Challenge Accepted: Keene, Rayson live up to tweet, expectations in record-setting game


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Junior guard Marcus Keene, bottom, and senior guard Braylon Rayson, top, smile while watching a free throw during the game against IU Kokomo on Nov 11 at McGuirk Arena.

Marcus Keene quoted a tweet at 10:44 a.m. on Sunday, from Twitter user Brad Ballislife, who tweeted about Lancaster men's basketball duo Mike Miles and TJ Starks combining to score 70 points.

Keene quoted the tweet and tagged his teammate and senior guard for the Central Michigan men's basketball team, Braylon Rayson.

Rayson quoted Keene's tweet and said he and Keene would have to combine for 70 points of their own or more in their game against Wisconsin-Green Bay on Tuesday.

Less than 72 hours later, Keene and Rayson lived up to the tweet.

The pair combined for 70 points in CMU's 107-97 win over the Phoenix in McGuirk Arena Tuesday night.

Keene, a junior guard, scored 31 points in the second half to finish with 40, while Rayson scored 30. Keene set a new career high in points, while Rayson tied his previous high which dates back to February 2014.

“We just turned it up. I don’t think they could guard us really," Rayson said. "They started off early in the game trying to trap (Keene) and deny him the ball, but that’s what got me hot. In the second half, it went the opposite way. That’s when (Keene) got hot. From there on, we were both hot.”


By halftime, Keene had scored nine points, while Rayson totaled 18. Rayson scored nine straight CMU points in the first half to turn a 20-15 lead into 29-19.

Green Bay full-court pressured throughout the game. In the second half, Keene took advantage of the Phoenix's tired legs.

"I knew (the full-court pressure) was going to wear them down eventually," Keene said. "In the first half, Braylon was going so I didn’t really have to do too much.In the second half, I felt like they just (wore) down and I got going.”

Keene scored CMU’s first points of the second half on a layup to snap a 6-0 Green Bay run.

CMU had an 88-87 lead with 5:05 remaining when Keene knocked down back-to-back buckets to extend the lead to six, 93-87. Rayson followed with a pair of free throws to make it a 95-87 lead.

Keene hit back-to-back 3-pointers to set a new career-high with 38. A pair of free throws gave him 40 points.

Rayson made a layup with 12 seconds remaining for his 12th point of the half to tie his career-high of 30. He missed a free throw with 1:19 left and a layup with 28 seconds remaining, which would have given Rayson a new career-high.

“I’ve got to break that," Rayson said. "I’ve got to get past that. It’s coming. I’m gradually getting better and better and I’m starting to feel myself a little bit more each-and-every game.”


Keene entered the game leading the nation with 30.4 points per game. He bumped his average up to 31.4 points per game after Tuesday's win.

Head Coach Keno Davis said when he looked to build his program, he tried to find players who were undervalued or undersized, but who could still have success in a full-court system.

Keene and Rayson both stand 5-feet-9. They fit the bill.

“When you look at Braylon Rayson and a Marcus Keene and you put those guys in a backcourt together, we might have the smallest backcourt, but we might also have the most difficult backcourt to defend at our level," Davis said. "I can’t even imagine figuring out how to stop those guys because you can’t take their shots away.”

Rayson and Keene both played high school basketball in Texas as opponents. After Keene transferred to CMU from Youngstown State, he said the duo understood they’d have one year to play together.

Rayson said he wants to make the season "epic," while Keene is embracing playing with his former foe.

“We’ve been working hard at it since we were little – high school, college (and) AAU – this is how we play," Keene said. "Coach Keno gives us the green light to do whatever we want and if we’re feeling it, we’re allowed to shoot, and I was feeling it (and Braylon) was feeling it.”

Keene nearly recorded the first triple-double in CMU history. He finished with 11 assists and seven rebounds. He also shot 52 percent from the field (12-of-23) with just one turnover.

“It’s not often when you hear about someone having an unselfish 40 (points), but that’s about (as) unselfish 40 (point game) as you could possibly have," Davis said.

CMU (8-2) plays at Illinois at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10.

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About Evan Sasiela

Evan Sasiela is the University Editor at Central Michigan Life and a senior at Central Michigan ...

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