Central Michigan University Athletics
Central Michigan University
Ohio
CMU Men Fall at Ohio, 64-50
2/13/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 13, 2002
ATHENS, Ohio - Central Michigan University won the battle of the second half here Wednesday night but it wasn't enough as the Chippewas dropped a 64-50 Mid-American Conference decision to Ohio University.
CMU, now 7-14 for the season and 4-9 in MAC action, trailed by a 34-15 margin at the half and rallied to as close as 12 points in the second half with 2:25 to play, 58-46.
The loss was Central's ninth of the season in 10 tries on the road. Ohio upped its record to 14-8 overall and 9-5 in the MAC.
Ohio vaulted out to a 15-2 lead at the 12:09 mark of the first half and cruised the rest of the way.
"It was disappointing because we have been playing well in the first half and then not finishing in the second," said CMU head coach Jay Smith. "We could not make a shot in the first half. We just didn't do what we had talked about and practiced against Ohio's zone in the first half.
"We did it much better in the second and I felt we had a chance to battle back into it. I was proud of the way we finished the game."
Sophomore center Chris Kaman led Central Michigan with 13 points on five-of-nine from the field while senior David Webber added 12 on five-of-16 from the floor.
The Chippewas shot 41 percent from the floor on 20-of-49. CMU was a woeful 20 percent in the first half, making just four for 20.
The Bobcats were led by Brandon Hunter's game-high 21 points and Sonny Johnson's 18. Hunter hit nine-of-11 from the field and Johnson was seven-of-12.
OU drilled 25-of-50 shots from the field for 50 percent and held a 34-28 edge in rebounding behind Hunter's eight.
Central Michigan heads back on the road this Saturday for a MAC game at the University at Buffalo. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
