Marauder offense goes cold in 77-72 loss to Fort Valley State

WILBERFORCE, Ohio – The Central State Marauders surrendered a 14-point lead in Monday night's 77-72 loss to Fort Valley State.

The loss drops CSU to 2-4 overall with a 1-1 ledger in SIAC play. The Wildcats improve to 4-3 on the season and 2-0 in the conference.

The teams traded baskets early on, playing to a 21-21 tie with 8 minutes left in the first half. CSU manufactured aa 10-2 run capped off by a Terrence Gholston three-pointer to put the Marauders up 31-24. CSU gradually built their lead to 14 by half, taking a 49-35 lead into the locker room.

The Marauders maintained momentum through the early stages of the second half, leading 64-58 after two Jeremy Brown free throws at the 10:40 mark. CSU continued to lead by double-figures when Tom Johnson scored at the 7:20 mark. From that point on, the Marauders were held scoreless. FVSU scored the game's final 16 points while CSU shooters combined to go 0 of 13 from the field during that span.

Four players scored in double-figures for the Wildcats. James Barnes finished with 17 points and 16 rebounds. Tyler Edwards led FVSU scorers with 18 points along with 7 rebounds. Jamaal Garrar added 13 points and Jaylon McMillan chipped in with 11 points.

Chris Scott led CSU's efforts with 12 points and 9 rebounds. Scott was the only Marauder to shot over 50% from the field (5-9). Jeremy Brown finished with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 4 steals.

The Marauders hope to bounce back on Thursday when they host Lane College at 7:30 pm.

 
Quotes – Coach Joseph Price
"We need to have a total team contribution to come out on top in these close games. We were able to do that on Saturday but came up short tonight."

"This is an extremely disappointing loss. I thought we settled for jump shots and did a poor job of boxing out against one of the top offensive rebounding teams in our conference."

"Fort Valley State fought hard to stay in the game early and made the big plays down the stretch to beat us."

"We need to become more mentally tough and execute in the crucial moments of the game. We have to be ready to bounce back and compete on a high level on Thursday."
 

Notes
FVSU came into Monday's game as the best offensive rebounding team in the SIAC (15.2 orpg).

Since returning from injury on Saturday, CSU senior Jeremy Brown has recorded back-to-back double-doubles.

CSU played its fourth straight game without All-Preseason SIAC player Dwight Richards, Jr.


Next Game
Opponent: Lane
Date: Thursday, November 30
Tip-Off: 7:30 pm
Location: Beacom/Lewis Gymnasium – Wilberforce, Ohio


Coverage
Radio -  Gem City Sports Network (http://www.gemcitysports.com/radio-1/)
Video -  CSU Sports Streaming Channel (http://maraudersports.com/watch/)
Radio - Arena Sports Network (http://arenasportsnet.com/live/)
Live Stats -  Marauder Live Stats site (http://www.sidearmstats.com/centralstate/mbball/)
 

Tickets
For ticket information, visit -  http://centralstate.universitytickets.com/user_pages/event_listings.asp