Men's basketball aims to keep success rolling against Siena Heights
When senior guard Shawn Roundtree returned to McGuirk Arena for the Central Michigan men's basketball team's first practice following the Junkanoo Jam, he said the group fatigued over the weekend.
"Regardless of how we feel we have to get things done," Roundtree said. "We have a lot of things to improve on so if we are going to be (at practice) we gotta work hard."
The Chippewas (4-1) will return to action following their Junkanoo Jam championship at 1 p.m. on Nov. 25 against Siena Heights (4-4) at McGuirk Arena.
It'll be six days that CMU hasn't played in a live game following the tournament in the Bimini, Bahamas where it played three games in four days.
The Chippewas finished 2-1 in the tournament but earned the title due to a 12-point victory over CSU Bakersfield in the first game. Head coach Keno Davis would've liked to see the team go undefeated, however.
"I'm disappointed we didn't win all three games but I'm really proud of the way our guys battled to be in every game with a chance to win," Davis said. "To be able to get a victory in the final game said a lot about the character of this years group."
The Chippewas fell 78-76 on a buzzer beater to Weber State, but followed it up two days later with a game-winning shot from Roundtree with 2.9 seconds left to propel CMU to a 76-74 win over San Jose State.
Those close finishes is part of what Davis wanted his team to experience over in the Bahamas. Going into the tournament that these close games in a tournament style would help them when postseason play rolls around.
Junior guard Kevin McKay — who was selected to the All-Tournament Team — said it also should have an impact on the team right now.
"The fact that we didn't have that much experience playing as a squad going into the tournament so to have three games in four days sped up the process of having more chemistry," McKay said. "So when March does come around we should be used to playing in situations like the Junkanoo Jam."
A season ago, the Chippewas defeated the Saints 108-48 for their largest victory of the 2017-18 season. Roundtree said they can't look past any team.
"Last season is over so we need to look at (Siena Heights) just like any other team," Roundtree said. "They are going to give us everything they have."
Scouting Siena Heights
The Saints are a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics which primary plays against teams from the Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference.
So far this season, Siena Heights has an even record with four wins and four losses with its most recent contest resulting in a 71-67 win over Lawrence Tech. The Saints are 2-3 on the road on the 2018-19 campaign. Siena Heights was picked to finish seventh in the WHAC preseason poll.
Per game the Saints are averaging 74.1 points which stacks up for eighth in the WHAC. They are second overall in scoring defense, allowing opponents to score 73.7 points per outing.
They are holding teams to a 40.9 percent shooting clip from the field which ranks third in the league. The Saints are a quality rebounding team as well, averaging 38.25 per game which is fifth in the conference.
Junior forward Keith Jordan Jr. leads the team in scoring at 14 points per game which is good for 17th in the WHAC. Fellow junior forward Jaquantay Rouser is fifth in the conference in rebounds per game averaging 8.33 boards while scoring 10.3 points per outing.
Joe Pechota is in his ninth season as the head coach of the Saints. Over that span he has produced a 61-98 overall record with a 39-71 record in the WHAC.
