Sunday, December 6
Macomb, Ill.
3:30 p.m.
Central Michigan University
1-3,0-0MAC
79
at
73
Western Illinois
0-2,0-0Summit League
1
2
F
Central Mich.
31
48
79
Western Ill.
38
35
73
Devontae Lane was one of four Chippewas to score in double figures on Sunday as CMU topped Western Illinois, 79-73, in Macomb, Ill.
Photo by: Allissa Rusco
Solid Second Half Nets CMU Men First Win
12/6/2020 6:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Freshman Aundre Polk comes up big for CMU
MACOMB, Ill. – True, they all count one, be it a win or a loss. But sometimes, they can feel so much bigger.
Freshman Aundre Polk scored 19 points and the Central Michigan men's basketball team outscored Western Illinois, 48-35, in the second half on Sunday as the Chippewas posted a 79-73 nonconference win at the Leathernecks' Western Hall.
It was the first win of the season for CMU (1-3) and it came in a game in which the Chippewas were shorthanded in the post, battled foul trouble throughout, and trailed by seven points at halftime.
"That's not exactly how you draw up success, but I credit our guys," CMU coach Keno Davis said. "We've got all these new guys and they found a way to be able to adapt, and to change, which is a tough thing with so many new players.
"Credit those guys; when things were going against them, they kept a really good attitude, believed in what they were doing, and got a much-needed road win."
How It Happened
CMU trailed 38-31 at halftime and was still down six points, 54-48, with just over 11 minutes to play. The Chippewas took the lead, 55-54, on a Meikkel Murray layup at the 9:59 mark and never trailed again.
CMU, which made 62 percent of its second-half field goal attempts, slowly pulled away and a Polk 3-pointer – the first of his career – with 2:57 left gave the Chippewas their largest lead, 75-66. The Leathernecks (0-2) never got closer than six points the rest of the way.
"At halftime I felt like we were going too east and west, we weren't going north and south enough," Davis said. "We were hoping for the calls instead of demanding the contact; we had too many no-pass or one-pass offensive possessions. I thought we shared it better and we had better spacing, and I thought we showed toughness."
Polk Shines
Polk, a 6-foot-10 Detroit native, shouldered much of the Chippewas' post load on his own, and he delivered.
CMU was without 6-9 Malik Muhammad and 6-10 redshirt freshmen Caleb Hodgson because of injuries. An injury limited 7-foot graduate transfer Braden Burke to just eight minutes.
Polk's 19 points were the most of his brief collegiate career and he tied his career best with six rebounds. He made nine of 11 field goal attempts, scored 15 of his points in the second half, logged just 18 minutes, and was whistled for his fourth foul with more than 15 minutes remaining.
Leaders
Caleb Huffman added 15 points for CMU, while Devontae Lane had 14, and Murray finished with 11 and eight rebounds.
Tamell Pearson scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds for Western Illinois. His last points came on a layup with 6:01 to play, which brought the Leathernecks to within 64-61.
Key Numbers
The Chippewas outrebounded Western Illinois, 37-34, marking the first time in four games this season that CMU has won the rebounding battle.
The Chippewas committed 14 turnovers, but just four of those came in the second half. Lane dished out six assists as CMU finished with a season-high 17 helpers.
Next
The Chippewas are scheduled to play Valparaiso in their home opener on Saturday, Dec. 12 (4:30 p.m.) at McGuirk Arena. It is CMU's final nonconference game. The Chippewas' Mid-American Conference opener is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 18 at Western Michigan.
Freshman Aundre Polk scored 19 points and the Central Michigan men's basketball team outscored Western Illinois, 48-35, in the second half on Sunday as the Chippewas posted a 79-73 nonconference win at the Leathernecks' Western Hall.
It was the first win of the season for CMU (1-3) and it came in a game in which the Chippewas were shorthanded in the post, battled foul trouble throughout, and trailed by seven points at halftime.
"That's not exactly how you draw up success, but I credit our guys," CMU coach Keno Davis said. "We've got all these new guys and they found a way to be able to adapt, and to change, which is a tough thing with so many new players.
"Credit those guys; when things were going against them, they kept a really good attitude, believed in what they were doing, and got a much-needed road win."
How It Happened
CMU trailed 38-31 at halftime and was still down six points, 54-48, with just over 11 minutes to play. The Chippewas took the lead, 55-54, on a Meikkel Murray layup at the 9:59 mark and never trailed again.
CMU, which made 62 percent of its second-half field goal attempts, slowly pulled away and a Polk 3-pointer – the first of his career – with 2:57 left gave the Chippewas their largest lead, 75-66. The Leathernecks (0-2) never got closer than six points the rest of the way.
"At halftime I felt like we were going too east and west, we weren't going north and south enough," Davis said. "We were hoping for the calls instead of demanding the contact; we had too many no-pass or one-pass offensive possessions. I thought we shared it better and we had better spacing, and I thought we showed toughness."
Polk Shines
Polk, a 6-foot-10 Detroit native, shouldered much of the Chippewas' post load on his own, and he delivered.
CMU was without 6-9 Malik Muhammad and 6-10 redshirt freshmen Caleb Hodgson because of injuries. An injury limited 7-foot graduate transfer Braden Burke to just eight minutes.
Polk's 19 points were the most of his brief collegiate career and he tied his career best with six rebounds. He made nine of 11 field goal attempts, scored 15 of his points in the second half, logged just 18 minutes, and was whistled for his fourth foul with more than 15 minutes remaining.
Leaders
Caleb Huffman added 15 points for CMU, while Devontae Lane had 14, and Murray finished with 11 and eight rebounds.
Tamell Pearson scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds for Western Illinois. His last points came on a layup with 6:01 to play, which brought the Leathernecks to within 64-61.
Key Numbers
The Chippewas outrebounded Western Illinois, 37-34, marking the first time in four games this season that CMU has won the rebounding battle.
The Chippewas committed 14 turnovers, but just four of those came in the second half. Lane dished out six assists as CMU finished with a season-high 17 helpers.
Next
The Chippewas are scheduled to play Valparaiso in their home opener on Saturday, Dec. 12 (4:30 p.m.) at McGuirk Arena. It is CMU's final nonconference game. The Chippewas' Mid-American Conference opener is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 18 at Western Michigan.
Team Stats
CMU
WIU
FG%
.508
.441
3FG%
.429
.350
FT%
.750
.538
RB
37
34
TO
14
16
STL
8
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
19
FGM
9
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
Center
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's BasketballForward
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