CMU Men Host McNeese State on Monday
11/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game Notes: Central Michigan | McNeese State
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - The Central Michigan men's basketball team will look to bounce back Monday when it plays host to McNeese State in a non-conference game (7 p.m.) at McGuirk Arena.
The Chippewas (2-3) are coming off a 0-3 finish at the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla. The Chippewas fell to Weber State, Western Kentucky and Milwaukee after opening the season with back-to-back wins over Jacksonville State and Division III Alma.
CMU continues to play without injured guard Chris Fowler, the Chippewas' leading scorer in each of the past two years and a First Team All-MAC selection a year ago. Key reserve Blake Hibbitts, a forward, is out for the season.
Without those two, depth - particularly playing three games in three nights, as the Chippewas did in Florida - has become an issue.
The Chippewas made 34.6 percent of their field goal attempts including just 26.2 percent from 3-point range in their three tournament games.
Rayshawn Simmons, who has taken over at point guard for Fowler, is leading CMU in scoring at 17.4 points per game, while fellow guard Braylon Rayson is averaging 14.2 points per game. Simmons is averaging 37 minutes per game.
Rayson, however, has struggled. He is shooing 31.9 percent from the floor including 24.1 percent from 3-point range. The Chippewas have made just 29.5 percent of their 3-point tries through their first five games. Last season, when CMU made a program record 322 3-pointers, the Chippewas made triples at a 37.3-percent rate.
The Cowboys (1-4) are coming off a 70-67 loss to Texas State. Their victory came over Dillard (La.), 80-79.
CMU won at McNeese State last season, 87-58. The Cowboys finished 15-16 a year ago, including 8-10 (seventh place) in the 13-team Southland Conference.
Junior guard Jamaya Burr leads McNeese State in scoring at 16.0 points per game. He is the lone Cowboy who scores in double figures. Craig McFerrin, a 6-foot-7 senior, is the team's leading rebounder at 8.4 per game.
The Chippewas travel to Phoenix to play Grand Canyon, which is coached by CMU great Dan Majerle, on Thursday, Dec. 3 (9 p.m.).
