Men's basketball defeats Toledo 59-44 on Senior Night
Brian ManzulloUpdated 11:40 p.m.
On a night dedicated to the seniors, Marcus Van did not disappoint.
The senior forward finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds on Senior Night, leading the men's basketball team against Toledo 59-44 Wednesday in Rose Arena.
CMU held Toledo to 28.9 shooting, snapping a 12-game losing streak against the Rockets.
"We really tried to pack it in and stayed in gaps and were talking," said head coach Ernie Zeigler. "And I think we did a good job of keeping them from penetrating us."
After an initial 3-pointer by Toledo forward Justin Anyijong, the Chippewas went on a nearly eight minute run, scoring 16 unanswered points.
The Rockets were able to close down the lead, trailing CMU 26-20 going into halftime.
In the second half, Toledo continued its comeback against the Chippewas. Rocket guard Tyrone Kent's 3-pointer with 15:27 remaining capped off the comeback and gave Toledo a 33-31 lead.
The two teams went back and forth for much of the second half before CMU regained control. A Van dunk with 2:52 remaining gave Central a 54-41 lead and put the game away.
"We just wanted to keep our composure and keeping playing defense," Van said on dealing with the second half surge by Toledo.
Sophomore guard Antonio Weary finished with 11 points and junior guard Jordan Bitzer finished with 10.
Junior forward Jacolby Hardiman did not play because of coach's decision, Zeigler said.
CMU (10-18, 6-9 MAC) plays Western Michigan at 2 p.m. Saturday in Kalamazoo. The Broncos defeated the Chippewas 72-63 on Jan. 17 in Rose Arena.
"For us we did not play probably with the right fire and passion that we can play with the first time we played Western," Zeigler said. "And whenever you're playing your rival you have to be up for those games and I think this performance tonight will definitely bode well for our confidence going down there."
The Mid-American Conference Tournament starts next Tuesday in Cleveland, Ohio.
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