Friday, February 14
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
7 p.m.
Central Michigan University
13-11,6-5MAC
67
vs
80
Akron
19-6,9-3MAC
1
2
F
Akron
37
43
80
Central Mich.
34
33
67
Photo by: Allissa Rusco
Shooting Woes Hamper Chippewas In Loss To Akron
2/14/2020 10:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – A big night for one of the Mid-American Conference's top players coupled with Central Michigan shooting woes spelled doom for the Central Michigan men's basketball team on Friday night.
Loren Cristian Jackson scored 31 points as Akron handed the Chippewas an 80-67 setback at McGuirk Arena.
It was CMU's third-consecutive loss. The Chippewas are 13-11, 6-5 MAC and are third in the West, 1 ½ games behind first-place Northern Illinois. It was the third-straight win for Akron, 19-6, 9-3, which moved into a first-place tie with Bowling Green in the East.
"We've got to do a better job of not allowing one player to beat you and it felt like (Jackson) did that at times," CMU coach Keno Davis said. "We're playing a really good Akron team, and on a night where we don't make shots and don't make free throws, we didn't have enough answers on the defensive end to make up for that."
The Chippewas made just six of their 24 3-point attempts (25 percent) and finished 15 for 27 from the free throw line for a season-worst 55.6 percent.
How It Happened
Jackson, a 5-foot-8 guard who entered the game averaging 18.9 points per game, hit one of his five 3-pointers with 12:24 to play to break a 51-51 tie with 12:24 to play. Camron Reece followed with a dunk 26 seconds later to up Akron's lead to five, 56-51. The Zips slowly increased their lead from there, bumping it to 11, 71-60, on a Jackson jumper with under four minutes remaining.
The Chippewas managed to pull as close as six points but could get no closer. Akron closed the game on a 9-2 run.
Leaders
Travon Broadway Jr. scored a career-high-tying 17 points to lead CMU; Dallas Morgan had 14, Devontae Lane had 12, and Rob Montgomery added 11.
David DiLeo grabbed a team-high eight rebounds to lead the Chippewas, who outrebounded the Zips, 37-35.
Lane, who missed CMU's loss to Eastern Michigan on Tuesday with an injury, had a team-high five assists.
Free Throw Woes
The Chippewas are 31 for 51 (60.7 percent) from the charity stripe during their three-game losing streak, which began a week ago with a 65-60 loss at Buffalo.
They had made 82 percent of their attempts from the line in the four games leading up to the Buffalo loss. They entered Friday's game having made 74.1 percent of their charity tosses on the season.
"We've got really good free throw shooters and really good free throw shooters missing shots tonight," Davis said. "It's not that our weaker shooters were getting to the line, which can be the case, but it wasn't tonight. Sometimes missing or making free throws can be contagious.
"When we get to the free throw line that's (a sign of) really good offense for us and we'll make them more times than not. Hopefully we're able to show that in the next couple of games."
Next
The Chippewas are scheduled to play their next two games on the road, the first on Tuesday, Feb. 18, at Ohio, and the second on Saturday, Feb. 22, at Northern Illinois.
On Saturday, the Bobcats, 12-12, 4-7, play at Kent State, while NIU 15-10, 8-4, is at Miami (Ohio).
"Obviously our guys are disappointed, but they know they have a lot to play for yet this season," Davis said. "We're right there in the thick of things (in the West) even with the loss; I know we're going to have great focus coming back on the practice court. I know they'll rebound well and look forward to playing on Tuesday night."
Loren Cristian Jackson scored 31 points as Akron handed the Chippewas an 80-67 setback at McGuirk Arena.
It was CMU's third-consecutive loss. The Chippewas are 13-11, 6-5 MAC and are third in the West, 1 ½ games behind first-place Northern Illinois. It was the third-straight win for Akron, 19-6, 9-3, which moved into a first-place tie with Bowling Green in the East.
"We've got to do a better job of not allowing one player to beat you and it felt like (Jackson) did that at times," CMU coach Keno Davis said. "We're playing a really good Akron team, and on a night where we don't make shots and don't make free throws, we didn't have enough answers on the defensive end to make up for that."
The Chippewas made just six of their 24 3-point attempts (25 percent) and finished 15 for 27 from the free throw line for a season-worst 55.6 percent.
How It Happened
Jackson, a 5-foot-8 guard who entered the game averaging 18.9 points per game, hit one of his five 3-pointers with 12:24 to play to break a 51-51 tie with 12:24 to play. Camron Reece followed with a dunk 26 seconds later to up Akron's lead to five, 56-51. The Zips slowly increased their lead from there, bumping it to 11, 71-60, on a Jackson jumper with under four minutes remaining.
The Chippewas managed to pull as close as six points but could get no closer. Akron closed the game on a 9-2 run.
Leaders
Travon Broadway Jr. scored a career-high-tying 17 points to lead CMU; Dallas Morgan had 14, Devontae Lane had 12, and Rob Montgomery added 11.
David DiLeo grabbed a team-high eight rebounds to lead the Chippewas, who outrebounded the Zips, 37-35.
Lane, who missed CMU's loss to Eastern Michigan on Tuesday with an injury, had a team-high five assists.
Free Throw Woes
The Chippewas are 31 for 51 (60.7 percent) from the charity stripe during their three-game losing streak, which began a week ago with a 65-60 loss at Buffalo.
They had made 82 percent of their attempts from the line in the four games leading up to the Buffalo loss. They entered Friday's game having made 74.1 percent of their charity tosses on the season.
"We've got really good free throw shooters and really good free throw shooters missing shots tonight," Davis said. "It's not that our weaker shooters were getting to the line, which can be the case, but it wasn't tonight. Sometimes missing or making free throws can be contagious.
"When we get to the free throw line that's (a sign of) really good offense for us and we'll make them more times than not. Hopefully we're able to show that in the next couple of games."
Next
The Chippewas are scheduled to play their next two games on the road, the first on Tuesday, Feb. 18, at Ohio, and the second on Saturday, Feb. 22, at Northern Illinois.
On Saturday, the Bobcats, 12-12, 4-7, play at Kent State, while NIU 15-10, 8-4, is at Miami (Ohio).
"Obviously our guys are disappointed, but they know they have a lot to play for yet this season," Davis said. "We're right there in the thick of things (in the West) even with the loss; I know we're going to have great focus coming back on the practice court. I know they'll rebound well and look forward to playing on Tuesday night."
Team Stats
UA
CMU
FG%
.527
.397
3FG%
.370
.250
FT%
.800
.556
RB
35
37
TO
14
14
STL
7
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
17
FGM
7
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's BasketballForward
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's BasketballMBB Sign Video
Wednesday, July 23
MBB Insider - 6.13.25
Friday, June 13
Men's Basketball Summer Practice 1
Thursday, June 12
Men's Basketball Move-In Day
Friday, June 06