Men’s basketball loses to NIU, still clings to MAC lead
Northern Illinois did a huge favor for Central Michigan by beating Toledo on the road Wednesday, giving the Chippewas a one-game advantage over the Rockets. The Huskies showed no favors Saturday, dominating CMU 73-55.
NIU (12-15, 6-10 MAC) led the game as CMU (21-6, 11-5 MAC) struggled, shooting 31.5 percent from the field and hitting 25 percent of its 36 3-point shots.
“There haven’t been many moments where we weren’t tuned in to what we needed to do, (but) this was one of them,” said Head Coach Keno Davis. “(They) really took it to us both offensively and defensively.”
The Chippewas cut the lead to nine points following sophomore Braylon Rayson’s 3-pointer and a pair of free throws from junior guard Chris Fowler with 16:30 to go, but wouldn’t see a single-digit deficit again.
“Really a physical game, which isn’t what we’re ready for quite yet,” Davis said. “We did not respond well to the way the game was played. In a game where you see that physicality, you have to take it to teams and not settle for the 3-point shots, which obviously we did on a night when they were not falling.”
Fowler fouled out of the game with 7:05 to play after recording eight points and four assists. His 11 points over the past two games are the fewest he’s had in any two-game stretch this season.
Rayson and Simmons were the only Chippewa scoring in double figures, with 12 and 11 points respectively. No Chippewa shot above 50 percent.
With the loss, CMU falls into a three-way tie at the top of the Mid-American Conference with Toledo and Bowling Green. CMU plays Toledo in its final home game of the season Tuesday at 7 p.m. at McGuirk Arena.
“I’d rather not have this feeling right now,” Davis said. “What I told the team afterward was, ‘The best part of it is, we’re having this conversation now and not on the night that ends your season. We get to play Tuesday.”
A win Tuesday would guarantee the MAC West title. If CMU beats Toledo and then Western Michigan on Friday in the final regular season game of the year, it will clinch a top two seed and a double bye into the MAC Tournament semi-finals.
“We’re playing for a championship,” Davis said. “We’re playing to go to Cleveland directly and I hope we get a great crowd out on Tuesday at McGuirk and see if we can get back on the right track.”
