CMU men's basketball falls short of comeback against Miami (Ohio)
Central Michigan University sophomore guard Shaedon Simpson dunks the ball and scores two points in McGuirk Arena on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025. (CM Life | Jasmine Brookins)
With 34 seconds remaining in the game, Central Michigan men's basketball trailed Miami (Ohio) by three, with a chance to even the score coming out of a timeout.
The ball was inbounded and passed to Ugnius Jarusevicius who drove to the basket, looking for a quick layup. The shot fell short and was rebounded by the RedHawks, forcing CMU to intentionally foul to stay alive in the game.
Miami hit its free throws, ending the Chippewas' hope of a come-from-behind victory, with the game ending 76-70 in favor of the RedHawks.
Central Michigan falls to 10-12 on the season and 4-6 in Mid-American Conference play.
"Every game is important, today's game was very important because it was the next one," head coach Tony Barbee said. "The only thing we can focus on is Texas State because it is the next one on our schedule."
The game started with a six-and-a-half minute offensive drought as CMU failed to find a field goal until a Damarion Bonds layup with 13:29 remaining in the first half gave the Chippewas their first points outside of the free throw line. The RedHawks jumped out to an 11-4 lead through the first seven minutes.
"With this Miami team, you cannot have droughts," Barbee said. "We were getting looks and missing them."
The offense continued to struggle going down 18-8, but 4 straight makes from inside the paint for Jarusevicius breathed life into a stagnant Central Michigan offense that began to find its footing.
The squad from Mount Pleasant finished the half strong, outscoring Miami 26-19 in the final 10 minutes of the first half with Bonds hitting a buzzer-beater three from deep to make it a three-point game at halftime. Miami (Ohio) led 37-34 as both teams went into the locker room.
"We needed to lock in on the game plan which was to be stronger than them," Bonds said.
To start the second half the Chippewa offense looked strong as a Jakobi Heady three lengthened CMU's first lead of the night as it jumped ahead of the RedHawks 45-40 with 15 minutes left to play.
The team in maroon and gold went cold as back-to-back threes from Miami guard Luke Skaljac allowed Miami (Ohio) to take command as it sprung out to a 54-49 lead with 11 minutes remaining.
"We come out of halftime, take a five-point lead and then here comes the drought again," Barbee said. "We get a wide-open three and miss, they get a semi-open three and make it."
The RedHawk offense continued to let it fly, jumping out to a ten-point lead as it led the Chippewas 62-52 with 7:26 left to play.
In the final seven minutes, CMU found its stride on both sides of the ball, clawing back to make the score 71-68 with 45 seconds remaining in the game.
Coming out of a timeout, Central Michigan passed the ball into the paint for Jarusevicius, who was unable to get a clean look at the basket. The shot was no good and CMU was forced to intentionally foul to stay alive.
There was not enough time for the Chippewas who fell 76-70.
The offense was spearheaded by Bonds who finished with 17 points, one assist and three rebounds.
"Every game we lost has been less than seven points except for Akron," Bonds said. "So, I believe we're the best team in the conference and our team believes that too, we just have to figure the little things out."
Central Michigan men's basketball has a chance to bounce back as it prepares to host Texas State at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8.
