Central Michigan University Athletics
Men's Basketball Falls to Missouri State, 60-57
11/17/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MOUNT PLEASANT Jeremy Allen and Robbie Harman combined for 38 points but the Central Michigan University men’s basketball team fell short to Missouri State on Monday night, 60-57.
Allen scored a career-high 20 points on 7-18 shooting, while Harman matched career bests with 18 points and six treys.
The Chippewas got off to a quick start, outscoring the Bears 14-7 in the opening six minutes, but Missouri State closed the half with a 27-10 surge to build a 34-24 lead at halftime.
“I thought we struggled to sustain our strong start after the first six minutes,” head coach Ernie Zeigler said. “Missouri State was extremely physical and did a good job applying pressure on us.”
Central fought back with its defense in the second half, holding Missouri State to 35.7 percent from the field (5-14 from the floor) in the final 20 minutes. The Chippewas got even stingier down the stretch, holding the Bears to only two field goals in the final 9:10 after trailing 47-32.
With Harman and Chris Kellermann both fouling out in the second half, Allen shouldered the offensive load down the stretch. The sophomore brought Central within one (58-57) on a triple with 23 seconds remaining, but was unable to tie the game on the final possession when he attempted a contested three with four seconds left.
Foul shooting was the story of the contest as Missouri State connected on 26 of 32 free throws (81.3 percent) compared to Central’s 50 percent mark (7-14).
“Our free throw shooting has to improve,” Zeigler said. “We’ve played two one-possession games already. We hit our free throws down the stretch against Princeton, but we missed our opportunities tonight.”
Central returns to action on Thursday when it travels to Chicago State. The game tips off at 8 p.m. EST (7 p.m. CST).
