Box Score CSU offense stalls in 69-59 loss to McKendreeWilberforce, OH – In the last home game of the 2014 season, Central State fell 69-59 to McKendree University on Tuesday night.
The Marauders got out to a 31-27 lead after the first half sparked by the shooting of senior guard
Antone Byrd. Byrd hit back to back three pointers from well beyond the arc to finish with 12 points in the 1
st.
The Marauders continued to maintain their lead in the second stanza, building a 55-48 advantage after another three ball from Byrd at the 7:22 mark. On the next possession, Marauder big man
Raheem Lemons picked up his fourth foul and was forced to sit. With Lemons out, the Bearcats took advantage of the CSU lack of size, going on a 9-2 run to knot the score at 57-57 with 4:46 left. McKendree forced CSU in three turnovers in the final 4 minutes, sparking a 12-2 run to end the game.
McKendree was led by guard Michael Jackson's 18 points and forward Logan Carson's 17 points. The two combined for 17 of McKendree's 21 points in the final 7 minutes.
Antone Byrd and
Jeremy Brown were significant contributors for the Marauders (6-5). Byrd scored 17 points to help offset his 6 turnovers. Brown finished with 14 points and a team high 7 rebounds. CSU leading scorer
Masceo Harmon struggled with just 8 points while converting just 3 of 11 field goals.
"Masceo has been carrying us all year long and was just off tonight," CSU head coach
Joseph Price said. "We just didn't have enough guys step up in his place. We need our guys to play harder. I tip my hat off to a guy like
Jeremy Brown, a walk-on who continues to play hard no matter what the circumstance. We need more of our guys to play harder to get where we want to be."
Finishing a 5 game home stand with a 3-2 mark, the Marauders are back on the road this Saturday against Lemoyne-Owen College.Â
