CMU men's basketball loses road contest to Akron
Coming out of halftime Central Michigan men's basketball trailed the Akron Zips by three before Akron guard Seth Wilson drilled a deep three to double the lead to six on Tuesday.
Guard Cayden Vasko matched the Zips' pace by quickly knocking down a ball from beyond the arc to cut the deficit back to three.
However, trailing by three was as close as it got for the rest of the night as Akron responded with a 12-0 run handing the Chippewas an 87-71 loss.
CMU stands at 6-8 on the season and 0-2 in Mid-American Conference play.
Both teams quickly found their offensive rhythm in the opening of the first half. The Chippewas found early points in the paint, with Akron scoring its first 12 points from beyond the arc as the Zips took an early 12-9 lead in the first five minutes.
Both squads struggled with defense throughout the first half, with Akron making 11 three-pointers by halftime.
However, the mid-range offense for Central Michigan proved to be extremely efficient as the Chippewas shot 47% from the field in the first half keeping the game in reach trailing 38-41 at halftime.
Forward Ugnius Jarusevicius led the charge for CMU in the first half, recording 10 points and two rebounds that allowed his team to remain competitive in a half where the defense struggled.
Coming out of halftime, the Zips picked up where they left off, drilling the first points of the second half from deep beyond the arc.
The squad from Mount Pleasant quickly responded with a three of its own to cut the deficit back to three and seemed to build more momentum.
After CMU's first basket of the second half, Akron seemed to find its rhythm defensively, holding Central Michigan scoreless over the next five minutes, making the score 56-41.
The Zips pulled away by as much as 20 as they continued knocking down three after three. Akron shot 18-41 from beyond the arc by the game's end, with guard Seth Wilson responsible for six of the made threes. Wilson finished with 18 points, all from beyond the arc.
CMU eventually found its footing on offense with guard Kyler VanderJagt getting hot from the field in the second half, but the deficit was too large, and the Chippewas fell 87-71
VanderJagt led the team in scoring with 20 points three rebounds and two assists after a dominant second half.
Central Michigan struggled to find second chances off the glass as it was outrebounded by Akron 37-32 with 16 of the Zip's points coming on second chances.
CMU men's basketball looks to snap its two-game loss streak as it stays in Ohio, poised to take on the Toledo Rockets at 8 p.m. on Friday.
