Central Missouri outscored Wayne State 42-31 in the second half to come away with a 73-67 victory Saturday at the Central Region Men's Basketball Tip-Off Classic in Warrensburg, Mo.
The Wildcats used 60 percent shooting in the first half to take the lead on the host Mules, using an 11-0 run to take a 23-8 lead after a pair of Nick Ferrarini free throws at the 12:27 mark.
Central Missouri cut the Wildcat lead to 25-16, but Wayne State scored eight of the next 10 points and took another 15-point lead at 33-18 on a Ferrarini jumper with 5:01 to play before halftime. The Mules closed the first half on a 13-3 run, reducing Wayne State's lead to 36-31 at intermission.
Wayne State got off to a strong start in the second half, taking a 43-32 lead on a Kendall Jacks jumper with 17:05 to play, but Central Missouri countered with a 15-2 run over the next six minutes and turned an 11-point deficit into a 47-45 lead.
The two teams traded several leads, with Wayne State taking their final lead at 52-51 on a Tony Bonner free throw with 7:51 to play. The Mules took the lead for good, scoring the next five points for a 56-52 advantage, and led by as many as six before the Wildcats used a pair of Vance Janssen free throws and a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to one at 62-61 with 4:04 left. Central Missouri held the Wildcats to just one field goal over the next 3:30 and went on to claim the six-point win.
Trevin Joseph led Wayne State in scoring with a game-high 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Jacks contributed 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting with Janssen also hitting double figures with 10.
Central Missouri held a 28-26 advantage in rebounds over Wayne State, with Janssen grabbing seven boards to lead the Wildcats. Janssen also had five of Wayne State's 12 assists.
Wayne State (1-1) plays their home opener on Tuesday at 7 p.m., hosting Waldorf University.
