CMU men's basketball bests Aquinas in in-state contest
With 10 minutes remaining in the first half, Central Michigan men's basketball found itself trailing Aquinas by four on Thursday.
That was until CMU forward Ugnius Jarusevicius found a wide open look from the top of the key and fired a deep three that cut the lead to one and swung momentum back in favor of the Chippewas.
The three was the catalyst for a 32-8 run to finish the half that Aquinas was unable to come back from, giving Central Michigan a 93-69 win.
"You can tell how much fun they have playing together," head coach Tony Barbee said.
CMU advances to 5-3 on the season.
The showdown began with both teams starting hot on offense and struggling on defense, with a combined 40 points being scored in the first eight minutes as the teams were interlocked at 20 each.
"They were on 10 to start the game," Barbee said. "Our guys were lethargic and behind the action."
The Saints pulled away by four with back-to-back buckets but the success was short-lived after a Jarusevicius pull-up from three got the Chippewas bench visibly excited. The three jump started a 32-8 run to close out the half, giving Central Michigan a 20 point 52-32 lead going into the locker room.
Aquinas came out of halftime and found a little bit of the magic they had early in the first half. But it was too little too late as CMU began making it rain from three in the second half, giving the Chippewas a 64-39 lead with 15 minutes left to play in the game.
Both squads traded baskets for the rest of the game, and Central Michigan walked out of Grand Rapids with a 24 point victory.
CMU hit a season high 13 threes while shooting 50% from beyond the arc throughout the course of the contest, with guard Cayden Vasko leading the charge with five made three pointers.
The team from Mount Pleasant recorded 18 assists, their second highest total of the season behind it's Dec. 1 contest with Purdue-Northwest.
"No knock on anyone I've coached since I've been here but the first three seasons we couldn't trip into 18 assists because nobody wanted to pass," Barbee said.
Guard Anthony Pritchard led the team on both sides of the court, nearly recording a triple-double after finishing the game with 18 points, nine rebounds and eight assists.
Guard Kyler VanderJagt was also hot on offense finishing with 18 points while shooting 70% from the field.
Central Michigan men's basketball will have a brief break before heading back on the road to Indiana to take on Valparaiso at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 14.
