Central Michigan University Athletics
Kellermann Leads CMU Over Princeton in Season Opener, 55-53
11/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
PRINCETON, N.J. -- Senior Chris Kellermann posted his first career double-double while lifting Central Michigan to a 55-53 win at Princeton on Friday night in the season opener for both schools.
Kellermann tallied career highs of 28 points and 13 rebounds while tying a career high with five three-pointers.
CMU trailed by one at the half, 23-22, but Kellermann scored nine of CMU's points during a 15-4 run to start the second half and the Chippewas never trailed after that.
"These kids battled hard," coach Ernie Zeigler said. "We made some mistakes and there are some areas where we need to get better. But, the good thing is we worked through those things in the second half and didn't let the first half affect our confidence.
"We're looking to Chris for senior leadership this year and he was Mr. Everything for us. I've been on him to be a better rebounder and he rose to the challenge tonight while being an inside/outside threat."
Princeton freshman Doug Davis was nearly a hero in his debut for the host Tigers. He scored a team-high 25 points and made a layup with 30 seconds left that trimmed the Chippewa lead down to one, 52-51.
Princeton fouled Robbie Harman on the next possession and the Chippewa junior bumped Central's cushion back up to three with a pair of free throws. The Tigers answered again with a Davis jumper and with the shotclock off and CMU up by one, the Chippewas were running out the clock before Harman was fouled again.
He split the pair this time, making the first and missing the second with eight seconds left. Davis drove down the court and was about to shoot when junior college transfer Jacolby Hardiman stripped the ball for a game-ending steal.
The Chippewa win snapped a string of four straight season-opening losses for CMU and it was CMU's first season-opening road win since the 1987-88 squad won at Hawaii-Pacific, 112-89.
Hardiman finished with five points, eight rebounds and two steals while sophomore Jeremy Allen had seven points and four boards. Harman chipped in with six points and a career-high tying five steals.
Both teams struggled from the floor with the Chippewas hitting just .339 from the floor and .350 from three-point range. Princeton wasn't much better with a .373 field goal percentage and .333 three-point mark.
CMU hosts its home opener on Monday, Nov. 17 against Missouri State. Tipoff for "Rock the Rose" is set for 7 p.m., and there will be several giveaways for those in attendance.
NOTES: The 55 points were the fewest in a win since Central won at Morehead State, 52-51, on Dec. 30, 2006 ... bench play was a strength for the Chippewas last year averaging 31.6 points per game, but in the opener this year the CMU reserves scored just four points ... Robbie Harman ranked second in the MAC last season with a .446 three-point percentage but he opened the year 0-for-5 against Princeton ... Chris Kellermann's previous career highs were 25 points against Morehead State (2/18/06) and 11 rebounds versus Northern Illinois (1/26/06) ... freshman Lawrence Bridges' first collegiate points were a putback jam with 9:30 remaining in the game ... the Chippewas forced 21 turnovers in the contest ... five of the nine players who saw action in the game were Chippewa newcomers this season ... Central held a 40-34 edge in rebounding, including 14 offensive boards for the Chippewas ... earlier in the day CMU announced a one-year contract extension for coach Ernie Zeigler, extending him through the 2010-11 season.
Kellermann tallied career highs of 28 points and 13 rebounds while tying a career high with five three-pointers.
CMU trailed by one at the half, 23-22, but Kellermann scored nine of CMU's points during a 15-4 run to start the second half and the Chippewas never trailed after that.
"These kids battled hard," coach Ernie Zeigler said. "We made some mistakes and there are some areas where we need to get better. But, the good thing is we worked through those things in the second half and didn't let the first half affect our confidence.
"We're looking to Chris for senior leadership this year and he was Mr. Everything for us. I've been on him to be a better rebounder and he rose to the challenge tonight while being an inside/outside threat."
Princeton freshman Doug Davis was nearly a hero in his debut for the host Tigers. He scored a team-high 25 points and made a layup with 30 seconds left that trimmed the Chippewa lead down to one, 52-51.
Princeton fouled Robbie Harman on the next possession and the Chippewa junior bumped Central's cushion back up to three with a pair of free throws. The Tigers answered again with a Davis jumper and with the shotclock off and CMU up by one, the Chippewas were running out the clock before Harman was fouled again.
He split the pair this time, making the first and missing the second with eight seconds left. Davis drove down the court and was about to shoot when junior college transfer Jacolby Hardiman stripped the ball for a game-ending steal.
The Chippewa win snapped a string of four straight season-opening losses for CMU and it was CMU's first season-opening road win since the 1987-88 squad won at Hawaii-Pacific, 112-89.
Hardiman finished with five points, eight rebounds and two steals while sophomore Jeremy Allen had seven points and four boards. Harman chipped in with six points and a career-high tying five steals.
Both teams struggled from the floor with the Chippewas hitting just .339 from the floor and .350 from three-point range. Princeton wasn't much better with a .373 field goal percentage and .333 three-point mark.
CMU hosts its home opener on Monday, Nov. 17 against Missouri State. Tipoff for "Rock the Rose" is set for 7 p.m., and there will be several giveaways for those in attendance.
NOTES: The 55 points were the fewest in a win since Central won at Morehead State, 52-51, on Dec. 30, 2006 ... bench play was a strength for the Chippewas last year averaging 31.6 points per game, but in the opener this year the CMU reserves scored just four points ... Robbie Harman ranked second in the MAC last season with a .446 three-point percentage but he opened the year 0-for-5 against Princeton ... Chris Kellermann's previous career highs were 25 points against Morehead State (2/18/06) and 11 rebounds versus Northern Illinois (1/26/06) ... freshman Lawrence Bridges' first collegiate points were a putback jam with 9:30 remaining in the game ... the Chippewas forced 21 turnovers in the contest ... five of the nine players who saw action in the game were Chippewa newcomers this season ... Central held a 40-34 edge in rebounding, including 14 offensive boards for the Chippewas ... earlier in the day CMU announced a one-year contract extension for coach Ernie Zeigler, extending him through the 2010-11 season.
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