The Outlook

The win came less than a week after the Marauders’ 16-point win on their home floor.  In that match-up, the Marauders built an 18-point first half lead after Urbana shot just 29% from the field, including 2 for 9 from downtown.  Tuesday’s story had a similar start as Urbana fell behind 16 at the half after a 2 for 9 start from behind the arc.

The lead grew to as many as 20 on a Greg Rice lay-up with 16 minutes to play.  Central State still led by 16 with 6:20 to play before the Blue Knights made their charge.  Trailing 75-59, the exact final score from 6 days prior, Urbana ended the game on an incredible 19-2 run.  The Marauders missed seven straight shots from the field, and five consecutive free throws, including the front end of three one-and-one’s.  Central State shot just 4 of 14 from the foul line on the night.

Despite the meltdown, Central State’s Gerald Campbell managed to knock down a pair of free throws with 15 seconds remaining to return the lead to the visitors.  Urbana’s final possession started shaky as Marcus Pearl drove the lane and lost the ball.  Danny Goins grabbed the loose ball and Head Coach Jeff Porter called a game-saving timeout with 3 ticks left on the clock.  

Out of the timeout, Urbana set up the final play for Muhammad Jr. who received the ball on the wing, drove the lane hard, spun and elevated over his defender and the help-side defense for the game-winning bank shot.  As the buzzer sounded, the Urbana student section stormed the court for the second time this season, mobbing Muhammad Jr. and his teammates.  

Muhammad Jr. carried the Blue Knights down the stretch, scoring 16 of his team-high 23 during the second half comeback.  The senior forward knocked down 8 of 11 from the field and pulled down 8 boards.  Fellow senior Stefon Perry recorded his first double-double of the season, finishing with 12 points and 12 rebounds.  His reverse jam in traffic lifted the Blue Knights early, and his bucket in the paint with 1:23 to play gave the Blue Knights their first lead of the second half.  Pearl also poured in 12, and Josh Brown chipped in 10.  Off the bench, Ramel Mitchell added nine points, including 6 clutch points during the decisive 19-2 run.

The win snapped a season-high skid of 5 games for the Blue Knights.  Urbana improves to 6-16 and 3-5 vs. the D-II Ohio Independents with four regular season games remaining.  Central State lost for the first time in four games and fell to 16-8 overall and 2-3 vs. OIC opponents.

On Thursday, Urbana hosts another area rival and future conference foe when Cedarville University visits the Grimes Center.  The Yellow Jackets stung Urbana 69-49 back on January 28th in Cedarville.