CMU men's basketball falls short in MAC opener to Ohio
Down one with eight seconds to play, it looked like Central Michigan men’s basketball was poised to erase the 10-point deficit they faced as Ohio guard AJ Brown stepped to the free-throw line.
Brown made the first shot but missed the second allowing forward Ugnius Jarusevicius to pass the ball down the court to guard Cayden Vasko.
With the few seconds left to play and trailing by two, Vasko cut towards the basket and backed his defender into the paint, but the potentially game-tying fadeaway was off the mark and CMU fell 57-55.
The loss puts the Chippewas at 6-7 on the season and 0-1 in Mid-American Conference play.
The Central Michigan offense got a hot start, taking a commanding 10-4 lead five minutes into the first half. The guards established an early presence in the paint, forcing three offensive rebounds in the five-minute stretch.
The Bobcat offense clawed back at the lead, going on a 13-2 run over the next four minutes to make the score 17-12 in favor of Ohio and forcing two early timeouts out of the CMU coaches in the process.
Ohio kept the Chippewas at an arm's reach for the rest of the half with strong off-ball defense, taking a 35-28 lead into halftime.
The second half started just as the first did, with Central Michigan’s offense drilling shot after shot, taking a 40-38 lead over the Bobcats with 14 minutes remaining in the game.
Ohio refused to back down, pushing back against the CMU momentum by going on a six-minute run giving it a 54-44 lead with only eight minutes remaining in the game.
A mid-range jumper through contact from guard Anthony Pritchard was the catalyst for an 11-2 run that gave Central Michigan a chance at a late come-from-behind win, with the Bobcat’s lead being cut to one with 45 seconds left to play.
The Chippewas were forced to intentionally foul Brown with nine seconds remaining to keep the hopes of a win alive. Brown sank the first shot but missed the second allowing Jarusevicius to pass the ball to Vasko for the game’s final possession.
Vasko cut to the basket and backed his defender into the paint before dropping back and shooting a fadeaway. The shot was released in time but was off the mark and the squad from Mount Pleasant came up just short with the final score being 57-55.
Offensively CMU was led by guard Jakobi Heady who recorded 15 points and eight rebounds in 37 minutes of play time.
Jarusevicius recorded his second consecutive game with a double-double, putting up 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Central Michigan struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 2-15 on the game for its lowest three-point percentage of the season.
The Chippewas paint presence continued to impress both offensively and defensively after out-rebounding Ohio 15-7 offensively and 27-21 overall.
CMU men’s basketball has the chance to bounce back from the loss as it travels to Ohio to take on the Akron Zips at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
