Though the Skyhawks took Central Michigan to task during their early-December matchup, UTM’s offense went cold in the waning minutes of action, preventing a UTM victory.
UTM rolled with a couple of new faces on the starting lineup to go along with some familiar players. Sophomore guard and three-time OVC Newcomer of the Week Parker Stewart, senior guard Craig Randall III and senior forward Quinton Dove represented UTM’s usual starting lineup.
Junior center Hannes Polla, after being cleared to play by the NCAA, made his starting lineup debut against CMU. Freshman guard Eman Sertovic made his second start as a Skyhawk.
Both Polla and Sertovic played limited minutes in the match, combining for only 29 minutes of playtime out of 200, combining for seven points. Polla ranked third on the team with five total rebounds (one offensive, four defensive).
Stewart proved to be a key player on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball for UTM, leading the Skyhawks in points (22), defensive rebounds (seven) and steals (2).
Randall and Dove both put up 13 points, tying for third in team scoring. Dove also led the team in total rebounds with eight (three offensive, five defensive), recorded a steal and went perfect on his free-throw attempts, going 4-4.
Despite not be on the starting lineup like usual, senior guard Derek Hawthorne, Jr., subbed in trailed only Stewart in point-scoring, putting up 15 points.
The efforts of Stewart, Randall, Dove and Hawthorne solidified a more- balanced UTM offense, as the Skyhawks haven’t had four players score in the double digits since their Nov. 19 game against Northern Iowa.
UTM played valiantly against CMU’s offense, which is the nation’s leading-scoring team. The Skyhawks held the Chippewas to 11 points under their season scoring average, according to Sports Information. At halftime, both teams were knotted up at 42.
In the first half, the Skyhawks were outshot on both three-point attempts and free-throws in first half, but had the advantage on rebounds. The second half saw UTM’s field goal and three-point percentages dip, but free-throw attempts improved.
The Skyhawks managed to control the flow of the game through their advantage on rebounds in the first half, but CMU put up a whopping 20 rebounds in the second half and put up an additional 42 points.
The Chippewas had the slight advantage with their turnovers, scoring 14 points off of turnovers compared to UTM’s 12. But what damaged the Skyhawks the most was CMU’s fast-break abilities.
The Chippewas were ruthless with their fast-breaks, using speed to outnumber UTM defenders. This strategy proved successful, as CMU racked up 18 points compared to UTM’s two points off of fast-breaks.
Speed alone wouldn’t keep UTM at bay. The Skyhawks fought back and pushed the Chippewas to the ropes with a tied 75-75 margin. But, with only four minutes left in regulation, the Skyhawks couldn’t hold on. The defense allowed CMU to score 11 points, and the offense dried up completely.
The loss drops UTM to 3-5 on the season. The Skyhawks will resume play in North Carolina against UNC Asheville on Dec. 14.
Photo Credit / Sports Information
