their number's called and you look at the plus minus, and we lose the game grossly when they're in there.”
The Mid-American Conference championship tournament is still in their grasp. The Chippewas travel to Buffalo, New York. next to face the University of Buffalo Bulls, with whom they are currently battling for a tournament spot.
