CMU mens basketball holds on to beat South Alabama in season opener
Central Michigan sophomore forward Bryan Ndjonda dribbles the ball as Hillsdale redshirt sophomore forward CJ Yarian guards him on Sunday, Oct. 27, at the McGuirk Arena. Last year, CJ Yarian had 14 games with five or more rebounds, including a 16-rebound game against Wayne State. (CM-Life | Mark Hoover)
Up two with 11 seconds to play, Central Michigan guard Anthony Pritchard was trapped at the corner of the baseline by two South Alabama defenders and it looked like CMU was about to turn the ball over for the fourth time in the final two minutes. With two defenders in his face, Pritchard passed the ball behind his back to a wide-open Cayden Vasko.
An intentional South Alabama foul sent Chippewa forward Bryan Ndjonga to the free throw line with 2.7 seconds remaining in the game. Both shots were made giving Central Michigan a four point victory, 74-70 in its season opener.
The win on Monday brings the Chippewas to 1-0 on the season.
It was a slow start for both teams offensively as both squads struggled to reach double digit points until 13 minutes remaining in the first half when USA guard John Broom gave the Jaguars a 10-8 lead.
Both teams traded buckets throughout the half until six minutes remained in the first half, when the Chippewas offense began finding its rhythm.
CMU went on a 17-2 run in the final six minutes to close out the half, on the back of a dominant defensive performance that saw nine first half steals. The Chippewas went into halftime with a 15-point lead and a 38-23 scoreboard.
Central Michigan came out of halftime strong nailing back-to-back three pointers to take a 44-23 lead.
The Chippewas offense continued to look strong taking a 16 point lead into the final five minutes of the game as they led the Jaguars 70-54.
However, South Alabama refused to go down easy putting together a 16-2 run in the final five minutes of the second half. The Jaguar rally made the score 72-70, but gave CMU the final possession of the game allowing the Chippewas to put the game away with two free throws.
The Central Michigan defense continued its success from last season, forcing 15 turnovers with senior Anthony Pritchard recording six steals on the day. The offense was able to capitalize off of the defense with 22 points off of turnovers.
CMU shot 50 percent from the field, with junior guard Kyler VanderJagt leading the way in scoring for the Chippewas with 16 points coming off the bench.
Senior guard transfer Jakobi Heady also contributed in his Central Michigan regular season debut with 14 points and 8 rebounds in 38 minutes of play.
CMU will head home for a single game on Thursday when it welcomes Stony Brook to McGuirk arena for the Chippewas home opener at 7 p.m.
