Basketball topples Olivet in Exhibition


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Junior guard Oscar Lopez Jr. blows by a defender on Fri. November 5 in Mcguirk Arena.

Central Michigan freshman Nicolas Pavrette came off the bench with his teammates cheering him on. Smiling from ear to ear, he checks in and scores his first bucket.

Like Pavrette, nearly every Chippewa got a chance to play significant minutes tonight in Friday's 114-66 exhibition win Olivet College.

Friday's game gave Chippewa fans their first look at 12 new players and a brand new coaching staff. 

How It Happened

While a divisional skill gap between the squads eventually took over, Olivet kept it close at the start. Poor defense by the Chippewas early on allowed the Comets to lead the game on two separate occasions. CMU’s offense began to click near the 11 minute mark.

CMU freshman Kevin Miller started the game at point guard and proved to play both sides of the ball with confidence and control with 8 first half points. CMU junior Brian Taylor, a transfer from UIC, proved to be a force blocking shots while leading the team with 14 first half points.

Once the Chippewas settled in on defense, fast break opportunities became a significant part of the game. Steals became a common find for the Chippewas as they took a 61-32 lead into intermission. 

The Chippewas continued to be the aggressor coming out of the break. DePaul transfer Oscar Lopez Jr. proved to be a force on defense and showed good decision making on the offensive end. CMU graduate student Jermaine Jackson Jr. juiced up the Chippewas halfway through the second half, scoring 10 of his 23 points in the stretch. 

Key Performers 

Jackson Jr. came off the bench as a spark plug on offense scoring 23 points on 7-of-11 from the field 6-of-10 from three.

Taylor went 7-of-12 for 18 points and nine rebounds and a few highlight reel dunks over a team-high 28 minutes of action. 

Lopez Jr. earned a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Miller put up 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting with three deep balls and five assists.

Key Stats

CMU out-rebounded the Comets 53-36. The Chippewas eared 33 points off 22 turnovers, 12 of them being steals.

CMU shot 48 percent from the field and 50 percent. The Comets finished 36 percent from the floor and 38 percent from beyond the arc.

Up Next

CMU’s ifficially starts its 2021-22  Missouri at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, MO. Tuesday's game will be the first of seven-straight contests away from McGuirk Arena.

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