Men’s basketball atop MAC standings following Winter Break
Despite finishing the winter break with a loss, the Chippewas had an impressive showing during break, winning five of their six games.
Key wins included victories over Big Ten foe Northwestern University and preseason Mid-American Conference favorite Toledo University.
Here’s a quick breakdown of CMU’s 5-1 record during the break:
Central Michigan 80, Northwestern 67
The Chippewas’ first challenge of the break came Dec. 17 against what would likely be their biggest test of the regular season.
NWU was 14-19 in 2013-2014, but this was the only game the Chippewas had against a team from a legitimate conference.
In front of 5,820 fans, the Chippewas cruised to a 13-point victory led by sophomore guard Braylon Rayson and freshman forward Luke Meyer, who combined to score 37 of CMU’s 80 points.
It was CMU’s first win over a Big Ten team since 2007 and the largest margin of victory over a Big Ten team since 1986.
“Maybe we’re a little closer than we thought,” said Head Coach Keno Davis after the win. “This was a good step forward tonight.”
Central Michigan 97, Concordia 60
Two days after the upset victory in Evanston, the Chippewas came home to McGuirk Arena and handled Concordia Univeristy, which isn’t part of the NCAA, but the NAIA (comparable to Division II).
Senior guard Austin Keel set a career-high with 18 points, as he was 6-for-6 from the field and was 5-for-7 from the free throw line.
Fourteen Chippewas played in the game.
Central Michigan 87, McNeese State 58
McNeese State’s Desharick Guidry and Austin Lewis came into the game in the top five in the nation in rebounding and blocks, but couldn’t stop the balanced Chippewa offensive attack.
Guidry pulled down 15 rebounds, including 10 on offense for the Cowboys but CMU still outrebounded McNeese State 47-34.
Lewis left the game two minutes in with an ankle injury.
The Chippewas had five players score in double figures with junior forward John Simons leading the group with 13 points.
Central Michigan 125, Central Penn 80
The Chippewas pulled away from Central Penn late in the first half and cruised to victory in their final non-conference game of the regular season.
Seven Chippewas scored in double figures, including junior forward Rayshawn Simmons’ 20 points.
The CMU record for most points in a game is 127. Instead of going for the record as time was expiring, the Chippewas dribbled out the final seconds of the clock.
Central Michigan 65, Toledo 62
The Chippewas had not won a Mid-American Conference game on the road since March 2013 and came into Tuesday’s game as 7.5-point underdogs on the road against the team picked to win the MAC West.
With the score tied at 62, junior guard Chris Fowler found Simons in the corner, who hit the 3-pointer with 1:08 to play that would seal the victory for CMU.
It was the 11th win of the year for the Chippewas, surpassing their 10 wins from 2013-2014.
Ball State 83, Central Michigan 65
The Cardinals only won two of their 18 MAC games last season, but they ended CMU’s six-game winning streak Saturday to move the Chippewas to 11-2 (1-1 MAC).
CMU was down as much as 12 in the first half, but stormed back with a 7-0 run to start the second half. The Chippewas led 52-51 with 13:24 to play but didn’t hit another field goal over the next seven minutes.
Fowler fouled out and finished with 13 points. Simmons was the only other Chippewa in double figures with 14 points.
