Saturday Shootout: CMU hangs tough with Golden Eagles in 74-69 win
Injuries were prevalent for Central Michigan before the season began.
For senior guard Josh Kozinski, his wrist has been taped since the annual Maroon and Gold scrimmage in mid-October. There was also the issue with junior transfer Shawn Rountree, who didn't participate in the team exhibition for multiple reasons.
Luckily, especially in the case of the regulars, including both Kozinski and Roundtree, no one has had to miss time as the Chippewas extend their winning steak to three weeks, after a close call with Tennessee Tech at McGuirk Arena on Saturday.
CMU led for nearly the entire second half, but would be its closest encounter since the Great Alaska Shootout championship, as Roundtree scored 17 points and with two assists in the 74-69 fray.
"We understand we’ve got some areas that we’ve improved upon," CMU coach Keno Davis said. "But we also know that we’ve got a ways to go in a lot of areas too. If we keep that attitude I’m looking forward to seeing what this team is all about.”
What could have been the narrative, regardless of the finish, was senior guard Cecil Williams needing to be assisted back to the locker room after taking a blow to the head.
Williams appeared dazed when walking off, but minutes later was sitting next to assistant coach Kyle Gerdeman on the bench, who provided words of encouragement before checking back into the game.
The Columbia, Missouri, native finished with 11 attempts from the free throw line, scoring 17 points and six rebounds off 5-of-8 shooting.
"Cecil is a big part our team with scoring, rebounding, and defense," sophomore forward David DiLeo said. "He was just motivated to get back in there and help the team win. He made some big plays."
DiLeo opened things up in the first half with a three-pointer, which would be his first of three, going 4-of-10 from the field. He leads the Chippewas with 71 in total on the season.
Six players for Central Michigan finished with at least 15 minutes or more on the court, including DiLeo who had 14 points and six rebounds. Sophomore guard Kevin McKay added 10 points and Kozinski got six points off two field goal from beyond the arc.
Junior transfer Gavin Peppers displayed his tough side in the paint, at one point with 12:29 left in the second half, by drawing the foul and getting the basket. He had eight points.
"Just because we’ve won a couple games, (TTU wasn't) going to come in here and roll over" DiLeo said. "It was nice to pull out the win even though we might have struggled."
Things got interesting with 1:20 remaining when TTU's Aleksa Jugovic came off a screen and knocked down a triple that shortened the deficit to three. It turned into a one-point game when a quick jumper in the paint after DiLeo missed a three-pointer.
But on the immediate possession afterwards, Williams caught a pass from McKay near the basket, was fouled but made the field goal, later going to the line to convert the three-point play. DiLeo iced the game with a free throw with one second remaining.
"TTU came in here and exposed some things that we need to work on and challenged us" Davis said. "It gave us that experience moving forward as we get closer-and-closer to the end of the non-conference season."
As the three-game home stand comes to a close, Central Michigan will have a week off before heading to Southern Utah on Dec. 16 at Centrum Arena.