Central Michigan University Athletics
Central Michigan University
Ball St
Men's Basketball Pulls Off Gutsy Win Over Ball State
2/7/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 7, 2001
MOUNT PLEASANT--Despite not having the services of leading scorer David Webber, Central Michigan pulled out a gutsy 59-54 win over Ball State on Wednesday night at Rose Arena.
Stepping up in Webber's absence were Chad Pleiness and Tim Kisner who both scored in twin figures. Webber, who missed the game with a case of pneumonia, leads CMU in scoring with 20.2 points a game.
Pleiness, who scored a game-high 19 points, had a pair of key buckets late in the game and also nailed four free throws in the last 30 seconds to help secure the win. He was a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe. Pleiness also scored his first three-pointer of the season in the victory.
Kisner also hit a pair of key free throws in the last minute of the game while scoring 13 points. He also made several key defensive plays in posting a game-high three steals.
It was the Chippewas' stingy defense and strong free throw shooting that led to their ninth straight win. CMU held the Cardinals to a 32 percent (21-65) shooting mark for the night and outshot BSU 79 percent to 50 percent from the charity stripe.
Free throw shooting proved to be a key factor in the game as CMU went to the line 29 times while the Cardinals only six. In the second half alone CMU was 19-of-22 from the charity stripe while BSU was 3-of-5.
CMU's strong free throw shooting down the stretch help it sew up the win. With the score tied at 38-38 with 6:21 left, Kisner hit two free throws and Mike Manciel a layup and two free throws to give CMU a 44-38 lead with 5:10 to go.
The Cardinals cut the lead to three points with 2:35 to go but after two Pleiness baskets and a Jon Borovich free throw, the Chippewas held a 51-45 advantage with just over a minute to play.
Central sealed the win with eight free throws in the last 44 seconds of action while the Cardinals made a pair of uncontested layups to keep it close. BSU's Cedric Moodie hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to make the final margin five points.
The Chippewas opened the game with a 10-0 run and held Ball State off the scoreboard until Robert Owens scored with 9:31 to go in the opening half.
It was close the rest of the half with the Chippewas taking a 22-20 lead into the halftime break.
The game stayed tight in the opening stages of the second half with the teams trading the lead six times before the Chippewas got the upper hand late in the game.
Also scoring double figures for CMU was Manciel who had 10 points and five rebounds off the bench.
Chris Kaman led the squad with nine rebounds and two blocked shots in another strong defensive performance.
Patrick Jackson led Ball State with 18 points while Theron Smith had 14.
CMU (16-4 overall, 10-1 Mid-American Conference) continues its homestand on Saturday against Western Michigan. Tipoff on Gold Rush Day is set for 4:30 p.m. All Chippewa fans are encouraged to wear gold to this annual rivalry game.
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