Box Score CSU wins fourth straight in 83-61 victory over rival WilberforceWilberforce, OH - In what is a longstanding rivalry between two schools separated by less than a mile, Central State defeated Wilberforce, 83-61, on Monday night.
With Monday's win, the Marauders extended their longest winning streak of the season to four games and are now 11-6 overall.
The teams traded baskets in the early minutes before the Marauders went on a 12-0 run to take a 25-13 lead at the 10:11 mark of the first. CSU ballooned its lead to 16 after a
Hosie Smith Jr. layup gave CSU a 32-16 lead with 5:35 to go in the first. The Bulldogs of Wilberforce were able to chip away at the Marauder lead, cutting the deficit to 8 at halftime.
That 8 point margin would be as close as the Bulldogs would get as CSU led by double figures for all but 33 seconds of the second stanza. A 3-point play by reserve
Derrod Blakey at the 11:22 mark gave CSU its largest lead at 60-38. Despite being undersized, CSU punished Wilberforce in the post. Led by forwards
Raheem Lemons and Smith Jr., CSU held a 40-22 edge in points scored in the paint and a 18-11 advantage in second chance points.
"We knew that this was a big game for the community. We just wanted to take care of business," Lemons said. "We have done a good job of scoring and moving the ball on offense. We will turn our focus to keeping this winning streak going on the road this Thursday."
Lemons put together his 10th double-double performance of the year with 13 points and 18 rebounds. Smith Jr. came off the bench to give CSU a lift with 10 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. Guards
Masceo Harmon and
Ra'Chaun Thompson combined for 26 points. Thompson continues to shoot the ball well from beyond the arc with a 3-5 performance on the evening. Since being inserted into the rotation last month, Thompson is shooting a team best 45% from three point range.
Wilberforce, which fell to 5-16 overall, was paced by Shawn Cassidy's game-high 20 points.
Ending a three game home stand with a win, the Marauders will travel to Salem, WV on Thursday to play conference opponent Salem International.
Contributions to this article by Tommy Meade & Orlander Stone
