Central Michigan University Athletics
Nebraska Holds Off Chippewas, 72-69
12/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Box Score
LINCOLN, Neb. - Central Michigan dropped a second straight close road game on Tuesday night as Nebraska held off the Chippewas for a 72-69 victory in the Devaney Center.
CMU trailed by as many as 12 in the second half before Trey Zeigler hit a pair of free throws to make it a one-point Nebraska lead, 57-56 with 5:01 to go.
However, the Chippewas shot just 55 percent (11-for-20) from the stripe compared to 77 percent (20-for-26) by the Cornhuskers and that was the key difference on the stat sheet.
"We had some lost opportunities on offense," coach Ernie Zeigler said. "We had some wasted possessions and the free throw line came to bite us in the behind.
"When its a one-possession game either way, you have to be able to have a shot in the possession or finish off at the foul line."
The Chippewas shot 52 percent from the floor, hitting 25 of its 48 attempts, including draining eight 3-pointers. However, Nebraska was right behind with 50 percent shooting from the field.
Zeigler scored 14 of his game-high 20 points in the second half while keying the Chippewas' comeback effort. He flirted with a triple-double adding eight rebounds and a career-high eight assists.
Olivier Mbaigoto scored seven points in the game's first four minutes but he was whistled with his second foul and had to sit the rest of the half. He ended with 15 points after averaging just 2.6 points over the last five outings.
"It was huge that he made a layup to start and got some confidence," Zeigler said. "However, we try to avoid having somebody pick up their third foul before the half and we were playing pretty well at the start."
The Chippewas actually jumped out to an early 6-0 lead, capped off by an incredible alley oop dunk by Derek Jackson.
But, soon after the Cornhuskers rattled off 11 straight points and the home team took an eight-point lead into the locker room at the break thanks to a buzzer-beating trey by Toney McCray.
Central shot 58 percent in the second half while holding Nebraska to just 41 percent, but missed chances at the line were CMU's downfall. The Chippewas were 8-for-14 (57 percent) from the stripe in the game's final 10 minutes.
"I'm really proud of these guys," coach Zeigler said. "The hard part is we have had two consecutive games that we were right there and battling hard. It's tough when you are not getting rewarded with a 'W' when you are fighting and battling.
"We are better team than we were a few weeks ago and than when we started the season. There were a lot of bright spots tonight and we have to continue to build upon them."
Jackson finished with 13 points, including three 3-pointers, and two steals. Freshman Austin Keel made a key contribution off the bench for the second straight outing with 10 points, three assists and two rebounds.
All five Nebraska starters were in double figures with Brandon Richardson and Bo Spencer each posting 15 points apiece. Spencer added nine assists.
Brandon Ubel, McCray and Caleb Walker all had 11 points each for the Cornhuskers.
The Chippewas play their final non-league game before Mid-American Conference action starts when they visit Wright State on Thursday at 7 p.m. The Raiders defeated Idaho in overtime on Monday by an 80-78 final.
