Central Michigan University Athletics
Central Michigan University
Illinois St
Men's Basketball falls to Illinois State, 72-63
12/9/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 9, 2001
NORMAL, Ill -- It was a tale of two halves for the Central Michigan men's basketball team as it fell to Illinois State on Sunday afternoon, 72-63.
CMU scored a meager 14 points in the first twenty minutes but responded in the second half with 49. The Chippewas fall to 3-4 on the season with all four losses coming on the road.
David Webber (Farmington Hills/Sr.) led the offensive charge with 16 points, all of which came in the second half. Chad Pleiness (Scottville/Jr.) put in 15 and Whitney Robinson (Detroit/Jr.) chipped in 13 along with six rebounds, six steals and five assists. Chris Kaman (Wyoming/So.) played only four minutes due to a nagging foot injury.
The game got off to a sluggish start with both teams a little short on offense. With only 9:38 left in the first stanza, the score was only 12-10. However, Illinois State picked it up and left Central to play catch-up for the rest of the game. The Redbirds went on a 14-0 run, ending at 6:17, and then closed the half with a 24-4 surge. Illinois State had control of the game at halftime, 36-14.
The Chippewas offense was off in the first half, only shooting 26 percent from the floor. The Redbird defense held Webber scoreless and Illinois State's offense was on the ball, hitting buckets at a 59 percent clip.
CMU returned to the floor to make a statement in the second half. The Chippewas were solid on defense in the second twenty minutes. They nabbed 10 steals and forced the Redbirds to cough the ball up 14 times. Webber turned it up with his 16 second-half points and the Chippewas cut the Redbird lead to eight with two minutes left. But, Illinois State was able to protect the lead and preserve the nine-point win.
The Chippewas return to action on Wednesday, Dec. 19, when they host Detroit. Tipoff in Rose Arena is set for 7 p.m.
