Central Michigan University Athletics
Redbirds Hold Off Chippewas, 75-62
12/6/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NORMAL, Ill. -- Robbie Harman hit five three-pointers and scored a game-high 18 points but the Central Michigan men's basketball team fell to unbeaten Illinois State, 75-62, at Redbird Arena on Saturday.
The senior point guard went 6-of-13 from the field and 5-of-11 from long range, in addition to three steals and three assists.
Marko Spica and Amir Rashid each added 13 points. Rashid also had a game-high five assists and Jalin Thomas had a team-best seven boards.
A Harman three gave CMU a 21-19 lead at the 8:17 mark of the first half in a seesaw 20 minutes that featured eight lead changes and four ties. A dunk by Dinma Odiakosa gave ISU the lead for good, 27-26, with 4:24 left in the half. The Redbirds used an 11-3 run to push their lead to as many as eight late in the frame and took a six-point edge into the half, 37-31.
The Redbird lead would hover between two and three possessions for a majority of the half, the Chippewas never quite able to cut the lead to one possession. Only in the final two minutes of the frame did ISU eventually break the game open to lead by as many as 15.
The Chippewas (3-5) connected at 43 percent from the field but just 24 percent from distance (5-for-21). The Redbirds (7-0) shot 48 percent from the floor and 44 percent from long range (8-for-18). ISU also benefited from a distinct edge at the free throw line, sinking 21-of-26 attempts compared to CMU's 5-of-10.
"ISU did a nice job in transition and we struggled from outside the arc today," head coach Ernie Zeigler said. "We did a lot of good things today, and I think we're starting to turn the corner in terms of producing a consistent effort."
CMU is off for finals week, and returns to the floor on Dec. 13 at South Florida.
"We'll keep looking to get better at valuing and sharing the basketball and we'll need to get more guys involved on the glass," Zeigler said.
