Basketball improves to 5-0 for first time since 80-81 season
With a 79-77 victory over Grand Canyon University on Saturday night, Central Michigan University’s men’s basketball has improved to 5-0 to start the season.
This is the first time the Chippewas have won five straight games to start a season since a (name) led team accomplished this in 1980-81.
On Saturday night against the Antelopes, CMU faced a different kind of opponent: one that was able to put up a fight in the face of adversity.
"I think with our team in our first four games prior to tonight, we had found a different way to win," said Head Coach Keno Davis.
"I'm not sure how we were able to come up with the win tonight, but I think it's a credit to the team to play a tight game which they hadn't been in yet this year and be able to make enough plays down the stretch.”
Although the Chippewas did not relinquish their lead until late in the second half, GC was able to stay within a handful of points and make the game go until the final seconds.
Davis feels that a win such as this one will only aid his team later down the road.
"It's important to play in close games just because you have to have that kind of experience," Davis said. “To be able to come up with a win and find a way is a credit to those players being tough enough to not get down.”
Junior guard Chris Fowler led the team in scoring with 26 points and made 10 of his 15 shots from the field. He also facilitated matters with four assists and three rebounds.
Fowler said that he can only take what the defense gives him, because it will not be the same night in and night out.
As a team, CMU shot 45.8 percent from the field against the Antelopes.
“In the previous games, the defense was cutting me off in the lane so the passes were open,” said Fowler. “In this game, they weren't necessarily cutting me off, so the drives were open.”
Three point shooting played a key role in CMU’s victory, spearheaded by junior forward John Simons, who sunk five of his 10 shots from beyond the arc.
"We did a lot of things well, but there's still things we need to improve," Simons said. "There's something to be said when you can win a game when a lot of things aren't going right.”
Simons had 21 points overall as well as seven total rebounds in the winning effort.
The Chippewas will next take the court at eight p.m. on the road against Bradley University on Tuesday, December 2. It will be the first away game of the season for CMU.
