CMU Men Square Off With Rival Western In MAC Opener

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Central Michigan men's basketball team is set to head to Kalamazoo on Friday to take on rival Western Michigan in the Mid-American Conference opener for both schools.

The Chippewas (3-3) have won three-consecutive games, the last of which was a 91-39 victory over NAIA St. Francis (Ill.) at McGuirk Arena on Monday.

Meikkel Murray scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Chippewas, while Caleb Huffman had 11 points, and Ralph Bissainthe added 10.

The Chippewas and Broncos are slated to tip off at 2 p.m.

Coming Together
After dropping their first three games of the season, all on the road, the Chippewas appear to be finding themselves as they blend a slew of newcomers – six of whom are averaging 12 or more minutes per game – with veteran holdovers such as Devontae Lane, Travon Broadway Jr., and Matt Beachler.

Broadway, a senior in his second year in the program, has emerged as a consistent scorer and rebounder. He leads the Chippewas in scoring at 15.3 points per game and is second with 5.5 rebounds per game.

Among the newcomers who have made an immediate impact are guard Caleb Huffman, 6-foot-10 freshman Aundre Polk, and the versatile Murray, a 6-6 swingman capable of playing any of four positions.

Huffman, who has been the first Chippewa off the bench in recent games, is second on the team in scoring at 12.0 points per game. Murray averages 10.0 points and leads CMU with 6.0 rebounds per. Polk is averaging 9.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 19.5 points per game.

Rebound It, Share It
In their three-game win streak, the Chippewas have outrebounded their opponents by nearly six boards per game. In their first three games, the Chippewas were outrebounded by their opponents by nearly 10 per game.

CMU is averaging 15 assists in its past three games; in its first three, it averaged nine per.

Scouting
The Broncos are 1-4 and have lost their last two games, 71-63, to Milwaukee and 67-57 to Detroit Mercy. Western has also lost to No. 4 Michigan State and to Butler. The Broncos' victory came over Adrian, 62-42.

Three Broncos are scoring in double figures, led by sophomore guard B.Artis White (14.2 points per game). Titus Wright, a 6-8 sophomore, averages 11.6 and Patrick Emilien, a 6-6 junior, averages 11.0. Wright (7.6) and Emilien (7.0) are the Broncos' top rebounders.

White has made 44.4 percent of his 3-point attempts this season.

Clayton Bates is in his first season as the Broncos' coach. Bates served three stints as an assistant at Western, most recently from 2012-20, under former coach Steve Hawkins.

Next
The Chippewas are scheduled to entertain Olivet College on Sunday (1 p.m.) at McGuirk Arena.

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Players Mentioned

Matt Beachler

Ralph Bissainthe

Travon Broadway Jr.

Caleb Huffman

Devontae Lane

Meikkel Murray

Aundre Polk