CMU Men Welcome Sam Houston State On Saturday

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- The Central Michigan men's basketball team will finish its season-opening four-game homestand with two nonconference games over the next three days.

The Chippewas (2-0) entertain Sam Houston State on Saturday, Nov. 16 (2 p.m.), and then welcome Siena Heights on Monday, Nov. 18 (7 p.m.).

Last Time Out
The Chippewas defeated Mississippi Valley State on Sunday, setting a program scoring record in rolling to a 134-78 victory.

David DiLeo led seven Chippewas in double figures with a career-high 30 points.

Team Stats
CMU leads the nation in scoring at 118 points per game, and is allowing 70 per. The Chippewas' average winning margin is 48 points per game.

The Chippewas are shooting 51.6 percent from the field including 39.1 percent from 3-point range. They are holding opponents to 41.5 percent shooting from the field including 30.4 percent from 3-point range.

The Chippewas lead the nation with 17 steals per game and turnover margin (18.5). They have committed just 10 turnovers, the fewest in the nation, through their first two games.

Getting Aggressive
Part of the Chippewas' defensive success in turning over opponents can be traced to depth, which allows CMU to play more aggressively.

"I think you'll see us pressing more times than you did last year because of our depth," CMU coach Keno Davis said after the Chippewas' win over Mississippi Valley State. "I think when we continue to use our bench, it's a great opportunity for guys who don't play that many minutes to get the tempo up. They can exert more energy with the pressure against the other team's starters and wear them out.

"We're an incredibly tough team to prepare for because of that depth. All of a sudden, the seventh, eighth or ninth man comes in and can put up 15-20 points on you. You have to have scouting reports on everybody. It's nice from a coaching perspective because we can go through injuries and foul trouble and know that we have opportunities for other guys who are waiting for those chances."

Individual Leaders
DiLeo leads the Chippewas and ranks 11^th nationally in scoring, averaging 26 points per game. Dallas Morgan is second on the team at 20 points per game.

Combined, DiLeo and Morgan have made 61.5 percent of their field goal attempts and 51.5 percent of their 3-point tries. The Chippewa starters – Travon Broadway Jr., Devontae Lane, Kevin McKay and Rob Montgomery join DiLeo in the starting lineup – are making 52 of their 95 field goal attempts (54.7 percent) including 17 of 38 (44.7 percent) from 3-point range.

Devontae Lane leads CMU in assists per game at 4.5, Rob Montgomery leads the Chippewas in rebounds with 7.0 per game.

Scouting Sam Houston State
The Bearkats are 1-1 after defeating Paul Quinn, 95-57, and then falling to Mississippi State, 67-58.

The Bearkats, who play in the Southland Conference, average 76.5 points per game, while allowing 62 per.

SHSU shoots 44.7 percent from the field, with 29.2 percent from 3-point range. The Bearkats are holding opponents to 37.8 percent from the floor and 29.3 percent from 3-point range.

Zach Nutall is the Bearkats' leading scorer (15.5 ppg) and rebounder (8.5 rpg). Kai Mitchell averages 15 points per game and is making 56 percent of his field goal attempts.

Scouting Sienna Heights
Siena Heights, a member of NAIA and the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference, is 2-2. Among the Saints' first four games was a 93-51 exhibition loss to Eastern Michigan.

The Saints are averaging 79.5 points per game while making 44.3 percent of their field goal attempts. They are surrendering an average of 80.5 points per game.

DeMarco Dickerson leads Siena Heights in scoring at 21.5 points per game. He is making 47.1 percent from 3-point range. Dickerson also leads the team in assists with 3.5 per game.

Next
The Chippewas' first road game is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 21 (8 p.m.) at Minnesota. The Gophers (1-2) are scheduled to play at Utah tonight.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Travon Broadway Jr.

David DiLeo

Devontae Lane

Kevin McKay

Rob Montgomery

Dallas Morgan