Tuesday, January 8
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
7:00 p.m. ET
Central Michigan University
13-2, 2-0MAC
88
vs
86
Akron
9-6, 1-1MAC
1
2
OT 1
F
Akron Zips
36
40
10
86
Central Michigan
30
46
12
88
Photo by: Allissa Rusco
Chippewas Top Akron in OT Thriller, Win Seventh Straight
1/8/2019 11:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Austin hits the game winner; Montgomery scores a career-high 23 points
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -Â Central Michigan needed an extra five minutes to claim its second-straight win to open Mid-American Conference play but it was well worth the wait for the energized McGuirk Arena crowd, as the Chippewas knocked off Akron, 88-86, in a thriller Tuesday evening.
"We were really challenged tonight; that game could've gone obviously either way a lot of different times," said head coach Keno Davis. "It's nice to be able to go 2-0 (in MAC play) and to move forward in the conference."
With its seventh-straight victory, CMU improves to 13-2 overall and a flawless 8-0 in McGuirk Arena.
"This is our house, we want to protect home court," said senior guard Larry Austin Jr. "We have to. It's only right for our fans, for us and for our community."
The Zips fall to 9-6 overall and 1-1 in the MAC.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Akron seemingly had the game sewn up in regulation, but David DiLeo was fouled while attempting a 3-pointer with five seconds remaining. The junior forward would calmly sink all three free throws to tie the game at 76-76. Akron's runner at the buzzer rattled in and out, forcing overtime.
CMU carried a two-point lead late in overtime but Jimond Ivey's lay-up attempt with 11 seconds to go drew a foul. Ivey made both free throws to tie the game at 86-86.
Enter Larry Austin Jr.
Austin took the in-bounds pass and proceeded to go coast-to-coast, deftly dropping in a contested layup with 2.9 seconds remaining. Akron's last second shot fell short, sending the partisan crowd into a frenzy and CMU to its 13th victory of the season.
LEADERS
Junior Rob Montgomery lead CMU in scoring for the second-straight game, scoring a career-high 23 points. He showcased his long-range ability in the win, knocking down three key 3-pointers.
Austin earned his third career double-double, scoring 13 points while tallying 11 assists against just one turnover.
Shawn Roundtree Jr. added 20 points, including five-straight in overtime that gave CMU the lead for good. Â
Ivey lead all scorers with 24 points and earned a game-high 11 rebounds.
NO. 1 OFFENSE > NO. 1 DEFENSE
CMU entered Tuesday's tilt scoring a conference-leading 87.7 points per game. The Zips, allowing a MAC-best 60.4 points per contest, surrendered a season-high 88 points to the Chippewas. In its conference opener last weekend, Akron limited Western Michigan to just 48 points in a home win.
The Chippewas improve to 11-0 when scoring at least 80 points this season.
NEXT
The MAC-West leading Chippewas are back in action Saturday, hosting East Division frontrunner Bowling Green (10-5, 2-0 MAC) at 4:30 p.m. in McGuirk Arena.
"We were really challenged tonight; that game could've gone obviously either way a lot of different times," said head coach Keno Davis. "It's nice to be able to go 2-0 (in MAC play) and to move forward in the conference."
With its seventh-straight victory, CMU improves to 13-2 overall and a flawless 8-0 in McGuirk Arena.
"This is our house, we want to protect home court," said senior guard Larry Austin Jr. "We have to. It's only right for our fans, for us and for our community."
The Zips fall to 9-6 overall and 1-1 in the MAC.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Akron seemingly had the game sewn up in regulation, but David DiLeo was fouled while attempting a 3-pointer with five seconds remaining. The junior forward would calmly sink all three free throws to tie the game at 76-76. Akron's runner at the buzzer rattled in and out, forcing overtime.
CMU carried a two-point lead late in overtime but Jimond Ivey's lay-up attempt with 11 seconds to go drew a foul. Ivey made both free throws to tie the game at 86-86.
Enter Larry Austin Jr.
Austin took the in-bounds pass and proceeded to go coast-to-coast, deftly dropping in a contested layup with 2.9 seconds remaining. Akron's last second shot fell short, sending the partisan crowd into a frenzy and CMU to its 13th victory of the season.
LEADERS
Junior Rob Montgomery lead CMU in scoring for the second-straight game, scoring a career-high 23 points. He showcased his long-range ability in the win, knocking down three key 3-pointers.
Austin earned his third career double-double, scoring 13 points while tallying 11 assists against just one turnover.
Shawn Roundtree Jr. added 20 points, including five-straight in overtime that gave CMU the lead for good. Â
Ivey lead all scorers with 24 points and earned a game-high 11 rebounds.
NO. 1 OFFENSE > NO. 1 DEFENSE
CMU entered Tuesday's tilt scoring a conference-leading 87.7 points per game. The Zips, allowing a MAC-best 60.4 points per contest, surrendered a season-high 88 points to the Chippewas. In its conference opener last weekend, Akron limited Western Michigan to just 48 points in a home win.
The Chippewas improve to 11-0 when scoring at least 80 points this season.
NEXT
The MAC-West leading Chippewas are back in action Saturday, hosting East Division frontrunner Bowling Green (10-5, 2-0 MAC) at 4:30 p.m. in McGuirk Arena.
Team Stats
AKR
CMU
FG%
.440
.500
3FG%
.286
.409
FT%
.769
.733
RB
39
41
TO
7
11
STL
4
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
23
FGM
10
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
20
FGM
8
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's BasketballForward
/ Men's BasketballGuard
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