Wilberforce, OH - The Central State men's basketball team avoided a near upset in a 72-70 home win over winless Ohio Mid-Western College on Saturday.
In the first half, the teams traded baskets with neither side building a bigger lead than 3. Midway through the opening half, Central State starting forward Raheem Lemons suffered a cut above his right eye and was forced to sit after the bleeding was unable to be contained. With Lemons out, Ohio Mid-Western forward Ahmad Dauda took advantage of the smaller Marauder front court, scoring 11 points to lead all scorers in the first. A put back layup by Masceo Harmon as time expired gave the Marauders a slim 38-37 going into halftime.

CSU came out in the second stanza and maintained their lead without the services of their big man. The Marauders built a 62-54 lead with 10:15 left after Harmon connected from 20 feet. Ohio Mid-Western slowly chipped away over the next 8 minutes, capitalizing on missed Central State layups and turning them into points on the other end. Dauda hit a 3 pointer with 2:31 to cut the Marauder lead to 67-66. Two free throws by Tre' Edwards put CSU back up 3 on the next possession. OMC responded with a layup on their next trip down the floor from Anton Deen. Harmon would be fouled at the other end and split from the line to give CSU a 70-68 lead. Tre Morris connected from just inside the arc to bring the game to a 70-70 tie the game with 1 minute left. After a series of turnovers from both sides, CSU regained possession after a steal by Antone Byrd. Masceo Harmon immediately got into transition and drew the foul. The senior guard split a pair of free throws as CSU clung to a 71-70 lead.

With 4 seconds to go, Ohio Mid-Western's hopes were dashed when the ball deflected off of Brennan Gross and out of bounds. Antone Byrd was immediately fouled with 1.4 seconds left, making 1-2 free throws. OMC's long distance pass attempt at the end of the game was intercepted by Harmon as Central State escaped with the 2 point victory.

"The coach and players from Ohio Mid-Western came out ready to play today," CSU head coach Joseph Price said. "We started the game out with a lack of intensity. At the end of the game, we woke up and made some crucial plays to get the victory. Masceo and Antone came together and came up big for us throughout the second half."

Improving to 6-4 overall, the Marauders were led by Harmon's game-high 25 points, 8 steals and 5 assists. Byrd came off the bench to score 18 points along with 7 rebounds and 4 steals. Jeremy Brown grabbed 10 rebounds to go along with 6 points and 2 steals.

"We all just had to step it up," Byrd said. "For me personally, I have had a rough start to my senior year. It feels good to get my rythm back."
Central State returns to the hardwood on Tuesday when they host McKendree University (5-1) at 7:30 pm.