CMU men's basketball drops third-straight with loss at Arizona
Central Michigan senior guard Anthony Pritchard tucks in his shirt while waiting for the game to start on Thursday, Nov. 7 at McGuirk Arena. (CM-Life | Mary Nowosacki)
With 15 minutes remaining in the first half, Central Michigan men's basketball hit a set of free throws to tie the score at six against Arizona on Saturday.
The score only remained tied for a few seconds until All-American guard Caleb Love struck down the court and buried a three. This jumpstarted a 15-4 run for the Wildcats that the Chippewas were unable to recover from, on route to a 94-41 finish.
The third straight loss for CMU puts it at 5-6 on the season.
The first half started slow, with Arizona missing three straight three pointers to start the game, allowing CMU to keep the score locked at six through five minutes.
However, Love drilled a three in the face of his defender, thwarting any momentum the Chippewas had and setting the Wildcats up for a 15-4 run that lasted until the nine minute mark. The Central Michigan offense then found a few points on consistent looks, making the score 25-12.
CMU was unable to find consistent offensive footing for the rest of the half, with Arizona running away with the game, finishing the half 44-23.
The second half did not start much better for the Chippewas, as the squad from Mount Pleasant continued to struggle offensively, routinely missing open looks and coughing up the ball resulting in points for Arizona.
At the 16 minute mark of the second half, the Wildcats went on a 23-4 run that closed out any hope of a comeback, making the score 73-32.
The Central Michigan defense continued to struggle down the stretch causing the 53 point loss, the biggest margin of loss for the Chippewas this season.
CMU shot 14-54 from the field with guard Cayden Vasko's 10 points leading the way.
Central Michigan notably struggled in the turnover battle, giving the ball away 17 times compared to Arizona's 10.
The Chippewas have the opportunity to snap the three game loss-streak at 2 p.m. on Dec. 30 where they will host Cleary.
