Mules Gun Down Western
Jan 8, 2006, 02:47
Dave Kopp
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CMSU took control early, leading by as many as 10 points in the first half. Western battled back in the latter stages of the half and tied the game 39-39 on a basket by Demarius Bolds with four second to play before the break.
The second half was back and forth with neither team gaining a clear advantage. Midway through the period, Western rattled off 12 straight points to turn a four-point deficit into a 64-56 lead with 9:30 remaining.
Theo Jones answered with a three-pointer to stop the run and CMSU battled its way back into it. The Mules tied the score twice, but Western had been able to answer each charge.
“We started going inside more,” Mules head coach Kim Anderson noted. “We started running some set plays that happened to work and ‘Zo’ (Brooks) was really good. He got some shots and then Mike made some plays. We tried to get the ball inside because we felt we had a size advantage and Alonzo really responded.”
“When we got down, we were rushing shots,” said Hicks. “Coach settled everybody down, we ran double three times in a row and got three good shots and they pulled us through.”
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Making a strong move to the basket, he collided with the Griffons’ Jason Warren. The officials called a blocking foul on Warren, sending Brooks to the line.
Positive he had drawn a charge, Warren yelled out in disbelief, then began to throw a tantrum, complete with kicking and screaming, while lying on the floor. Officials let it go when Warren stopped after a few seconds, but when the 6-8 senior resumed the tirade, he was whistled for a technical foul.
Warren’s original foul was his fourth. The technical was his fifth, meaning the Griffons lost their second leading scorer and, eventually, the lead, to a temper tantrum.
Hicks nailed the two technical shots and Brooks hit the two from the original foul to put the Mules ahead 72-70. Western tied it, but a Wadale Williams three-pointer gave CMSU the lead for good.
Central Missouri opened the advantage to as many as eight points with 44 seconds remaining, but free throw struggles allowed Western to pull to within three, 87-84, with 17 seconds left.
“Any time you go on the road and you miss 19 free throws (CMSU was 20-of-39), you make it pretty difficult to win,” said Anderson. “Normally, we’re a pretty good free throw shooting team, but they didn’t go in tonight. We hung in and were able to get some shots.”
David Hilliard had a chance to ice the game with 16.7 seconds to play, but missed both shots. Western, however, was unable to get off a clean shot and the Mules held on for the three-point victory.
“They ran a great play, one I’ve seen them run in the past,” Anderson said. “We had a small lineup in the game and we had them covered really well. I was proud of the way we played down the stretch. I thought we played pretty well.”
Hicks finished with 31 points, 19 in the second half, and eight rebounds. After going 0-for-9 from three-point range Wednesday, the senior was 5-for-9 from beyond the arc Saturday.
“At practice, I’ve been working the past two days on form and I probably shot about a thousand shots,” Hicks said. “I just wanted to come in here, shoot the ball well and get a win.”
“Mike made some tremendous shots down the stretch,” added Anderson. “He struggled the other night against Truman, but he’s a competitor. He stepped up tonight and made the shots when we needed them.”
Brooks recorded a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Charles Stoker chipped in 10 points and Williams dished out five assists.
Bolds led Western with 27 points and 10 rebounds. J.R. Reed added 14 points and Ricky Quarels chipped in 11.
Central Missouri will travel to Bolivar Tuesday to take on Southwest Baptist.
“We don’t have a very long time because of the way they play their games,” said Anderson, making reference to SBU’s policy of not playing home games on Wednesday. “They’re a great team. At this point, I think they’re the best team in the league. We’ve just got to get ready, get some rest and put together our game plan.”
The Mules will return to Warrensburg and host Emporia State Saturday, Jan. 14.
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Senior guard Corey Brown made his first appearance since suffering a knee injury at the High Desert Classic in mid-December. Playing at what called “about 85 percent,” Brown pulled down three rebounds, had one assist and was 1-for-2 from the free throw line in 16 minutes of play.
“I feel good coming back after the injury,” Brown said. “I got into the flow because my adrenalin was rushing and it felt good being back out there. I didn’t have any problems on the court, but when I sat back down, my knee stiffened up a little bit. Hopefully, by next week, I’ll be a hundred percent.”
