Box Score Central State Marauders struggle down the stretch in loss to Clark-AtlantaWILBERFORCE, Ohio – Returning home after a successful two-game Georgia road trip, Central State struggled against a Clark-Atlanta Panther team in a 69-60 loss.
In a game that had 15 lead changes, CAU had a solid start to the game and took a 18-10 lead into the second media timeout at the 12:38 mark of the 1
st half. CSU responded with a 14-2 run sparked by the play of
Hosie Smith Jr. to take a 24-21 lead at the 7:27 mark. During that stretch, Smith Jr. accounted for 9 points. Clark-Atlanta responded with a 6-0 run and knotted the game up, 29-29, with 2:09 left. Down by 2, CAU guard Tim Sanders hit on off balanced shot as the buzzer sounded to send the teams into the locker room tied at 33-33.
In a highly contested second half, the Panthers managed a slim 48-43 lead thanks to free throws from leading scorer Damien Enoch with 11:25 to go. Good free throw shooting and a
Tre' Edwards layup allowed for CSU to regain a 1 point lead with 8:56 remaining. The two teams traded baskets over the next 4 ½ minutes until CAU manufactures a 7-0 run to take a 60-55 lead. An Edwards three pointer on the next possession pulled CSU back to within two but the Marauders managed just one field goal in the final 2 minutes and 48 seconds. While the Marauder offense went cold, CAU's David Basil delivered back-to-back dunks to help spark a 9-2 run and seal the victory.
Basil and the Panthers used a 44-28 advantage in points scored in the paint to sail past the Marauders. The CAU bench outscored the CSU reserves with 34-15.
Derek Harper led the way for CAU with 16 points while Basil finished with 12 points and 9 rebounds to help the Panthers improve to 3-10 overall and 1-3 in the SIAC.
Smith Jr. paced CSU with 15 points followed by 10 from guard
Sterling Gilmore. With the loss, the Marauders fell to 3-6 on the season and stand at 3-3 in the SIAC.
The Marauders return to the floor on Saturday when they host Morehouse College at 3 pm.
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Fans can follow the game on the following links:
Radio -Â
http://www.gemcitysports.com/radio-1/Video –Â
http://maraudersports.com/watch/?Live=18Â
Live Stats -Â
http://www.sidearmstats.com/centralstate/mbball/Â
