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UCM Men Erase 17-Point Deficit, Down UNO
By David Boyce
WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- Late in the first half, Central Missouri faced a 17-point deficit at home against Nebraska-Omaha. The Mules' 10-game winning streak was in serious jeopardy.
The second half Central Missouri showed why it's the No. 3 ranked team in NCAA Division II.
It was simply amazing how the Mules found a way to pull out an 89-84 victory Wednesday night at the Multipurpose Building against a team clicking on all cylinders.
The game was physical. Both teams played with heart and energy and battled for every loose ball. Near the end, Nebraska-Omaha guard Tyler Bullock and Central Missouri guard Tremaine Luellen were limping around because of the way they kept hitting floor, going after balls.
"That game reminded me of the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons back in the day," said Central Missouri forward Sanijay Watts, who finished with 24 points.
"This game will help us a lot. If you want to be a championship team, that's what you got to go through."
Central Missouri snapped Nebraska-Omaha's three-game winning streak and improved to 23-1 overall and 16-1 in the MIAA. The Mavericks dropped to 17-7 and 10-7.
"In the end we made the plays," Central Missouri coach Kim Anderson said. "We played stupid at times. Some of our veterans played stupid, but one veteran who didn't play stupid was Alex Moosmann. He knocked down shots and made free throws at the end."
Nebraska-Omaha was nearly flawless in building a 43-26 lead and going into halftime in front 45-33.
"The main thing is we didn't panic," said Moosmann, who finished with 21 points. "We knew there wasn't one 17-point shot that would get us back in the game. We just had to keep chipping away and not lose our head or get mad at each other."
The Mules came out in the second half hot and quickly closed to 45-41 on back-to-back baskets by Watts followed by a jumper from Moosmann.
Eight straight points in less than two minutes to start the second half by Central Missouri quickly wiped away a brilliant first half by Nebraska-Omaha.
The Mavericks responded to the challenge, specifically Bullock. He knocked down a couple of fade-away jumpers and helped push Nebraska-Omaha's lead back to double digits at 54-44.
Bullock finished with a game-high 27.
"I thought I was looking at a NBA game with some of the shots he was making," Moosmann said. "There's nothing you can do but get a hand in his face. He made tough shots. He's a good player."
But this was when the Mules were most impressive. They stayed in control, found new heroes and slowly worked their way back into the game.
One player was sophomore forward Dusty Allen, who came off the bench and scored consecutive baskets in the paint to help the Mules close to 63-59.
His buckets came during an 8-0 run that saw Central Missouri tie the game 63-63 with 8:35 left.
"I tried to come in and bring us as much energy as I could and give us a little lift," Allen said.
Central Missouri took its first lead of the game on two free throws by Watts, making it 71-69 with 5:48 left.
"This game you can say it was just a team effort," Watts said. "One minute I scored and the next Moose would score. Dusty came off the bench when were down eight points and he scored six quick."
Watts was relentless inside and Moosmann hit clutch 15-foot jumpers in the final five minutes. That combination allowed Central Missouri to extend its lead to 77-70 with two minutes left.
This time it was Nebraska-Omaha who scrapped and fought back. The Mavericks closed to 87-84 and had the ball with a chance to tie. They missed the three-pointer with 23 seconds left.
"They had a six or seven point lead and we had a chance to tie it," Nebraska-Omaha coach Derrin Hansen said. "I like the resiliency of our team. I like the way we battled. Those are real good qualities to have this time of the year."
The Mavericks started the game in perfect form. They scored the first nine points and remained in control throughout the first half.
"The three seniors said this is what championship teams do," Watts said of overcoming a first-half deficit. "We can't panic. They made their run, let's make ours."
The Mavericks excelled on offense and defense. They hit half their shots, going 18-for-36 and they limited Central Missouri to 36 percent from the field.
Nebraska-Omaha turned the Mules into a jump-shooting team during the early stages of the first half.
Meanwhile, the Mules had no answer for forward Eugene Bain. Nebraska-Omaha constantly fed Bain in the paint and he scored. Bain made six of eight shots from the field in the first half.
In the first 20 minutes it appeared Nebraska-Omaha was on its way to an impressive road victory.
"We could have used this win on the road," said Bain, who finished with 16 points. "Central Missouri is a tough team. They have a great player on their team.
"The first half we played well. The second half, we slacked off and let them make their runs."
To reach David Boyce, contributing writer for the MIAA, e-mail dboyce@themiaa.com.
