Monday, December 14
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
4:30 p.m.
Central Michigan University
3-3,0-0MAC
91
vs
39
St. Francis (Ill.)
0-1
1
2
F
St. Francis (IL)
25
14
39
Central Mich.
38
53
91
CMU guard P.J. Mitchell puts up a shot in the Chippewas' win over St. Francis on Monday at McGuirk Arena.
Photo by: Benjamin Suddendorf
CMU Men Roll Past St. Francis, Look To MAC Opener
12/14/2020 7:24:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Enough of a challenge and a chance to experiment, get some experience, and flex some muscle.
Exactly what the Central Michigan men's basketball team needed four days out from its Mid-American Conference opener.
Twelve Chippewas hit the scoring column on Monday as CMU pulled away from St. Francis (Ill.) in the second half in posting a 91-39 nonleague victory at McGuirk Arena.
It was the third-straight win for CMU (3-3), which opens MAC play on Friday (2 p.m.) at Western Michigan (1-4).
"We've got a lot to improve upon, but I think this game was good for us," CMU coach Keno Davis said. "It was good to get a lot of different guys in different positions to work on some things. Our guys enjoyed the win, but they know there's work to be done."
Leaders
Meikkel Murray scored 15 points, Caleb Huffman had 11, and Ralph Bissainthe added 10 to lead CMU.
Nine of the 12 Chippewas logged double-digit minutes and CMU made 52.2 percent of its field goal attempts, 37.5 percent of its 3-point tries, and held a 52-41 edge in rebounds.
How It Happened
St. Francis used a 9-0 spurt to close the first half and cut what was a 22-point CMU lead to 13, 38-25.
That was a motivator for the Chippewas, who outscored the Saints 53-14 in the final 20 minutes. CMU held St. Francis to just two points over the first nine-plus minutes of the second half.
"We needed St. Francis to do that to us at the end of the half because if we had a comfortable lead at halftime, maybe we don't get our focus back," Davis said "What our guys are learning -- we've got so many new guys doing this – that there are good basketball players, good basketball teams at every level.
"You can't let down or teams will play with you and that's how upsets happen. I think we had a really good focus to start that second half and I think that that will help us as we get ready for the conference season."
Defense
The Chippewas forced 24 turnovers and limited St. Francis to two 3-pointers on 18 attempts.
Satisfying Win
Freshman guard Ra'Shad Weekly-McDaniels and walk-ons Dylan Jergens and Tyler Hankins each scored their first career points, providing something for their teammates to cheer about in a game that was decided long before the final horn.
"It's about the guy who doesn't get the opportunity to play but practices and works so hard and now they get a chance to step on the court," Davis said. "It's nice to see them have some success and I know our starters appreciate how much they're working and it's nice to see them have the success when they do."
Looking Ahead
Friday's game at Western Michigan will bring the Chippewas a quarter of the way through the regular season. They, like all of their opponents (and the entire country), are coping with the effects of COVID-19 and all that that has entailed since March and will yet hold in store over the next four months.
After the Western game, the Chippewas are slated to take on Olivet at home on Sunday, Dec. 20. After that, it will be exclusively MAC competition.
Davis said his hope is that the Chippewas have grown and improved through the first quarter of the season – they opened with three straight losses on the road – and developed some cohesion and chemistry that they can rely on going forward.
"The thing that I like most is that we have really good guys," he said. "The assistants did an incredible job of recruiting not only talented players, but players with great attitudes and they're willing to work.
"They all want more, they all want to be better, and their attitudes have been great and when you have that, when they like being around each other not just on the court but off the court, that's where you build chemistry. That and winning games. Hopefully we're able to do both."
Exactly what the Central Michigan men's basketball team needed four days out from its Mid-American Conference opener.
Twelve Chippewas hit the scoring column on Monday as CMU pulled away from St. Francis (Ill.) in the second half in posting a 91-39 nonleague victory at McGuirk Arena.
It was the third-straight win for CMU (3-3), which opens MAC play on Friday (2 p.m.) at Western Michigan (1-4).
"We've got a lot to improve upon, but I think this game was good for us," CMU coach Keno Davis said. "It was good to get a lot of different guys in different positions to work on some things. Our guys enjoyed the win, but they know there's work to be done."
Leaders
Meikkel Murray scored 15 points, Caleb Huffman had 11, and Ralph Bissainthe added 10 to lead CMU.
Nine of the 12 Chippewas logged double-digit minutes and CMU made 52.2 percent of its field goal attempts, 37.5 percent of its 3-point tries, and held a 52-41 edge in rebounds.
How It Happened
St. Francis used a 9-0 spurt to close the first half and cut what was a 22-point CMU lead to 13, 38-25.
That was a motivator for the Chippewas, who outscored the Saints 53-14 in the final 20 minutes. CMU held St. Francis to just two points over the first nine-plus minutes of the second half.
"We needed St. Francis to do that to us at the end of the half because if we had a comfortable lead at halftime, maybe we don't get our focus back," Davis said "What our guys are learning -- we've got so many new guys doing this – that there are good basketball players, good basketball teams at every level.
"You can't let down or teams will play with you and that's how upsets happen. I think we had a really good focus to start that second half and I think that that will help us as we get ready for the conference season."
Defense
The Chippewas forced 24 turnovers and limited St. Francis to two 3-pointers on 18 attempts.
Satisfying Win
Freshman guard Ra'Shad Weekly-McDaniels and walk-ons Dylan Jergens and Tyler Hankins each scored their first career points, providing something for their teammates to cheer about in a game that was decided long before the final horn.
"It's about the guy who doesn't get the opportunity to play but practices and works so hard and now they get a chance to step on the court," Davis said. "It's nice to see them have some success and I know our starters appreciate how much they're working and it's nice to see them have the success when they do."
Looking Ahead
Friday's game at Western Michigan will bring the Chippewas a quarter of the way through the regular season. They, like all of their opponents (and the entire country), are coping with the effects of COVID-19 and all that that has entailed since March and will yet hold in store over the next four months.
After the Western game, the Chippewas are slated to take on Olivet at home on Sunday, Dec. 20. After that, it will be exclusively MAC competition.
Davis said his hope is that the Chippewas have grown and improved through the first quarter of the season – they opened with three straight losses on the road – and developed some cohesion and chemistry that they can rely on going forward.
"The thing that I like most is that we have really good guys," he said. "The assistants did an incredible job of recruiting not only talented players, but players with great attitudes and they're willing to work.
"They all want more, they all want to be better, and their attitudes have been great and when you have that, when they like being around each other not just on the court but off the court, that's where you build chemistry. That and winning games. Hopefully we're able to do both."
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Team Stats
SF
CMU
FG%
.242
.522
3FG%
.111
.375
FT%
.583
.520
RB
42
51
TO
24
12
STL
6
21
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
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