Box Score CSU defeats Washington Adventist in first game of Ben Waterman ClassicWilberforce, OHÂ - Playing host to this weekend's Ben Waterman Classic, Central State defeated Washington Adventist in a highly contested 70-67 contest on Saturday afternoon.
In a game featuring two teams looking to get back above .500, CSU opened the first half on a 13-2 run. The Shock of Washington Adventist battled back to cut the Marauder lead to 22-17 with 10:58. CSU managed to regain the momentum, taking a 37-29 into the halftime.
Hosie Smith Jr. provided a spark off the bench with 12 points and 5 rebounds in the first stanza while Martin Wilson and Tyrus Fleetwood each had 10 for WAU.
Point guard
Masceo Harmon came out of the locker room to CSU's first 7 points in the 2nd half as the Marauders clung to a 44-40 lead with 13;13 to go. With the Shock refusing to go away,
Raheem Lemons and
Jay Miller stepped with big plays down the stretch. Lemons recorded 3 blocks in the final 13 minutes, all leading to fast break points on the other end. Miller scored 7 of his 11 points for the game in the final 10 minutes of the game. Led by Lemons and Miller, CSU built a 10 point lead with 52 seconds left in regulation. The stubborn Shock team refused to go away, forcing 4 Marauder turnovers which led to a 8-0 run in less than 36 seconds. After a missed Fleetwood layup, Lemons soared in to collect his 21st rebound of the evening. With WAU forced to foul, Lemons split a pair at the line with 3 seconds left to put the Marauders up 70-67. WAU's full court heave attempt to force overtime went wide of the goal as time expired.
Harmon led CSU with a team high 16 points, 8 assists and 3 steals. Lemons, who's 21 rebounds was a season high, scored 15 points on 6 of 12 shooting from the field. As a team, the Marauders overcome a poor 13-24 performance from the line to improve to 4-3 on the year. WAU, which was led by Fleetwood's 19 points, fell to 5-6 on the season.
"We really should not have let the game get close, "Lemons said. "Having said that, these close games help bring us together. All of our victories have come down to making big plays down the stretch. We did that tonight."
Both teams are back in action on Sunday in the final day of the Ben Waterman Classic. Washington Adventist will take on Wilberforce University at 2 pm. Central State takes the floor at 6 pm against Georgetown College.
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