Central Michigan University Athletics
Hot Shooting Pushes Temple Past CMU, 86-74
12/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Box Score | Game Notes
PHILADELPHIA – Andre Coimbra scored a career-high 22 points but scorching shooting by Temple to start the game was too much for Central Michigan to overcome in an 86-74 road loss on Saturday afternoon.
The Owls (4-2) hit a whopping 82 percent of their shots over the game’s first 13 minutes, draining 14 of their first 17 attempts with all three misses coming from behind the arc.
Temple led by as many as 24 in the first half but the Chippewas (4-3) slowly chipped away and a 12-2 run to close the first frame cut the deficit down to 14 at intermission, 51-37.
Coimbra sparked the Chippewa run with a personal 7-0 spurt that included a blocked shot and a three-pointer.
CMU opened the second frame on a 6-0 run to get within eight, 51-43, but Temple pushed it back up to double digits soon after that and held at least a 10-point cushion the rest of the way.
Coimbra finished with five rebounds and three blocked shots while Trey Zeigler added 22 points, four rebounds and three assists.
After the blazing start, Temple finished the first half shooting 68 percent compared to 35 percent in the second stanza for a final clip of .519. It was the first time CMU allowed its opponent to shoot over 40 percent from the floor this season.
Five Owls were in double figures with Khalif Wyatt pouring in a game-high 23 points, including a 10-for-10 performance from the line. Aaron Brown added 21 off the bench while Ramone Moore had 17, Rahlir Hollis Jefferson 13 and Juan Fernandez 10.
CMU shot 43 percent (23-for-53) from the floor, 29 percent (5-for-17) from the arc and a season-best 79 percent (23-for-29) from the stripe.
Austin McBroom tied his career high with 15 points while grabbing a team-high tying five rebounds.
The Chippewas will take the next few days off for final exams before hitting the road for a two-game trip to Tennessee State (Dec. 10) and Minnesota (Dec. 13). CMU’s seven-game road trip will be followed by a home contest against Illinois-Chicago on December 16.
