Rapid Reaction: Central Michigan 89, Jacksonville State 83
Fowler sits with injury, men's basketball wins season opener
The Central Michigan men's basketball team didn't have senior point guard Chris Fowler Friday, but they did have a duo of junior guard Braylon Rayson and senior guard Rayshawn Simmons that combined for 58 points.
Rayson dominated for the Chippewas, scoring 28 points, including 11 straight points for CMU in the second half. Simmons had 30 points, a career high.
The Chippewas haven't lost a regulation game at McGuirk Arena since March 7, 2014.
CMU came into Friday 2-1 in season openers under Davis and 3-0 in home openers. Jacksonville State was 12-19 last season, while CMU was 23-9.
Without Fowler:
The Chippewas were without Fowler in the starting lineup for the first time since March of 2012. Fowler started all 94 games the Chippewas have played since the 2012-2013 season, including every game Davis has coached with CMU.
Senior guard Austin Stewart started in his place, scoring nine points. Stewart started all 31 games in 2013-2014 and played in all 32 games last season.
The Chippewas stuck with a seven-man rotation for most of the game Friday without Fowler and senior forward Blake Hibbitts, who is out for the season with a torn ACL.
Attendance:
There were 3,116 fans at McGuirk Arena for Friday's game, more than the 2,308 that showed up for last season's home opener against Alma.
Slow starts:
Jacksonville State scored the first points of the game and traded points with CMU through the first five minutes.
CMU's first field goal of the game and regular season came at the 16:44 mark when sophomore guard Josh Kozinski banked a 3-pointer to give CMU a 5-4 lead. The Chippewas took the lead for good on sophomore forward DaRohn Scott's layup with 15:01 to go in the first half to make it 9-8.
The Chippewas also started slow in the second half, as a 43-32 halftime lead shrunk to a 45-40 lead.
Changes this season:
While a few minor NCAA rule changes were put into place Friday for the first time during the regular season, it was not new for the Chippewas. CMU played with a 30-second shot clock, among other minor rule changes, in the National Invitiational Tournament last season against Louisiana Tech.
Another change was a new tradition for McGuirk Arena, as fans stood and cheered until the opponent made its first basket of the game.
What's next:
CMU hosts Alma at 7 p.m. Tuesday at McGuirk Arena in the Chippewas' last home game before Thanksgiving. Division III Alma was 12-14 last season, including a 106-64 exhibition loss to CMU.
After Tuesday, the Chippewas head to Estero, Florida for the Gulf Coast Showcase from Nov. 23 to 25 for an eight-team tournament, which includes Drake, where Davis coached in 2007-2008, and Murray State, which has 21 wins or more in its past five seasons.
Stay tuned to Central Michigan Life for more coverage of today's season opener
