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Central Defeats Rockhurst at Sprint Center, 79-66
By David Boyce
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Central Missouri held just a two-point lead against Rockhurst midway through the first half when senior forward Sanijay Watts made a comment to a teammate.
Watts was at the scorer's table waiting to re-enter the game when he told his teammate that the Mules should have a bigger lead.
Central Missouri actually gave up the next seven points and fell behind five, but Watts and fellow seniors Alex Moosmann and Tremaine Luellen raised the intensity that the rest followed.
The Mules, ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division II, found their stride in the second half and easily won 79-66 Tuesday afternoon at the Sprint Center.
"I was trying to motivate the team," Watts said. "The new guys were nervous. They know how to play in the Multipurpose building. But this is a different atmosphere.
"In the second half we were more aggressive."
Central Missouri coach Kim Anderson said it's nice to have experienced seniors who can help the younger players get through a difficult stretch.
One thing that helped the Mules during their first-half struggles was the defense.
"Our defense was pretty consistent all the way through," Anderson said.
It was definitely necessary when Central Missouri saw a 20-18 lead fade into a 25-20 deficit.
The Mules rallied enough to take a 29-27 lead into halftime and then Watts, Moosmann and Luellen had a few words to say in the locker room.
"We calmed down," Moosmann said, "and ran our stuff."
Central Missouri scored the first eight points in the second half. It started with consecutive baskets from junior forward Tyler Oakley. Watts followed with a layup and Moosmann concluded the run that gave the Mules a 37-27 lead with a 15-foot jumper.
The Mules pretty much held a double-digit lead the rest of the way and looked like one of the best teams in Division II.
"Rankings don't mean that much," Moosmann said. "It comes down to who is playing better in March. But it is a great honor."
As expected, the three seniors led the way in scoring. Watts finished with a game-high 22 points and 10 rebounds. Luellen added 12 points and 10 rebounds and Moosmann chipped in 16 points and five assists.
"It is tremendous for us to have those three guys," Anderson said. "We depend on them to make plays for us."
Central Missouri has now beaten Rockhurst two years in a row at the Sprint Center. The game is part of the CBE Classic that takes place on Monday and Tuesday with NCAA Division I teams battling it out for the tournament title.
"This is a lot of fun," Moosmann said. "Monday we watched Division I games and went to the College Basketball Experience."
The Mules, though, don't have time to have much more fun. They play a home game on Saturday against St. Mary and then face a very important conference opener on Dec. 2 at home against Southwest Baptist.
"This game was really good for us," Watts said of playing Rockhurst. "We faced a good player in Aaron Hill. We are going to face a really good player in Matt Rogers. Southwest Baptist brings a good crowd. There will be a lot of energy for that game."
One new player to watch for Central Missouri is sophomore forward Dusty Allen.
Allen is 6-5 and bulls himself inside in much the same way Watts finds ways to score in the paint at 6-4. Allen made four of six shots from the field and finished with nine points.
In the end it was a perfect day for Anderson.
"It's nice to be ranked, but we got a lot of work to do," Anderson said.
To reach David Boyce, contributing writer for the MIAA, email dboyce@themiaa.com.
