Men's basketball wins fifth straight, tops Ball State


gryph

Junior guard Chris Fowler hit a buzzer-beating 3-point shot to give the Chippewas a 41-36 lead over Ball State at halftime. (Photo by Greg Cornwell) 

Using a lightning-quick transition game and an improved defensive effort to ignite a second-half comeback, the Central Michigan University men's basketball team defeated Ball State 83-60 on Saturday at McGuirk Arena. 

The win moves the Chippewas to 20-5 overall and 10-4 in Mid-American Conference play this season. The loss extended BSU's losing streak to 12 games. 

CMU remains tied with Toledo for first place in the MAC West standings. The Chippewas host the Rockets at 7 p.m. on March 3. 

"The difference between teams in this league is so slight," Head Coach Keno Davis said. "Our post players were making it tougher for (BSU) in the second half. Fatigue was also an issue." 

Saturday's game was largely back-and-forth, especially in the first half. 

Following six lead changes to start the game, BSU's 7-0 run midway through the first half gave the Cardinals their largest lead of the afternoon, but the Chippewas offense eventually settled in and junior guard Austin Stewart's corner 3-pointer tied the game at 22. 

Junior point guard Chris Fowler beat the first-half buzzer to send the crowd at McGuirk Arena into a frenzy and give the Chippewas a 41-36 lead at the intermission. 

"It started with a good defensive play," Fowler said. "Braylon (Rayson) was selfless enough to through the ball up to me and thankfully the shot went down." 

Fowler also broke the CMU all-time assist record during Saturday's win. He now has 492 assists as a Chippewa. 

"It's a blessing to be able to do this in Mount Pleasant," Fowler said. "None of this is possible without my teammates."  

Ten Chippewas scored at least one point in CMU's victory. 

The Chippewas set the program record on Saturday for most 3-pointers made in one season with 251. John Simons hit the record-breaking 3-point shot and finished the game with a team-high 19 points. Fowler scored 18 points. 

Outscoring BSU 24-12 to start the first half, the Chippewas were in full control of the game midway through the second half. 

"Our guys understand that we can get beat by anyone in the conference," Davis said. "If you are looking forward to the conference tournament or anything else you are going to get beat." 

Share: 

About Dominick Mastrangelo

Dominick Mastrangelo is the Editor in Chief of Central Michigan Life. Contact him at: editor@cm-life.com 

...

View Posts by Dominick Mastrangelo →